Acts of Arkansas 787

Among other requirements, the State of Arkansas legally mandates that

A unit of Arkansas history will be taught as a social studies subject at each elementary grade level in every elementary public school in this state, with greater emphasis at the 4th and 5th grade levels.

As all schools have discovered this legislation contains one very large ambiguity.  It seems that everyone knows what a “Unit” is, but hardly anyone agrees with anyone else on the definition.  The Arkansas Studies Curriculum has taken the lead in constructing a consensus about this.  All materials have been created to deliver a conceptually coherent period of grade-level instruction which extends for a minimum of three weeks of instruction.  True to Act 787, the period of instruction has been lengthened, and the content made more sophisticated, in the 4th and 5th grades.  Further, as the examples in each grade’s Teacher’s Guide demonstrate, the focus and emphasis of the units taught at different grade levels are not redundant.  While they do build on what has gone before and provide some pointers to what is to come, each unit contains its own, distinct emphasis.  Many school districts currently using the Arkansas Studies Curriculum have placed these Units of instruction at the end of the school year, late April through May, to coincide with Arkansas Heritage month, taking advantage of the special functions and opportunities afforded at that time.

Schools who use the Arkansas Studies approach to the teaching of Arkansas History can be confident they are complying with both the spirit and letter of Act 787.

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