IEA Newsletter for Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Welcome to the Institute for Education and the Arts weekly newsletter for May 16, 2007. The newsletter is published each Wednesday morning to the IEA listserv and archived here on the IEA blog .

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BUILDING A CASE FOR ARTS EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS
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INTEGRATING THE ARTS AND EDUCATION REFORM:
THE FORD FOUNDATION’S VISION OF QUALITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The Ford Foundation’s Vision of Quality Public Schools
KeepArtsinOurSchools.org
"Supported jointly by Education and Arts and Culture grant makers, this initiative is grounded in the belief that the arts have transformative and educational power. Arts education has been shown to improve student outcomes, nurture creativity, assist in complex problem-solving and build discipline and teamwork. Long concerned that the quality of public schooling in the United States is uneven with this initiative, the Ford Foundation seeks to channel the power of arts learning to promote greater equity in a multi-cultural, multi-class society by engaging and affirming cultural differences within and among communities. At the heart of the Ford Foundation’s vision of public schools is the establishment of a broader and more meaningful definition of high quality education that integrates the arts as a central component of learning. Reform practices today focus on standards, accountability, and testing. The Ford Foundation, however, holds a broader view of education reform that realizes arts education as integral to quality public education."
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ARTS EDUCATION MESSAGES FOR BUSINESS LEADERS AND POLICYMAKERS
Keepartsinschools.org
“To broaden the existing message platform in support of arts education [for the business and policy-making communities], we recommend arguments that emphasize skill development, as they are likely to be of greater interest to these groups than, for example, the intrinsic value of arts learning:

* Arts education is proven to develop well-rounded students with critical thinking-skills.
* [A]rts education positions students to be competitive in the emerging ‘creative economy.’
* Learning in the arts contributes to better school attendance and student behavior.
* The arts provide the skills and knowledge students need to develop the creativity and determination necessary for success in today’s global information age.
* A comprehensive arts education fosters the creativity and innovation needed to create a more competitive workforce.”

Read more>>

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AFRICAN INSTRUMENTS
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THUMB PIANO TUNES
Africa for Kids, Pbskids.org
Students can join Femi, a Nigerian boy, as he introduces them to the thumb piano. Students can listen to pre-recorded tunes, record their own, and print out music sheets. Additional links let students learn a Swahili folk tale and make a Dogon mask.
Explore>>

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THE VALUE OF ARTISTIC INNOVATION
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THE MASTER OF FINE ARTS DEGREE IS NOW THE NEW M.B.A.:
CREATIVITY, INNOVATION VITAL TO THE SUCCESS OF AMERICAN BUSINESS IN THE YEARS AHEAD
Commentary by John M. Eger, San Diego Business Journal Online, 5/14/07
"Apple Computer’s iPod is often cited as an example of the kind of innovation most people are talking about when they say we need to be innovative. Providing easy, legal access to lots of songs (iTunes.com) was something no one had yet managed. It was not simply making a slick piece of hardware; it was the design of a whole system that made Apple the leader of the innovation economy. Similarly, BusinessWeek points out it wasn’t (Thomas) Edison’s development of the light bulb that marked his genius and ensured his place in history, but his design of an entire system to produce and distribute electricity. As we talk about the foreshadowing of a whole economy based upon creativity and innovation, the dawn of the ‘Creative Age,’ as the Nomura Research Institute put it, we are more acutely aware of the importance of reinventing our business strategies, our corporations, our communities, our schools, our housing and land-use policies, and more. Nothing can remain the same if we are to survive, let alone succeed, in this new global economy."
Read more>>

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EXCELLENCE IN DISTANCE LEARNING ONLINE
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PBS TEACHERLINE HONORED FOR ITS SUCCESSFUL DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS
PBS TeacherLine
“PBS TeacherLine was recognized for excellence and innovation in the distance learning field with the prestigious 2007 21st Century Best Practice Award on May 7. The award, from the U.S. Distance Learning Association, recognizes pioneering organizations in the field of distance learning that have challenged existing practice by developing new and innovative solutions for distance learning instruction and employee distance learning training programs.”
Explore PBS TeacherLine>>

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HIGH SCHOOL MUSICALS
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HIGH-SCHOOL MUSICALS: BIG CASTS AND BIG BUCKS
Tan Vinh, Seattle Times, 4/21/07
"These days, high-school musicals are polished, expensive and Broadway-inspired … Several school drama programs are even self-supporting, with musicals largely earning the revenue for the entire program. That's because — despite their expense — the musicals sell tickets and help draw donations from parents and alumni. Typically, musicals produced at the high-school level cost less than $10,000. But a growing number of Seattle-area schools are staging shows that cost much more: This spring, pricey shows will open at Shorecrest High in Shoreline ($38,800); Kentridge ($25,000) and Kentwood ($25,000) in Kent; and Seattle's Roosevelt High School ($35,000) and Blanchet ($60,000). As the budgets rise, so do production values. 'Productions now rival professional shows' at some high schools, said 5th Avenue Theatre spokeswoman Kat Ramsburg … But such high-end productions can cause resentment from schools without a large enough fundraising base to pull together a Broadway-like musical. Rainier Beach High, for instance, will produce The Wiz in June for about $1,000."
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NEW BOOK RELEASE
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STANDARDIZED CHILDHOOD:
THE POLITICAL AND CULTURAL STRUGGLE OVER EARLY EDUCATION
Bruce Fuller, Stanford University Press, 2007. ISBN 0804755795
“Sociologist Bruce Fuller traveled the country—sitting in preschool classrooms, delving into the birth of universal preschool in California and Oklahoma, and interviewing this robust movement’s eager leaders—to understand the ideologies of childhood and the raw political forces at play. He details how these new progressives earnestly seek to extend the rigors of public schooling down into the lives of very young children. Fuller then illuminates the stiff resistance by some children’s activists, ethnic leaders, and conservatives, who hold less trust in government solutions and more faith in nonprofits and local groups in contributing to the upbringing of young children. The call for universal preschool is a new front in the culture wars, raising sharp questions about American families, cultural diversity, and the appropriate role of the state in the lives of our young children. How are state governments variably shaping universal preschool? Why does the state want to standardize childhood? Which children benefit from quality preschool? Will civic organizations grow weak as the state comes to run and regulate early education? Drawing on the voices of teachers, community activists, and political leaders actively shaping this debate, Standardized Childhood shows why the universal preschool movement is attracting such robust support—and strident opposition—nationwide.”
Read a sample from the preface>>
Buy it from Stanford University Press>>

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EXAMINING THE SMALL HIGH SCHOOL MOVEMENT
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CULTURES OF COMMITMENT: TEACHERS IN THE SMALL PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS CROPPING UP IN MANY U.S. CITIES FIND THE HUMAN DIMENSION OF THEIR JOBS BRINGING BOTH STRAINS AND REWARDS
Bess Keller, Education Week, 4/17/07
“A major strand in the current national push to improve secondary education is the movement to scale down schools into smaller, more personalized units, especially for students facing the greatest obstacles to success. Hundreds of small schools and learning communities have cropped up in recent years, famously helped along by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s $1.5 billion campaign to raise the numbers of students who graduate from high schools ready for college and work. Whatever promise the small-schools approach holds, though, there’s widespread agreement it won’t be realized without a sufficient supply of teachers who are up to a triple threat of challenges: urban teaching in the context of a start-up operation, often with a heavy dose of surrogate parenting thrown in … Ironically, it is the human dimension of small schools—precisely the attribute that experts see as their greatest strength—that can be the most draining. Still, the human dimension gives some educators their greatest rewards.”
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GRANTS, FUNDING, CONTESTS, AND AWARDS
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RICHARD RILEY AWARD FOR COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS
American Architectural Foundation & KnowledgeWorks Foundation
"Sometimes referred to as ‘community learning centers’, schools that serve as centers of community provide a rich array of social, civic, recreational and artistic opportunities to the broader community, often clustering educational and municipal buildings together. These additional services and opportunities often improve student achievement and help maximize local tax dollars. With school enrollment in the United States forecasted to increase at record levels, and spending on school construction and renovation to total nearly $30 billion annually, it makes sense that this major investment should benefit both students and the local community. The American Architectural Foundation, in partnership with KnowledgeWorks Foundation, invites you to enter a submission for the Richard Riley Award. If your school is a center of community that demonstrates innovative design ideas and helps promote student achievement, your school could win a $10,000 prize. The award is named in honor of former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley, who led the way in the 1990’s in promoting the concept of schools as centers of community." Deadline: 7/07
Learn more>>

BRINGING MONARCH BUTTERFLIES INTO THE CLASSROOM
"The Live Monarch Foundation (501c3) Educator Outreach Program is providing funding for K-12 teachers and home schooling parents throughout the United States to enroll into the National Campaign: to bring Monarch Butterflies into the classroom. This program provides education and materials to strengthen the Monarch’s 3,000 mile migratory route within North America by creating self sustaining butterfly gardens and refuges."
Sign up to learn more>>

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