IEA Newsletter for Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Welcome to the Institute for Education and the Arts’ weekly newsletter for July 25, 2007. The newsletter is published each Wednesday morning to the IEA listserv and is archived here on the IEA blog.

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HOW HAS THE IEA NEWSLETTER HELPED YOU?
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“I found out about the Best Buy Teach Awards last fall through the IEA Newsletter. I applied, and my school was a winner.”

~Kristin Fontichiaro, Media Specialist

(Scroll down to read this year’s announcement.)

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REVISITING PAST REPORTS
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GAINING THE ARTS ADVANTAGE:
LESSONS FROM SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT VALUE EDUCATION
Arts Education Partnership, 1999
“This report features case studies and profiles of 91 school districts throughout the United States that are recognized for offering arts education throughout their schools. It identifies the critical factors that must be in place to implement and sustain comprehensive arts education and stresses the essential role of community involvement and partnerships.”
Download the report as a PDF>>
Read the 2000 follow-up report>>

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ARTS VIDEOS
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ARTS VIDEOS ONLINE
Artsjournal.com
Visit Arts Journal’s Web site for videos related to the arts and arts eduaction. Sample videos include those by Larry Lessig, Ken Robinson, and NEA Chair Dana Gioia.
View videos>>

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ARTS AS CORE CURRICULUM
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SOME PUSH FOR ARTS IN CORE CURRICULUM
April Simpson, Boston Globe, 7/1/07
“Arts advocates are pushing the [Massachusetts] Department of Education to make arts education a bigger part of recommended high school graduation requirements, which list music, art, and related subjects as electives. The state, for the first time, has been drawing up a list of courses it would like all high schools to require, at a minimum, though the final decision remains with the school systems. Most high schools generally do not require art and music for graduation, but art groups say they want schools to be forced to require more arts. Otherwise, the arts will be cut even further in financially strapped schools, the advocates say. State officials say they're not limiting what schools can offer, but are proposing basic requirements.”
Read more>>

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“MINDFULNESS TRAINING” IN SCHOOLS
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MINDFUL KIDS, PEACEFUL SCHOOLS
Jill Suttie, Greater Good, Summer 2007
“At Toluca Lake elementary school in Los Angeles, a cyclone fence encloses the asphalt blacktop, which is teeming with kids … When the bell rings, they reluctantly stop and head back to their classrooms—except for Daniel Murphy’s second grade class. Murphy’s students file into the school auditorium, each carrying a round blue pillow decorated with white stars. They enter giggling and chatting, but soon they are seated in a circle on their cushions, eyes closed, quiet and concentrating. Two teachers give the children instructions on how to pay attention to their breathing, telling them to notice the rise and fall of their bellies and chests, the passage of air in and out of their noses …The teachers lead the children through 45 minutes of exercises focused on breathing, listening, movement, and reflection … Toluca Lake is one of a growing number of schools that are using “mindfulness trainings’ in an effort to combat increasing levels of anxiety, social conflict, and attention disorder among children … According to mindfulness educator Susan Kaiser, bringing this practice into schools is ‘really about teaching kids how to be in a state of attention, where they can perceive thoughts, physical sensations, and emotions without judgment and with curiosity and an open state of mind.’”
Read more>>

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RETHINKING “WHOLE MATH” WITH A MUSIC ANALOGY
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MUSIC-MATH ANALOGY
Nakonia (Niki) Hayes, Columnist, Ednews.org, 7/19/07
“Suppose your child had to learn to play a musical instrument by ear. There would be no focus on the symbols of music, sounds of specific notes, practicing of scales, learning classical pieces, or even learning some standard tunes (‘Chop Sticks’) from which creative ‘extensions’ could be made . . . Students who needed to learn by the old-fashioned methods, such as studying music symbols, their related sounds, and repetitive practice would need extra tutoring. Supplemental materials might be allowed that taught some ‘basic skills,’ but the bigger picture to learning music, or the conceptual approach, must be maintained . . . Schools of education that train teachers would insist this ‘discovery’ method of learning music is progressive and provides social justice for girls and students of color in the music profession. They would base much of their beliefs on a few education researchers in the 1970s who had concluded that inductive and intuitive methods--those that focus on process rather than product--were needed by these two ‘subgroups.’ Now substitute ‘mathematics’ for ‘music’ and you have a picture of what has been happening in American mathematics education for the past 40 years. ‘Whole math,’ based on conceptual, intuitive, process-based thinking has replaced traditional mathematics education . . . Algorithms, symbolic manipulation, and basic skills are no longer mastered in elementary mathematics—and therefore in high school classes—because those represent the traditional, classical education formerly reserved only for white males, according to the leaders of ‘reform mathematics.’ The traditional program represents ‘drill and kill,’ they say. Traditionalists say the program offers ‘drill and skill,’ as well as mastery of concepts.”
Read more of this column>>

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ON THE AIR
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JAMES JAMES AUDOBON: DRAWN FROM NATURE
**Tonight!**
PBS stations, Wednesday, July 25, 9pm (check local listings)
“John James Audubon - whose name became synonymous with American conservation - killed thousands of birds during his quest to create Birds of America, the largest and most beautiful book of the 19th century. Audubon was at once entrepreneur, artist, scientist, husband, father, legend - and walking contradiction. Born in what is now Haiti, the illegitimate son of a French plantation owner and his mistress, Audubon ultimately became the quintessential American pioneer. On the frontier, he played the debonair European. In the drawing rooms of Europe, he acted the part of wild woodsman. Although faithful to his long-suffering wife, he nonetheless wrote her lengthy letters bursting with details of his encounters with other women. Jailed once for bankruptcy, he went on to dine at the White House. The self-taught artist and self-made man was praised by royalty, shunned by his in-laws and blackballed by the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. AMERICAN MASTERS John James Audubon: Drawn from Nature details Audubon's epic adventures while capturing the full-scale beauty of his definitive book.”
Learn more>>

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GRANTS, FUNDING, CONTESTS, AND AWARDS
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LEGO CHILDREN’S FUND GRANTS FOR CONSTRUCTIVE PLAY
LEGO Group
Deadlines: Quarterly; next deadlines 8/1/07 and 11/1/07
“The LEGO Group is committed to helping children develop their creativity and learning skills through constructive play. The LEGO Children's Fund extends this commitment to local and national organizations that support innovative projects and programming to cultivate and celebrate a child's exploration of personal creativity and creative problem-solving in all forms. Our goal is to prepare the next generation - the builders of tomorrow - for a lifetime of creative learning and innovative thinking.” Funds are targeted to “local and national communities, organizations and groups who cater to children ages birth - 14, with special consideration for the following: groups that support disadvantaged children; groups that are supported by LEGO employee volunteers; special projects or programs designed to elevate a child's opportunities for exploring creativity; and organizations serving Connecticut and Western Massachusetts.”
Learn more>>

BEST BUY TEACH AWARDS FOR INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGY
Best Buy stores
Deadline: 9/30/07
“At Best Buy we believe technology can excite and engage students, creating a more valuable educational experience. Through Best Buy Teach Awards we provide gift cards to schools so they can purchase technology for their students. Since 2004, the Best Buy Teach Award program has awarded nearly $14 million to over 5,000 K-12 schools. This year Best Buy will present awards to more than 1,500 schools: $2,000 Best Buy Teach Awards for up to 1,500 schools, $10,000 will be awarded to up to 50 schools, and $100,000 will be awarded to 8 school districts. K-12 public, private and parochial schools using interactive technology in classrooms are eligible to apply. Schools must be within 50 miles of a Best Buy store to apply. The 2008 Teach Award Winners will be announced on February 18, 2008.
Learn more>>

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