We’re kicking off our newsletter for the Inclusive Curriculum Law!
This law (formerly known as Public Act 101-0227) requires Illinois public schools to teach the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the history of Illinois and the United States. We're so excited to be a part of the movement and rollout!
Over the past 6+ months, Illinois Safe Schools Alliance, a program of Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago (PHIMC), Equality Illinois, and The Legacy Project have been hard at work convening and engaging educators and stakeholders to equip schools with the resources and tools they need to support implementation of the law. Our goal is to build awareness of the law, develop implementation guidance informed by educators, deliver professional development for schools, and curate content to be used in classrooms.
Through these efforts, we hope to build a foundation for educators and administrators across the state that will offer public school students a more accurate, complete, and equitable picture of American society and the opportunity to see themselves represented in the educational experience.
Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic: we are living in an unprecedented time. What's more,
we are living through history. Schools are closed, learning has moved online, and priorities have shifted. How will we, as Illinoisans, respond?
We are responding and adapting by providing virtual professional development and convening workshops to inform our Inclusive Curriculum Law implementation support. See details below. Given the circumstances, it is our hope that we can provide the school-based community with resources and tools that are accessible and effective. Ultimately, we have a unique opportunity to engage in the work in a manner that is transformative, vision-based, and social justice-minded. That being said, here are updates to get everyone started:
FAQ & General Information
Inclusive Curriculum Law Implementation Guide
Led by experts in the field, our Inclusive Curriculum Law implementation guidance is in the process of coming together! This guide will provide educators and administrators with tools and strategies for implementation in classrooms and school buildings. Part of the process includes 'workshopping' the document to fit your teaching needs - this is where you come in!
If you are an educator, school-based administrator, or organization that works directly with schools and would like to participate in such a workshop*, please fill out
this form. Grecia Magdaleno (they/them), Policy and Advocacy Manager for Illinois Safe Schools Alliance, will reach out directly.
*Due to the shelter-in-place order issued by Governor J.B. Pritzker, all workshop sessions will be held virtually, unless specified otherwise.
Scope and Sequence Resources Needed
We know that teachers are experts in curriculum design and implementation, including scope and sequence ("During this year, I did X, Y, and Z"). If you are a teacher who has previous or current versions of scope and sequence to inform our lesson plans, please email Victor Salvo
here.
Lesson Plans
The Legacy Project (Legacy) has expanded their education database. Twenty new lesson plans have been crafted and nearly all of the existing plans have been edited and updated. Collectively, Legacy boasts one of the largest collections of biography-based lesson plans covering the achievements of historically significant LGBTQ+ people like
Jane Addams
,
Bayard Rustin
,
Frida Kahlo
,
Alan Turing
, and
Josephine Baker
. To access the existing plans, click
here
.
Volunteers – especially those with research, teaching, or lesson plan writing experience – are needed to process copious information that will become part of the LGBTQ+ Inclusive Curriculum resource hub. To sign up to volunteer and get updates on this important work, please email Victor Salvo
here.
Professional Development Webinars
We believe that a successful rollout of the Inclusive Curriculum Law implementation must involve professional development (PD). That being said, we will be offering our
Creating Affirming Learning Environments
and
Illinois Inclusive Curriculum Law
PD virtually! Below are upcoming dates for the
Creating Affirming Learning Environments
workshop. This introductory workshop is geared towards classroom teachers and student support staff and focuses on the experiences and needs of LGBTQ+ young people in school settings, both in the classroom and during online instruction.
Creating Affirming Learning Environments Webinars:
Wednesday, May 13
1 – 2pm
Monday, May 18
5 – 6pm
Friday, May 29
11am – 12pm
Wednesday, June 3
2 – 3pm
Please
visit this page
for an updated list of future webinar sessions. If you would like to request a webinar for your school and/or organization that is more tailored to a specific audience or content, please complete
this PD Intake Form
.
Share Our Newsletter
As always, feel free to share our
sign-up form with your networks for updates on the Inclusive Curriculum Law.
More than anything, our youth deserve to see themselves reflected in the classroom, and we know the work we do as a community is going to change the lives of LGBTQ+ students for the better.
Thank you to the countless students, parents, teachers, stakeholders, partners, and larger community for supporting us throughout this process.
This is just the beginning. There will be much more to come!
