IEA Newsletter for Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Welcome to the Institute for Education and the Arts’ weekly newsletter for May 23, 2007. The newsletter is published each Wednesday morning to the IEA listserv and is archived here on the IEA blog.

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REPORTS
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RISING ABOVE THE GATHERING STORM: ENERGING AND EMPLOYING AMERICA FOR A BRIGHTER ECONOMIC FUTURE
National Academies Press, 2007
“In a world where advanced knowledge is widespread and low-cost labor is readily available, U.S. advantages in the marketplace and in science and technology have begun to erode. A comprehensive and coordinated federal effort is urgently needed to bolster U.S. competitiveness and pre-eminence in these areas. This congressionally requested report by a pre-eminent committee makes four recommendations along with 20 implementation actions that federal policy-makers should take to create high-quality jobs and focus new science and technology efforts on meeting the nation's needs, especially in the area of clean, affordable energy:
1) Increase America's talent pool by vastly improving K-12 mathematics and science education;
2) Sustain and strengthen the nation's commitment to long-term basic research;
3) Develop, recruit, and retain top students, scientists, and engineers from both the U.S. and abroad; and
4) Ensure that the United States is the premier place in the world for innovation.”
Skim the contents online or order the book>>

LEISURE IN AMERICA: SEARCHING FOR THE FOREST AMONGST THE TREES
David Touve & Steven Tepper
for the Geddy Leadership Institute & National Arts Strategies, 2007
“In 2007, the Getty Leadership Institute and National Arts Strategies co-hosted a convening entitled, Cultural Organizations and Changing Leisure Trends. Leaders from arts, culture, media, academia and the creative for-profit sector across the country engaged one another in a series of conversations about the changing ways in which Americans spend their time. The group explored the facts and the strategies cultural organizations might consider to take advantage of new leisure trends or to reposition themselves over and against them. This paper was produced as a background note for the convening. [It is] is a contextualized laundry list of leisure and consumption trends in America. This list is by no means exhaustive … As many of you know, there are thousands and thousands of pages of statistics, charts, and tables that document consumer and leisure trends—focusing on every conceivable demographic group... Rather than synthesize all of this work into a meaningful review … we have decided to provide you with snap shots representing different parts of the debate and research. You might think of this report as a type of “Harper's Index” on steroids—interesting tidbits enhanced by commentary and context.”
Read the document and corresponding blog>>

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MUSIC IN THE CLASSROOM
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GUITARS GETTING STUDENTS TO TUNE IN
Bruce Lieberman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5/18/07
“About two dozen teachers at San Luis Rey have been taking guitar classes this spring. They are the first recruits in the county for a national program called Guitars in the Classroom. The nonprofit group, based in Solana Beach, promotes the idea that simple songs can help students learn to spell, do basic math, develop vocabulary and remember facts related to science, history and other subjects. Introductory classes are free, and the program relies heavily on donations for guitars, strings, cases and other supplies. Music is an effective memory tool – nursery rhymes and advertising jingles attest to that – and teachers have incorporated music into their classrooms for years. But Guitars in the Classroom aims to formalize instruction and make it as easy as possible for teachers to dive in, said Jessica Baron, the founder and executive director of the program.”
Read more>>
Learn more about Guitars in the Classroom>>

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SOCIETY’S IMPACT ON EDUCATION
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PUBLIC RHETORIC, PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITY, AND THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
By Ellen Condliffe Lagemann, Education Week, 5/14/07
“Consider three recent reports … different … in sponsorship, authorship, and focus. All advance findings and policy suggestions worth considering. What matters here, however, is that all are dire in tone and substance. Each report argues that our nation is in peril because our educational institutions are failing to prepare workers who can compete with workers in other nations. With logics derived primarily from economics, they insist that we are even more in danger today than we were in 1983, when another alarming report, A Nation at Risk, appeared. Despite nearly 25 years of sustained efforts at improvement, according to these documents, the public schools have failed both the children and the nation they are meant to serve. Is that true? The frighteningly poor performance of U.S. youngsters in international comparisons of educational achievement is well-known. So are statistics demonstrating that an alarming number of young people leave school ill-equipped to enter college or the labor market. It is no secret that our high school completion rates remain much too low, or that our incarceration rates—especially for young, male African-Americans—are alarmingly high. So, are reports like these telling us the truth? I think not, despite the evidence I have alluded to. I think the true story is not that our schools have failed us. It is rather that we, as a society, have failed our schools.”
Read more>>

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PLACING THE NEA IN THE CULTURAL CONVERSATION
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GIOIA IS UPBEAT ON THE ARTS:
NEA HEAD SAYS HE AIMS TO RESTORE FULL FUNDING
Regina Hackett, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 5/14/07
”The first thing Dana Gioia changed as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts was the metaphors used to describe it. ‘I'm a poet,’ he said Monday before giving the keynote speech at ArtsFund's annual lunch in Seattle. ‘Metaphors matter to me.’ Friends told him to ‘fight the good fight,’ he said, but he thought the last thing the NEA needed was a fight. ‘It's the wrong metaphor. The right one is a conversation, and good conversations are always changing.’ Gioia, 56, recently was confirmed for a second four-year term as NEA head. The vote in the U.S. Senate was unanimous. He is credited with saving the NEA after the cultural wars of the late 1980s and early '90s nearly brought about its demise. But because he became chairman in 2003, he didn't have to pull the NEA back from the brink. Others already had … During his second term, Gioia said he intends to raise the NEA's budget back to its precultural wars level. Currently, it's roughly $50 million short of that. ‘Congress isn't going to increase NEA funding because I want it to," he said. "The NEA has to lead the cultural conversation, to define issues and create opportunities for all Americans. The arts are a powerful way to build communities. We're supporting artistic excellence and democratic fairness. Because we can offer that, we will see our budget increase.’”
Read more>>

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RESOURCES FOR PARENTS
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NEW PARENTING RESOURCE FROM TEACHING TOLERANCE
Teaching Tolerance/Southern Poverty Law Center
“Parents are the most influential teachers of tolerance in a child's life. The age-specific sections [in the new publication Beyond the Golden Rule] feature everyday parents sharing personal stories about the challenges and rewards of raising children in today's diverse world. The sections also offer practical advice from psychologists, educators and parenting experts to help parents integrate lessons of respect and tolerance into daily activities.” The publication is available for purchase at cost or as a free download.
Learn more>>

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GRANTS, FUNDING, CONTESTS, AND AWARDS
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"Grants to Spread Literacy & Love of Learning"
Ezra Jack Keats Minigrant Program for Public Schools and Public Libraries supports educators, parents and children in their efforts to spread literacy and love of learning. Maximum Award: $500. Eligibility: public schools and libraries anywhere in the United States and its protectorates. Deadline: September 15, 2007.
Learn more>>

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