In most States of the Union campaigns more or less systematic have been conducted within the last few years for the improvement and more adequate support of the public schools. The campaigns in the Southern States have been remarkable for their intensity and continuity, as well as for the comprehensiveness of their purpose and the importance of their results. In these campaigns the appeal must always be to the people and to their representatives in legislatures and county and city tax-levying bodies. Both the people and their representatives must be convinced that the legislation asked for will be for the public good, and that the objects for which appropriations are to be made and taxes levied and collected are worthy. Above all it must be shown that they are in keeping with the spirit of the best development in the State and community, and such as would meet the approval of those statesmen and other public men who have determined the policy of the State, and to whom the people are accustomed to look for guidance in civic matters. There is a need for some brief, clear, and comprehensive account of the origin and growth of the public-school systems of those States and of definite knowledge of the attitude of the leaders and representatives of the people toward the questions of public education. To address this need, a series of studies of the history of public education in these States will be conducted, the results published by the Bureau of Education and distributed to the States to which they refer. This bulletin, related to the history of public education in the State of Arkansas, represents the first of this series. It is divided into ten chapters that cover the following topics: (1) The Americanization of Arkansas; (2) Private Schools prior to the Civil War; (3) The public-school system and the State land funds, 1827-1861; (4) The Murphy administration, 1864-1868; (5) The reconstruction regime, 1868-1874; (6) The restoration of home rule, 1874-1894; (7) The present era, 1994-1912; (8) The organization of city school systems; (9) The origin and history of the permanent school fund; and (10) Miscellaneous matters. A bibliography of public-school education in Arkansas and an index are also included. Individual sections contain footnotes. (Contains 6 tables.) [Best copy available has been provided.].