New standards to help support our students’ cultures, languages & learning styles

​SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Board of Education today adopted new Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards to prepare future educators to teach diverse students. ISBE’s Diverse and Learner Ready Teacher (DLRT) Network developed the standards, which educator preparation programs in colleges and universities will integrate into their course content and field experiences.

The standards aim to foster classroom and school environments in which every student feels that they belong. This feeling of belonging is critical to improving academic and behavioral outcomes for Illinois’ increasingly diverse students. More than 52 percent of Illinois students identify as students of color and English Learners make up the fastest growing student population, but Illinois’ teacher workforce remains more than 82 percent white. The ability to reach students from different cultural backgrounds is an essential skill to succeed as a teacher in Illinois today.

“Culturally responsive practices improve engagement and help students from all backgrounds succeed in academic and non-academic ways,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala. “Every student deserves to feel welcome, included, and accepted at school and to see their cultural identity and experiences affirmed and represented in all aspects of their educational journey. We all have room to grow in recognizing underrepresentation and in understanding how to affirm someone’s life experiences that differ from our own. This work is naturally uncomfortable, and it begins with awareness.”