Illinois made history with TEAACH Act

In 2021, Illinois became the first state to require all public schools teach Asian American and Pacific Islander history. Five years later, implementation remains incomplete.

What TEAACH stands for

TEAACH is the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History Act. It requires every public elementary and high school in Illinois to teach a unit on Asian American and Pacific Islander history.

Anti-Asian hate sparked the bill

The TEAACH Act was prompted by high-profile anti-Asian hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a March 2021 mass shooting at Atlanta-area spas that killed eight people, six of them Asian women.

Coalition of 35 organizations championed it

More than 35 organizations, including Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago, supported the bill. It was the first of its kind anywhere in the United States.

Bill passed with strong support

The Illinois State House passed the TEAACH Act 108-10 on May 31, 2021. Some opponents argued curriculum decisions should happen at the local level rather than be mandated by the state.

Act was unfunded at first

The TEAACH Act passed without funding. In 2025, Illinois committed $2 million to inclusive K-12 history mandates, with some money allocated to the TEAACH Act. A standardized statewide curriculum still hasn't been established.

Only 25% of students engaged so far

State Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz said roughly 25% of teachers and students in Illinois have participated with Asian American curricular resources made available since the bill passed.

“Roughly 25% of teachers and students in the state of Illinois have had some participation with the Asian American curricular resources”

Students report little AAPI education

A 2023 survey by the HANA Center of 113 students, teachers and parents found 73% of student respondents said they received little to no education focusing on Asian American communities during the previous school year.

Why AAPI history matters for students

Education researchers found students in ethnic studies are more academically engaged, develop stronger personal empowerment, perform better academically and graduate at higher rates.

Asian population in Chicago growing fast

The Asian population in metro Chicago grew 11.6% since 2020, more than double the growth rate of any other group. About 764,000 people identified as Asian in 2024, up from 2020.

Pride in identity matters, educator says

Laura Ouk, board president of the National Cambodian Heritage Museum, said younger Asian American generations are proud of their identity because they know their history. Previous generations didn't have that knowledge.

“We weren't always proud of who we are, and I think a lot of it was because we didn't really know who we were”

Only 13% of seniors take Asian American studies

John Lee teaches an Asian American Studies elective at Niles West High School in Skokie. He estimates he instructs about 13% of the senior class. About half his students hadn't heard key moments from Asian American history before his class.

Chicago Public Schools offers resources

Chicago Public Schools said its Social Science Department actively curates lessons and offers content aligned with the TEAACH Act to support more inclusive classrooms exploring all units of study from multiple perspectives.

District 214 acknowledges room for improvement

Township High School District 214, covering suburbs north of Chicago, said its curriculum provides opportunities to explore Asian American contributions. But Associate Superintendent Bradford Hubbard said the district can do better and is evaluating graduation requirements.

“I also think at the same time we can certainly do better”

Some schools ignore outreach efforts

Laura Ouk does outreach to school administrators about Asian American history resources. She said some schools still aren't making the material a priority, sometimes by not responding to emails and calls, sometimes by directly saying they can't prioritize it.

“Sometimes, it's as indirect as just not responding to our emails and our calls”

Teacher training resources available

Free workshops and online training from the University of Illinois allow teachers to work toward an ISBE microcredential in Asian American history. Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago organized 63 professional development workshops from July 2022 to June 2023.

California requires ethnic studies courses

California signed a law in 2021 requiring all high schools to offer an ethnic studies course. The class will become a statewide graduation requirement beginning in 2030.

New Jersey followed Illinois' lead

In 2022, New Jersey became the second state after Illinois to require schools teach Asian American and Pacific Islander history. The mandate took effect in the 2022-2023 school year and was also unfunded when it passed.

Students push for full implementation

In April, members of the HANA Center's Suburban Youth Council spoke at Chicago-area school board meetings pushing districts to fully implement the TEAACH Act, including Asian American accomplishments in history and literature in English courses.

Knowledge brings power and understanding

Ahir Naveen, a junior at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, is collecting student signatures supporting full TEAACH Act implementation. He said knowledge brings power and understanding of other people and perspectives.

“I think that with knowledge comes power, and with knowledge comes understanding of other people and perspectives broadening”