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Education chief hears case against changes in Arkansas history teaching Friday, Jul 20, 2007 By Rob Moritz Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas history should stand alone and be taught separately in elementary schools, advocates of teaching the subject told the state education commissioner Thursday. Members of the Arkansas History Education Coalition, including former U.S. Sen. David Pryor, met with Commissioner Ken James to discuss the group's opposition to planned curriculum changes that move Arkansas history into the social studies curriculum. Along with requesting a one-year delay in implementing the new curriculum, coalition president Tom Dillard said he also asked James to amend the proposal so Arkansas history can be separated into an individual unit for elementary school students. Dillard said he offered the coalition's help in developing a separate unit on Arkansas history. "We talked with them at some length and they explained things from their perspective at considerable length," Dillard said, adding he hopes James and the state Board of Education consider the requests. Dillard said the coalition fears the new curriculum will water down Arkansas history education in the state. He said the coalition has backed off one of its proposals, announced last week, that asked the governor to appoint a committee to study the curriculum and make any recommendations on changes in an effort to maintain the teaching of Arkansas history in schools. The proposal is no longer being considered because Gov. Mike Beebe strongly opposed it, Dillard said. Two middle school history teachers also attended the closed-door meeting with James, along with Dillard and Pryor, who is likely included in most state history instruction as also a former Arkansas legislator, governor and congressman. "Hopefully there's going to be some progress and hopefully there's going to be better communication," Pryor said Thursday. Dillard and Pryor both said they were pleased James considered their proposals, but also agreed the meeting probably did not sway James to delay implementation of the new curriculum this fall. The education commissioner did not immediately return a call to his office seeking comment. Department of Education spokeswoman Julie Thompson said the meeting went well. "We thought it was a good meeting and it was nice to sit down and actually discuss and hear their concerns," Thompson said. "I think it was constructive, and of course Dr. James will report on what happened to the governor." Beebe has said he supports the department and the new curriculum. A 34-member education committee recommended the changes in the social studies curriculum in 2006. The committee, which wanted to strengthen the teaching of Arkansas history, felt it necessary to move it into the social studies curriculum because as a separate subject it often was not being taught in elementary school, Thompson said recently. The coalition, however, believes the new curriculum is a violation of Act 786 of 1997, which required Arkansas history be taught separately. Another problem historians have with the plan is that Arkansas history for the past decade has been taught in middle school, with world history taught in high school. Because Arkansas history will be mixed into social studies course work in elementary school, some districts are moving world history to middle school and bumping Arkansas history to high school. Dillard said the arrangement could cause problems because the Arkansas history textbooks are for younger students, not for students in high school. Also, according to Dillard, some students may never take Arkansas history because they will have taken their three required units of social studies before high school when the course is offered. The history teachers attending Thursday's meeting were Lloyd Clark, who teaches in the Walnut Ridge School District, and Margaret Grimes of the Conway School District. |
