Arkansas Passes Landmark Anti-Communism Education Bill

The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation is honored to announce that Arkansas is joining a growing number of states that require public schools to teach about the dangers of communism’s past and present.  

Signed into law by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders on February 20, this significant educational undertaking is expected to take effect in the 2026-2027 academic year. The Arkansas Department of Education will review and update current curricular materials to focus on the historical failures of communist and autocratic systems.

“This legislation is a turning point for the students and teachers of Arkansas,” said Dr. Eric Patterson, President and CEO of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. “The state has ensured that its students will be well-armored against the false promises of communism.” 

The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation offers a range of educational materials for elementary, middle, and high school students. VOC’s foundational curriculum, Communism: Its Ideology, Its History, and Its Legacy, now in its fourth edition, is the gold standard for anticommunist education. Online, VOC’s award-winning Witness Project documentary series tells powerful stories from the courageous survivors of communist regimes. VOC’s online curriculum, Communism: A History of Repression, Violence, and Victims, offers in-depth analysis and discussion for advanced audiences.  For educators, VOC’s teacher seminars explore the most effective ways to utilize our curricular resources in the classroom. We also offer an on-demand online teacher certification course, and cutting-edge research from our China and Latin America study centers. 

These print and digital initiatives come to life at the Victims of Communism Museum, just two blocks away from the White House in our nation’s capital. 

As Arkansas prepares to implement these new educational standards, VOC is honored to be the central educational resource for the study of the deadliest ideology known to man.