SSHS teacher completes Declaration of Learning program

Angie Howie

Angie Howie

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Angie Howie, a teacher at Siloam Springs High School, recently completed the year-long Arkansas Declaration of Learning program.

The program provides participating educators with the opportunity to use historic art and objects to develop innovative lesson plans for classroom learning and civic engagement projects, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of State.

Over the last three years, more than 6,000 Arkansas students have participated in classroom lessons and civic engagement projects developed through the program.

"I loved the community engagement piece (of ADOL)," Howie said. "My students worked hard and were engaged because the lesson incorporated something that was important to them."

The Declaration of Learning program was formed in 2013 as part of an inter-agency educational initiative that began when representatives from 12 national organizations committed to working with state and local partners to create learning tools for educators and students in middle and secondary education. The U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Reception Rooms is leading the initiative nationally.

Arkansas is the first state in the nation to participate in the Declaration of Learning program. Partners include the Arkansas Department of Education, Clinton Foundation, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Central Arkansas Library System's Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, William J. Clinton Presidential Library, and the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Reception Rooms.

"This program is a great learning experience for teachers and students," said Cassandra Barnett, the Arkansas Department of Education program advisor for school libraries. "Because of the hard work of these teachers, students have the opportunity to explore real world issues using art and historic objects."

Applications for the prestigious Arkansas Declaration of Learning program are now open and close at 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 25. Arkansas school librarians and teachers of art, English language arts, and social studies in grades 7 to 12 are encouraged to apply at http://bit.ly/2AopCBK. To learn more about the program, visit http://bit.ly/1RRIrwP

General News on 02/07/2018