Arkansas Governor's School

The Arkansas Governor's School (also known as Arkansas Governor's School for the Gifted and Talented or AGS) is a publicly funded four-week (formerly six-week) residential summer program offered to rising seniors in the state of Arkansas. The school typically accepts around 400 students each year.[1]

Arkansas Governor's School
Location
Russellville
,
Arkansas

United States
Information
TypePublic boarding school
Established1979
OversightAdministrator of Programs for the Gifted and Talented, Arkansas Department of Education
Faculty40 (approx)
GradesRising 12th Graders
Number of students400 (approx)
CampusArkansas Tech

Modeled after the Governor's School of North Carolina, AGS was founded by governor Bill Clinton in 1979.[2]

From 1979 until 2018, the program took place on the grounds of Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas.[2]

On September 13, 2018, the Arkansas Board of Education voted to move the program to Arkansas Tech in Russellville, Arkansas.[3] This decision was met with high criticism from past alumni, staff, and parents with over 2,500 signing a petition against the campus change.[4] The program will be housed at Arkansas Tech for the 2019-2021 sessions.[5]

Program Description

At Hendrix College

The Hendrix curriculum for AGS was broken up into three areas:

  • Area I, emulating a college major. Students are accepted into one of eight areas of study:[6] English/Language Arts, Visual Arts, Choral Music, Instrumental Music, Mathematics, Natural Science, Social Science, and Drama.
  • Area II, also known as conceptual development, which focuses on critical thinking skills and high level discussions. Many Area II teachers majored in philosophy, political science, and English.
  • Area III, also known as personal and social development. Topics covered in Area III classes include growth mindset, emotional intelligence, and stress management.[7]

There are two other "areas," Area IV and Area V. Area IV consists of the residential staff (Resident Assistants, or "RAs," as well as the Hall Directors of the various dormitories). Area V consists of the administrative and office staff that head the whole program.

There are two required speakers each week. Previous speakers include Rudy Giuliani, Michael Shermer, Phyllis Schlafly, Temple Grandin, James Loewen. During the program's early years, then-governor Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Clinton gave speeches and held small meetings in order to improve the normal school experiences.[8]

One film is required each week to supplement Area II discussions, the first of which is usually Koyaanisqatsi. Past screenings include The Truman Show, 13th, (Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies, and Hotel Rwanda.[9]

Each day, there are several extra activities occurring after Area I and Area II classes, named after the typical time they occur at: "4:10s" or "6:10s." These cover a wide variety of topics and activities, from Middle Eastern Conflict to Quidditch.

At Arkansas Tech

The Arkansas Tech curriculum follows a similar three area paradigm, with a focus on linking technology in the past, present, and future.[10]

  • Area I encompasses the same eight areas of study, each incorporating technology studies into their classes.
  • Area II now focuses on the paradigm of the "network," looking into the ethical and philosophical implications of technology in modern times. Area II was composed of several sections, each taught by a different instructor and imparting a unique perspective.
  • Area III explores the role of technology in society, both politically and socially.

The Guiding Hand

Because of the school's link to Bill Clinton, a film entitled The Guiding Hand was created as anti-Clinton propaganda during the 1992 presidential election. The film accused the school of brainwashing students, saying that one girl had to be "deprogrammed" for two years. Also in the film is an unidentified student who makes several false claims about the school, including one statement saying that there was a required course called "Views of Man"; in actuality, this was a course at Hendrix College, not AGS. In the last week of the program, the film is studied by students and analyzed for logical fallacies using their newfound Area II knowledge.[11]

gollark: Why not?
gollark: It's not like I can't just pass it off to GTech™ bee neuron intelligences.
gollark: Maybe *I* am to learn Toki Pona.
gollark: This would be even more ethical.
gollark: Wait, what if you just raise them on provably sound and formally verified languages?

References
  1. "Arkansas Governor's School". www.hendrix.edu. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  2. "Arkansas Governor's School coming to ATU -". couriernews.com. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  3. Brantley, Max. "State Board votes to transfer Arkansas Governor's School to Arkansas Tech". Arkansas Times. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  4. Howell, Cynthia. "Tech selected to take over Arkansas Governor's School; Hendrix had been host for 38 years". Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  5. "Arkansas Governor's School". www.hendrix.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-22.
  6. Brunner, Susanne (2018-07-11). "Education Matters: Arkansas Governor's School Attracts Gifted and Talented Students". ArkansasMatters.com.
  7. https://www.hendrix.edu/ags/ags.aspx?id=23218
  8. Peacock, Leslie Newell. "Righting Governor's School". Arkansas Times. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  9. Brantley, Joseph McBride, Max. "Joseph McBride". Arkansas Times. Archived from the original on 2018-09-26. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  10. "Arkansas Tech University AGS Proposal 2018".
  11. Botkin, Geoffrey; American Portrait Films, Inc (1992), The guiding hand, Distributed by American Portrait Films, ISBN 0934837619, OCLC 32833527

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