The Arkansas Department of Education is scheduling a series of trainings in educational service cooperatives and the three Pulaski County school districts as required by Act 326 of 1997 and its Rules and Regulations. This law is available through the last edition of School Laws of Arkansas, and you may access the Rules and Regulations on the Department web site at http://arkedu.state.ar.us/wwwade/sections/ruleregs/057.html. The session is designed on a training of trainers model. The trainer is Ms. Eddie B. Williams-McCoy. Development of materials was overseen by the Black History Task Force.
Act 326 addresses the need for additional resources in African American history and for training in racial sensitivity and awareness. The one-day training responds to both of these mandates. ONE PERSON FROM EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT IN ARKANSAS MUST ATTEND THE TRAINING IN YOUR AREA, AND THERE WILL BE ON-SITE REGISTRATION. The training dates are attached. The training is to be incorporated in the staff development program in every school district during the 1999-2000 school year.
District representatives will receive a copy of the training materials for use in local schools with students and faculty, as well as a resource guide for each media center. One part of the training focuses on issues surrounding sensitivity to, and awareness of, diverse cultures. The second part introduces the resource guide and illustrates how it is helpful to classroom instruction. By the end of this fiscal year, each district will also receive a limited allotment of funds to purchase materials related to African and African American history instruction. Such materials may be chosen from those included in the resource guide or from other appropriate materials selected by the district.
The training schedule appears below. The training will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. with registration at 8:45 a.m. There will be a lunch break of one hour, with lunch on your own. The training will end by 3:30 p.m.
Site\Date
Arch Ford ESC 03/31/99
Arkansas River ESC 04/01/99
Great Rivers ESC 04/09/99
Wilbur D. Mills ESC 04/14/99
Dawson ESC 04/19/99
Southeast Arkansas ESC 05/13/99
DeQueen/Mena ESC 05/19/99
South Central ESC 06/07/99
Pulaski County Districts Pending
Western Arkansas ESC 06/16/99
Northwest Arkansas ESC 06/17/99
Northcentral Arkansas ESC 06/21/99
Ozarks Unlimited Resource ESC 06/22/99
Northeast Arkansas ESC 06/24/99
Crowley's Ridge ESC 06/25/99
Southwest Arkansas ESC 06/28/99