00                   HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 14                                                                   
01 Relating to urging school districts to implement an Alaska history curriculum.                                          
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03       WHEREAS an education rich in history is vital to an effective public school system;                             
04 and                                                                                                                     
05       WHEREAS many other states require the teaching of state history; and                                            
06       WHEREAS a sound understanding of Alaska history is vital to understanding the                                   
07 changing social and demographic face of the state; and                                                                  
08       WHEREAS a knowledge of history provides a context for understanding the diversity                               
09 and richness of the state; and                                                                                          
10       WHEREAS, in order to avoid mistakes of the past and to plan for the future, it is                             
11 important to have a broad knowledge of history; and                                                                     
12       WHEREAS, to work effectively on many of the problems in the state, including the                              
13 state's fiscal challenges and differences between urban and rural areas, knowledge of the                               
14 state's history is required; and                                                                                        
15       WHEREAS there are many instructional resources available that could be used to                                  
16 teach courses on Alaska history;                                                                                        

01       BE IT RESOLVED by the Alaska State Legislature that the Department of Education                                 
02 and Early Development is encouraged to continue the fourth grade Alaska history curriculum;                             
03 and be it                                                                                                               
04       FURTHER RESOLVED that each school district in the state is encouraged to                                        
05 include a review of Alaska history as a part of the high school curriculum.                                             
06       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Frank Murkowski, Governor                              
07 of Alaska, and to the chair of the governing body of each school district in the state.