IEA Weekly Newsletter - Dec. 6

Welcome to the Institute for Education and the Arts weekly newsletter for December 6, 2006. The newsletter is published each Wednesday morning.

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BREAKING NEWS
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MOST YOUNG PEOPLE ENTERING THE U.S. WORKFORCE LACK CRITICAL SKILLS ESSENTIAL FOR SUCCESS
Partnership for 21^st Century Skills, 10/2006

“As the baby boom generation slowly exits the U.S. workplace, a new survey of leaders from a consortium of business research organizations finds the incoming generation sorely lacking in much needed workplace skills — both basic academic and more advanced “applied” skills, according to a report released today … Business leaders report that while the three “R’s” are still fundamental to every employee’s ability to do the job, applied skills such as teamwork, critical thinking, and communication are essential for success at work … In order to succeed in the workplace of the 21st Century, high school and college graduates need to master basic academic skills as well as a complement of applied skills.”
Read the report at http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/documents/FINAL_REPORT_PDF9-29-06.pdf .

U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SURVEY FINDINGS SUPPORT EXTENSION AND STRENGTHENING OF NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND
Arthur Rothkopf, Senior VP & Education and Workforce Development Initiative
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 11/18/06
”Over 500 U.S. business organizations responded to the Chamber's survey examining the nation's education system - and the findings confirmed what we instinctively knew -the United States is not producing enough skilled workers and American competitiveness is at risk. Our nation's education system must focus more strongly on improving curriculums, academic expectations, and performance measures to ensure students are prepared for college and the workforce …87 percent believe that No Child Left Behind standards should be extended to high schools.”
Access the survey results at http://www.uschamber.com/publications/reports/education_reform.htm .

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ADVOCACY
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THE IMPACT OF THE LATEST FEDERAL EDUCATION LEGISLATION ON THE ARTS

Americans for the Arts
In 2007, Congress will begin the process of reauthorizing NCLB for another five years. In light of the coming debates, the arts education community is currently working to gather support and develop requests to members
of Congress in order to ensure high-quality, ongoing K-12 arts education for America's students. This website outlines the successes, challenges and ways advocates are making a difference for the arts in our nation's
public schools. It includes background, research, easy advocacy tactics and more relating to arts education and No Child Left Behind.

Read more at http://www.americansforthearts.org/services/arts_education/arts_education_015.asp

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ARTICLES ABOUT EDUCATION
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BLACK-WHITE TEST SCORES: NEIGHBORHOODS, NOT SCHOOLS, MATTER MOST
David R. Francis, Ednews.org, 11/25/06
”The large gap in student achievement, particularly between blacks and whites, has long troubled Americans. Fifty years after the Brown v. Board of Education decision, persistently large black-white differences in standardized test scores remain central to education policy.”
Read more at http://www.ednews.org/articles/4691/1/Black-White-Test-Scores-Neighborhoods-Not-Schools-Matter-Most/Page1.html

LOW-COST LAPTOP SPARKS DEBATE OVER SCHOOL REFORM FOR POOR
John Markoff, New York Times/International Herald Tribune, 11/29/06
The M.I.T.-based One Laptop Per Child project is set to have $150 laptops in the hands of children as early as 2007. Proponents believe that by putting tools directly in children’s hands, they will “learn how to learn.” Others disagree.
Read the article at http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/11/30/america/web.1130laptop.php

INSIDE THE TEENAGE BRAIN
Amy Standen, Edutopia, 11/28/06
”Raleigh Philip’s … new book, Engaging 'Tweens and Teens: A Brain-Compatible Approach to Reaching Middle and High School Students, aims to show teachers how to cope with the developing -- and often baffling -- teenage brain. Philp points to research showing that teenage brains don't function the way adult ones do … The neocortex -- the part of the human brain responsible for language, planning, empathy, and executive functions -- hasn't fully developed inside the average thirteen-year-old's head. That teenager still relies on a more reactive, gut-instinct part of the brain, the amygdala, which handles emotions and memories associated with emotion … In addition to the obvious physical signs of adolescence, teens and 'tweens are undergoing a major neurological overhaul, which is why that perennial teen mumble ‘I don't know’ may be closer to the truth than we'd realized.”
Read more at http://www.edutopia.org/1720

1:1 LAPTOPS TRANSFORMING CLASSROOMS: YEAH, SURE
Larry Cuban, Teachers’ College Record (TCRecord.org), 10/31/06
”Most professors have yet to use laptops and other computers in their teaching as often as they use overhead projectors or textbooks. And that is the take-away lesson for K-12 policymakers, practitioners, and parents. In higher education, where students willingly choose to attend (in K-12 they are compelled by law to go to school), where students have already achieved 1:1 computing capacity, teachers and students mainly use these powerful machines to reinforce existing ways of teaching and learning. Much about how laptops will be used in K-12 schools can be learned simply by peeking into university classrooms.”
Read more at http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentID=12818 .

NEW PROJECT TO SEND MUSICIANS INTO SCHOOLS
Daniel J. Wakin, New York Times, 11/28/06
”Carnegie Hall and the Juilliard School have joined forces to give birth to a music academy whose fellows will go forth and propagate musicianship in New York public schools. The city’s Education Department is opening its arms to the new program, seeing an inexpensive but valuable source of teaching for a system deprived of comprehensive music training. And the leaders of Carnegie and Juilliard see an opportunity to promote their conviction that a musician in 21st-century America should be more than just a person who plays the notes.”
Read the complete article at http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/28/arts/music/28carn.html?adxnnl=1&ref=music&adxnnlx=1164737514-SGQTl218tbQCuddvqBb7vQ

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TEACHING AND LEARNING IDEAS
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STUDENTS IN U.S. AND BANGLADESH COLLABORATE TO EXPLORE FLAT WORLD
Will Richardson, Weblogg-ed Blog, 11/28/06
“Take a look at what Julie Lindsay and Vicki David have created in their Flat Classroom Project. Julie, who is at the International School Dhaka in Bangladesh, and Vicki, who is at Westwood High in Georgia, have collaborated on an amazing undertaking that will connect their kids in a study of the 10 Flattners from Thomas Friedman’s book THE WORLD IS FLAT. In small groups comprised of students from both schools, they’ll be taking the next few weeks to really dig into what’s happening in the two countries from a global perspective and report out in a variety of ways using Read/Write Web tools. In the end, if the grading rubric is any indication, these kids will know a heck of a lot more about their places in the world, the complexities of the age, and the ways in which these tools are changing the way we do business in more than one sense.”
Read more of Richardson’s blog post at http://weblogg-ed.com/2006/flat-classroom-project-wiki/
Sit in on the Flat Classroom Project at http://flatclassroomproject.wikispaces.com/

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INTRIGUING ITEMS
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BE PART OF RICHARD FLORIDA'S NEW BOOK WHO'S YOUR CITY
Florida, best known for his book The Rise of the Creative Class, invites readers to submit their 500-words-or-less stories for his new book, Who's Your City: Why the Place You Choose to Live is the Most Important Decision You'll Ever Make.
Read more at http://creativeclass.typepad.com/thecreativityexchange/2006/06/whos_your_city_.html

SEARCH FOR STUDENT PROJECTS ON YOUTUBE
Want to see how Web 2.0 is impacting the literary classics? Try typing a classic book title into YouTube's search field -- what you get is a bevy of student-made videos from various English class projects. From the inspired to the downright awful, these productions are sure to cast your favorite book in a new light (video lengths vary).
Play at http://www.youtube.com

STRING THEORY: NEW APPROACHES TO INSTRUMENT DESIGN
Andrew C. Revkin, New York Times, 11/28/06
Instrument makers are using new techniques to build better instruments.
Read more at http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/28/science/28acou.html

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FUNDING, GRANTS, AND AWARDS
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CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS ANNUANL AWARDS
Americans for the Arts Annual Awards recognize the achievements of individuals committed to enriching their communities through the arts. Presented each year in conjunction with the Americans for the Arts Annual Convention, the following awards are open for nominations: Arts Education Network Award; Alene Valkanas State Arts Advocacy Award; Emerging Leader Award; Michael Newton Award for United Arts Funds Leadership; Public Art Network Award; Selina Roberts Ottum Award for Arts Leadership. For more information about the annual awards, please e-mail membership@artsusa.org or visit http://www.americansforthearts.org/services/annual_awards .

OLYMPUS AND TOOL FACTORY CLASSROOM GRANT PROGRAM
K-12 teachers are invited to submit ideas for classroom projects using Olympus and Tool Factory products. Selected classrooms receive three Olympus digital cameras, one Tool Factory site license, and $500 cash; the deadline is December 30.

For more information, visit http://www.toolfactory.com/olympus_contest/olympus_teacher.htm.

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