Governor J.B. Pritzker signed new legislation that will require K-12 schools in Illinois to teach Native American history. It states that "beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, every public elementary school and high school shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying the events of the Native American experience and Native American history within the Midwest and the State since time immemorial," and that "the teaching of the history of the United States shall include the study of the role and contributions of Native Americans and teaching about Native Americans' sovereignty and self-determination."

The Department of History's field of study in American Indian, Native American, and Indigenous History trains students in comparative, transnational, and interdisciplinary historical research focused on Native North America (Canada, the U.S., & Mexico). The core faculty create public facing, community engaged histories across a wide range of thematic subjects, time periods, and geographic regions.

Current and emerging teachers in Illinois are welcome to take classes in Native American History that will strengthen their skills for this new legislative initiative.

Please contact Stefan Djordjevic for more information regarding current courses.