By Dave Dahl
SPRINGFIELD – An educational buzz-phrase some Republican lawmakers want to swat right now, once and for all, is “culturally responsive teaching.”
It’s a revision to Illinois State Board of Education teaching standards that is on the Feb. 16 agenda of the legislature’s Joint Commission on Administrative Rules.
During an online news conference Monday, House Republicans said the proposed rule is a step away from the three R’s and from supporting a profession which needs more good people.
“Now we are going to make teachers prove they are ‘woke’ or ‘progressive’ and take their licenses away if they don’t prescribe to a particular political philosophy,” said State Rep. Adam Neimerg (R-Dieterich).
When asked just what Niemerg meant by ‘woke,’ House Republican spokeswoman Eleni Demertzis responded via e-mail:
“The problem with the entire idea of requiring teachers to adopt a progressive ‘mantra’ into their teaching is that the terms progressive, woke, or liberal mean different things to different people. The language of the new rule very specifically asks teachers to admit to themselves and their students that they come pre-programmed with an inherent bias and have attained their position because of some undefined ‘privilege’ they have had in life. We are deeply concerned by the possibility that any Illinois teacher’s license may be subject to revocation or non-issuance because a bureaucrat in Springfield or Chicago decides that particular educator didn’t do enough to push the progressive agenda.”
In an e-mailed statement Monday, state superintendent Carmen Ayala said:
“Culturally responsive teaching and leading helped me improve the reading and math skills of every one of our student groups when I was a district superintendent and to achieve double digit growth among my students of color. Cultural responsiveness is inclusive of all of the experiences our educators, students, and families bring to the classroom. Our state produces a 30-point achievement gap between Black and white students and a 22-point achievement gap between Hispanic and white students. As we help students recover from learning loss due to the pandemic, giving our teachers opportunities to learn about effective, equitable, and research-based strategies like cultural responsiveness could not be more important. Every student deserves to feel welcomed, included, and accepted at school. Students are more engaged when they see their cultures represented in what they learn at school. As a veteran educator, I know teachers know this, and the proposed Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards will enhance the strategies and best practices our teachers can use.”
Dave Dahl can be reached at news@wjbc.com
