Doctoral student addresses teaching inclusive history in Illinois' public schools

A bill circulating in the Illinois Legislature would require history curricula in Illinois' public schools to include discussions of prominent people who had disabilities or were lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning.

Leslie K. Morrow, the director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center and a doctoral student in the Department of Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, spoke with education editor Sharita Forrest about the proposed bill.

In the interview, she discusses how significant the bill would be, if it became law, in promoting an inclusive climate in public schools. Morrow also addresses critics of the proposed law and her observations about the impact of inclusive educational environments.

“A student once walked into my office and was shocked to see me sitting behind the desk,” Morrow said. “She said that had she known that the director of the LGBT Resource Center was someone who looked like her, a person who reflected aspects of her identity, she would have come in much sooner.”

Read the full Illinois News Bureau article.