IEA Newsletter for Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Welcome to the Institute for Education and the Arts’ weekly newsletter for June 6, 2007. The newsletter is published each Wednesday morning to IEA's listserv and is archived here on the IEA blog.

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REPORTS
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NONPROFIT ARTS GROUPS REBOUND FROM 9/11 SLIDE:
SURVEY SHOWS 24% SPENDING GROWTH SINCE ‘02
Jacqueline Trescott, Washington Post, 5/22/07
“The nonprofit segment of the arts industry is robust economically and attracting more people to its workforce, according to a new national survey. The nonprofit arts sector generates $166 billion in total U.S. economic activity, says a study being released [May 22]. ‘Arts & Economic Prosperity III’ was conducted by Americans for the Arts with data analysis provided by economists from Georgia Tech. ‘This shows the arts have bounced back from the slide after 9/11,’ said Randy Cohen, vice president of policy and research at Americans for the Arts. After the terrorist attacks, tourism in the nation's main cultural centers declined, severely affecting the bottom line for many arts groups. And many donors, especially from the high-technology industry, cut back their funding at the same time as governments.”
Read the article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/21/AR2007052101524.html
Learn more about the Americans for the Arts study: http://www.artsusa.org/americansforthearts_news.asp#item15 or http://www.artsusa.org/information_resources/research_information/services/economic_impact/default.asp

RIGOR AT RISK
ACT, May 2007
”U.S. high school core courses too often lack the rigor they need to adequately prepare students for college-level work, according to a new report from ACT, Inc. The research report, titled Rigor at Risk, suggests that even students who take the recommended college preparatory curriculum in high school are often ill-prepared to handle college material. The findings also suggest that many students lose academic momentum during their last two years of high school. ‘We've been urging college-bound students to take the core curriculum in high school for many years,’ said Cynthia B. Schmeiser, president and chief operating officer of ACT's education division. ‘But now it is clear that just taking the right number of courses is no longer enough to ensure that students will be ready for college when they graduate. Students must take a number of additional higher-level courses in high school to have a reasonable chance of succeeding in college courses, and even that does not guarantee success.’
Read the report: http://www.act.org/path/policy/reports/rigor.html

THE CONDITION OF EDUCATION 2007
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 2007
“Reliable, accurate, and timely data are necessary to monitor the progress of U.S. education and respond to its opportunities and challenges. To ensure such data are available, Congress has mandated that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) produce an annual report, The Condition of Education. This year's report presents indicators of important developments and trends in U.S. education. These indicators focus on participation and persistence in education, student performance and other measures of achievement, the environment for learning, and resources for education. In addition, this year's volume contains a special analysis that examines changes in student coursetaking in high school using national transcript data from 1982 to 2005. While the analysis focuses on the credit accrual of high school graduates, it also takes a special look at the coursework of high school dropouts and courses taken for college credit.”
Read the report: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/

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BRAIN DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN
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STUDY: MOST BRAIN GROWTH BY AGE 12
Lauran Neergaard, Associated Press/Chicago Tribune, 5/18/07
”Can you get smarter than a 5th grader? Of course, but new research suggests some of the brain's basic building blocks for learning are near adult levels by age 11 or 12. It is the first finding from a study of how children's brains grow. About 500 healthy newborns to teens, recruited from healthy families, are having periodic brain MRIs as they grow. They also get a battery of age-appropriate tests measuring IQ, language skills and memory … The images measure how different parts of the brain grow and reorganize throughout childhood. By overlapping them with the children's shifting behavioral and intellectual abilities at each age, scientists expect to produce a long-sought map of normal brain development in children representative of the diverse U.S. population.”
Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/content/education/chi-0705171367may18%2C0%2C6360484.story?coll=chi-education-hed

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POP MUSIC STARS’ SUPPORT FOR MUSIC SCHOOLS
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SCHOOL ROCKS!
AS ARTS EDUCATION FUNDS DIP, POP STARS MAKE SURE THE BEAT GOES ON
Melinda Newman, Washington Post, 5/27/07
”Four years ago, Maya Ramos couldn't find middle C on a keyboard. Now she's finding her way to first place in international piano competitions. In a tiny rehearsal studio in a storefront music school, the slender 11-year-old bends over an upright piano and lovingly tucks into Manuel Ponce's "Scherzino Mexicano," her wrists high, her fingers caressing the keys lightly, then heavier as the tone of the piece shifts. It's among the works she will perform in at a recital in Mexico City this fall. Taking piano lessons wasn't her idea, she says, but her mother insisted and managed to find a place that would nurture Maya's interest and talent: the Silverlake Conservatory of Music on the city's east side. It was co-founded by a rock musician known more for his onstage antics than his appreciation of classical composers. That would be Flea, the frequently shirtless, frenetic bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He's one of a handful of pop stars, including soul singer Macy Gray and hip-hop's Black Eyed Peas, who have established nonprofit music schools for children. The artists initially bankrolled the projects and now rely primarily on donations and fundraisers to subsidize operations. Such schools help fill a void left by deep state and federal budget cuts that have severely diminished arts programs in public schools.”
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/25/AR2007052500362.html

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THE ARTS AS CORE CURRICULUM
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ART CLASSES MAY BECOME MANDATORY
Andrew C. Martel, Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer, 5/29/07
”Drama class might go from being an elective to a requirement for graduation. Superintendent Bill Harrison has suggested that every high school student should have to take an art class, starting with the freshmen entering in 2008. He plans to formally ask the Board of Education to approve the measure this summer. ‘The timing is good to make a statement about the value of arts and that education is broader than simply taking tests,’ he said. Drawing, drama and band classes would satisfy the requirement, Harrison said. So would less common courses, such as television production and photography.”
Read more: http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=263491

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ON THE AIR
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GREAT PERFORMANCES: WE LOVE ELLA!
A TRIBUTE TO THE FIRST LADY OF SONG
PBS On-Air & Online, Thurs., 6/14/07, 8:00 – 9:30pm
Grade Range: 9-12
”Ella Fitzgerald sang sultry ballads and swinging pop standards, earning 13 Grammy Awards and selling more than 40 million albums. This tribute to Ella, filmed on what would have been her 90th birthday, features Patti Austin, Natalie Cole, Quincy Jones, Ruben Studdard, Nancy Wilson and Stevie Wonder.”
Learn more: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/ellatribute

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GRANTS, FUNDING, CONTESTS, AND AWARDS
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ACTE REQUESTS PHOTO SUBMISSIONS FOR PLANNER
Association for Career and Technical Education
”ACTE invites career and technical education students and teachers to submit photos for the 2008 ACTE Weekly Planner. The theme ‘Connecting Education and Careers’ will highlight how students and educators are experiencing CTE in the classroom or workplace. The submissions for photos are open to ACTE members and students taking CTE courses in secondary and postsecondary schools.” Deadline for receipt of entries: 6/29/07.
Learn more: http://www.acteonline.org/contest.cfm

BACK-TO-SCHOOL GRANTS
”The Dollar General Back-to-School Grants provide funding to assist schools in meeting some of the financial challenges they face in implementing new programs or purchasing new equipment, materials or software for their school library or literacy program. Grant applications will be accepted starting May 1, 2007.” Deadline 8/10/07.
Learn more: http://www.dollargeneral.com ; click Community, then Grants

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