College of Education

Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History
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Frequently Asked Questions

 

What is the TEAACH Act?

Passed in April 2021, the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History (TEAACH) Act amended the Illinois School Code, ensuring that every public elementary and high school student in Illinois learns about the contributions of Asian Americans to the economic, cultural, social, and political development of the United States.

Beginning with the 2022-23 school year, every public elementary school and high school shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying the events of Asian American history, including the history of Asian Americans in Illinois and the Midwest, as well as the contributions of Asian Americans toward advancing civil rights from the 19th century onward.

How many professional development hours can I get? This professional development series has three modules. Completion of all three modules can earn teachers up to 36 professional development credits in the state of Illinois. However, to accommodate teachers’ busy lives, you may complete any of the modules (1, 2, or 3) to receive individualized professional development hours. Though participants can pick and choose which modules to complete, we highly recommend completing modules in their entireties and beginning with Module 1. Please contact us at teaach@education.illinois.edu for more information.
How do I claim my professional development hours? AFTER you have completed all the sections you wish, please visit this link to claim your hours. You may also complete the form if you wish to provide feedback to the team at the University of Illinois.
How is this different from other professional development opportunities?

Our approach is completely asynchronous, and it is customizable! Each module is worth 12 professional development hours in the state of Illinois for a total of 36 hours. However, you can choose modules to meet your liking for a customizable number of professional development points.

More about our approach:

  • This professional development (PD) series will take a critical, historical, and structural approach. For example, we do not simply add Asian American facts to curriculum or focus on food or cultural traditions of Asian Americans.
  • The PD series will focus on how race and inequity have shaped Asian American experiences and led to racialization of them as model minorities and foreigners versus as fully complex and diverse individuals.
  • It will take a cross-racial approach, showing how Asian American histories are intertwined with other communities of color.
  • It will focus on voices of Asian Americans as historic and present-day actors in the US narrative.
Who made this professional development series? Faculty, staff, and doctoral students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's College of Education and iSchool. For more information, meet the team here.
How am I evaluated? The expert team assesses your work with this rubric. As an internal, reflexive process, the team meets weekly and holds an annual retreat to continually update content, delivery, and evaluative techniques.