Archeology in the Classroom: a Case Study from Arizona

There is a growing awareness that public outreach programs are necessary for the continued preservation of archeological resources. The Federal archeological community, through the Interagency Working Group on Public Awareness of Federal Archeology, has identified several goals for a comprehensive public outreach effort. This Technical Brief, which situates archeology in the public schools, and Technical Brief No. 2, which describes the "Take Pride in America" award winning Arizona Archaeology Week, are two examples of how we can further these goals.

The Archeological Assistance Division supports a clearinghouse, Listing of Education in Archeology Projects (LEAP), which serves as a guide for national, regional, and local public education projects and programs. The exchange of information about the research and developmental activities that lie behind these achievements cannot be conducted through a clearinghouse, however. Rogge and Bell recount the efforts of Arizona's Archaeological Council's schools committee to place archeological concepts and values within the context of the classroom. Their experiences, like those of countless others across the country, exemplify "what it takes" to produce the products listed in the LEAP clearinghouse.

Technical Brief No. 4 was originally one of a series of papers presented in the symposium entitled, "Fighting Indiana Jones in Arizona," appearing on the program of the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The papers in this symposium, all of which highlighted various approaches used to educate the public about the science of archeology, are published in the ASCA 1988 Proceedings. The Archeological Assistance Division is publishing an expanded version of the original paper by Rogge and Bell because of the timeliness of their information. Recent amendments to the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 call on Federal land managers to increase "public awareness of the significance of the archaeological resources located on public lands and Indian lands and the need to protect such resources".