Most Illinois teachers feel parents support them teaching about race and gender, according to a new report.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers surveyed 1,550 social studies teachers and administrators over four years.
“We were shocked to receive notice that approximately 87% of educators agree that parents were supportive of their approaches,” said report co-author Asif Wilson.
Wilson, a curriculum and instruction professor in the U of I College of Education, said the findings push back against the idea that parents in the state’s more conservative areas do not want their kids to learn about race or gender.
The survey may have some bias since teachers filled it out to apply for a program about teaching inclusive social studies, but survey respondents hailed from all over Illinois.
State law requires districts to teach about Black history before enslavement, Asian American history, contemporary Native Americans in Illinois and the contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals.
The U.S Department of Education ordered states in April to ban “illegal DEI” in schools. Illinois state superintendent Tony Sanders declined, saying there are no federal laws prohibiting diversity, equity and inclusion.
Pew Research Center surveys from 2022 and 2023 found significant partisan divides nationally among parents over how race and gender should be taught in school. Overall, about half said they wanted their child to learn that slavery still affects African Americans today, and about a third wanted their child to learn that gender can be different from sex at birth.
The report also showed Illinois educators want more resources to comply with the additional curriculum requirements.
Wilson said as a result of recent curriculum changes, many teachers have had to prepare their own class materials.
“The world changes really quickly, and unfortunately, textbooks don’t keep up with the fast-paced modifications of the world,” he said.
Wilson says the benefit of this approach is the lessons are tailored to student interests — while the downside is teachers are already burnt out.
Wilson said teachers are asking for historical sources and activities to use in their classes as well as more plans for each unit.
Wilson published the report in September with co-author Salka Aslam, a PhD student at U of I.