IEA Newsletter for Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Welcome to the Institute for Education and the Arts' newsletter for Wednesday, February 27, 2008. The newsletter is published each Wednesday to the IEA listserv and archived here on the IEA blog.

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PUBLICATION
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TRANSFORMING ARTS TEACHING: THE ROLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Dana Foundation
"This new Dana Press book examines innovations in arts-teacher training and features the best practices at 24 higher-education institutions. Also included are proceeings from The Dana Foundation's 2007 national symposium on how colleges, universities and conservatories can enhance arts learning.
Download a copy or request a print copy>>


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ARTS ADVOCACY
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BANDING TOGETHER TO FIGHT: SCHOOL MUSIC PROGRAM IS PRIDE OF IPSWICH - AND PARENTS DON'T WANT IT CUT
Steve Landwehr, The Salem (Mass.) News, 2/19/08
"When Ipswich parents found out their beloved grade school programs were on the chopping block next year, they screamed bloody murder. Music, it seems, is an integral part of what it means to be from Ipswich, and parents aim to keep it that way."
Read more>>

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INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING
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PLEASURE, BEAUTY, AND WONDER AT HIGH TECH HIGH
Commentary by John M. Egar, San Diego Business Journal, 2/11/08
"High Tech High in San Diego is a remarkable example of art infusion, indeed infusion of the various disciplines. It consists of six schools: three high schools, two middle schools and one elementary school, all with 2,500 students and 200 employees. One hundred percent of graduates have been admitted to college, 80 percent to four-year institutions of higher learning. Each semester the entire faculty and student body are assigned a topic they work together on and that draws on all disciplines, forcing students to work collaboratively on real world problems. There is no math class or art per se. Rather, those disciplines — still taught, still relevant — are curriculum-infused, integrated if you will, into larger questions like: How does the world work? Who lives here? Why do things matter? Larry Rosenstock, CEO of High Tech High, points with pride to these projects as they bring all the disciplines and all the energy and intellect of the class together. He has been accused of running 'an art school in disguise' ... Indeed, High Tech High is not a school many of us would immediately recognize. It is a place and a curriculum that has turned the K-12 world upside down ... There are plans to create 10 more such schools throughout California."
Read more: http://www.sdbj.com/article.asp?aID=121985&link=perm

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CONFERENCE
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NATIONAL COMMUNITY ARTS CONVENING & RESEARCH PROJECT
Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
3/16 - 3/18/08
Registration deadline: 3/4/08 ***coming soon***
"Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) will host a national convening to advance the field of community arts. Funded by the Nathan Cummings Foundation, the National Community Arts Convening & Research Project will provide a platform for college and university faculty and students and community-based practitioners to meet and share resources and models for best practices in the field; define and solve current challenges facing the field; identify and discuss new research and generate new ideas; develop strong leadership; and cultivate new partnerships. Research and other writing generated through the community arts convening project will be published online in spring 2008 on the Community Arts Network (CAN) website and the Community Arts Convening project website at http://www.mica.edu/communityartsconvening. Liz Lerman, founding artistic director of the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and a nationally prominent community arts practitioner, will deliver the keynote address.
Register here>>


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GRANTS, AWARDS, AND CONTESTS
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BEST COMMUNITIES FOR MUSIC EDUCATION IN AMERICA
The NAMM Foundation and partner organizations
Deadline: March 3, 2008 ***coming soon!***
From the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts:
"The NAMM Foundation and leading advisor organizations are searching for communities that support music education and include music education offerings as part of a complete education for all students. The National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts is proud to play a part in this important national recognition effort, and we encourage you participate in it as well by completing the ninth annual Best Communities for Music Education in America (BCME) survey."
Take the survey>>


BOOKS FOR CHILDREN GRANTS
The Libri Foundation
Maximum Award: N/A
Deadline: January 15, April 15, and August 15 each year
These grants partner with a library's Friends program to bring quality hardcover books to small and rural public libraries around the country with an annual total operating budget of less than $40,000.
Learn more>>

GRANTS FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR PERFORMING ARTS TEACHERS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES
Dana Foundation
Maximum Award: $50,000
Deadline: 6/4/08
"The Dana Foundation grants professional development programs for arts educators in rural areas of the United States ... The Foundation is interested primarily in training for in-school arts specialists and professional artists who teach the performing arts to students pre-K-12 in the public schools. To be considered for this round, you must fill out a Letter of Intent in which you must describe why the proposed service area is considered to be rural, what challenges this presents and how the proposed project addresses these challenges."
Learn more>>

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IEA Newsletter for Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Welcome to the Institute for Education and the Arts' newsletter for Wednesday, February 20. The newsletter is posted to the IEA listserv each Wednesday and is archived here on the IEA blog.

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MEDITATION AS A PATH TO CREATIVITY
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SCHOOL YEAR TO START ON A MEDITATIVE NOTE
Bridie Smith, Theage.com.au, 1/28/08
"When the 36 students at Reservoir's Maharishi School return to the classroom this week, there will be the usual buzz that comes from the thrill of seeing classmates and starting a school year. But by 9.30am, shoes will be off and all will be quiet. Complete silence will descend over the school as the students and teachers sit crossed-legged on the floor and meditate. Breathing and pulse rates will slow as students quickly settle into their transcendental meditation — a technique that teaches pupils to slow their mental activity and experience pure consciousness ... Meditation is a central part of the education students receive at Maharishi School, an 11-year-old independent primary school that teaches consciousness-based education. The ritual was developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi — the man who introduced transcendental meditation to the Beatles, Mia Farrow and Shirley MacLaine in the 1960s. It is performed in two 10-minute sessions each day at the school, the only Maharishi school in Australia. Principal Frances Clarke said meditation enabled students to tap in to a reservoir of creativity and intelligence at the beginning and end of each school day."
Read more>>

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ARTS ADVOCACY DAY
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ARTS ADVOCACY DAY
March 31 - April 1, 2008
Americans for the Arts
"The 21st annual Arts Advocacy Day is the only national event that brings together a broad cross section of America’s cultural and civic organizations, along with hundreds of grassroots advocates from across the country, to underscore the importance of developing strong public policies and appropriating increased public funding for the arts. Learn how to lobby Congress. Network with other attendees from your state and across the country. Be heard by your members of Congress when you visit them to make the case for the arts and arts education."
Register or learn more>>


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PERFORMING ARTS AND THE CHANGING DIGITAL WORLD
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CLASSICAL ARTISTS EMBRACE DIGITAL CULTURE
Hazel Davis, Reuters UK, 2/9/08
"When violinist Tasmin Little announced in January that she would be giving away her 'Naked Violin' album as a free download, she tapped into a growing trend: classical music artists and retailers utilizing digital formats and business models. Since the album features Little performing the works of such little-known composers as Ysaye and Paul Patterson, listeners were unlikely to 'buy it on the off-chance,' Little says. But the response to the free download, she says, has been 'phenomenal.' Thousands of tracks have been downloaded, and monthly page impressions on Little's Web site have increased from 5,000 to 150,000 since the announcement. ''The Naked Violin' is a snapshot,' Little says. 'The idea is that people will go and buy (more classical) repertoire.'
Read more>>


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FEDERAL FUNDING FOR ARTS EDUCATION
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BUSH'S PROPOSED ARTS CUTS BRING OUTCRY
Editorial by Dorothy Shinn, Akron Beacon Journal, 2/8/08
"Bush asks nothing — not one thin dime — for the U.S. Department of Education's Arts in Education program in the 2009 budget, compared with the $35.3 million enacted appropriations in the 2008 budget ...This brings to an end his perfect record of attempting to eliminate altogether funding for this valuable program, which includes funding for model arts programs and collaborations with schools, teacher professional development and arts programs for at-risk youth.Once again, the current administration fails to understand the valuable role of arts education in developing an innovative and creative society."
Read more>>


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GRANTS, AWARDS, AND CONTESTS
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TECHNOLOGY IN MOTION: VISION OF THE FUTURE
Sony Creative Software, Intel, Edutopia, and ISTE
Proposal entry deadline: 2/22/08 ***COMING SOON!***
"The Technology in Motion contest is designed to engage students in professional video and audio production. By participating, your school will receive everything needed to produce a film or films that will be entered into a contest for a chance to win one of three $20,000 multimedia hardware and software prize packages. The film contest encourages high school students (grades 9-12) to share their vision of how technology will shape the future. Every school that submits a qualifying Call for Entries form will receive a Technology in Motion launch kit, which includes a free copy of Sony® Vegas™ Pro 8 Promotional Edition video editing software; free Sony Vegas Pro 8 video tutorials; a free copy of the Digital Video and Audio Production Vegas Pro 8 teaching guide; [and a] free 1 year subscription to Edutopia magazine.
Learn more>>

THE PURPOSE PRIZE
Civic Ventures
Nominations Close: 3/1/08 ***COMING SOON!***
"The Purpose Prize provides five awards of $100,000 each to people over 60 who are taking on society’s biggest challenges. It’s for those with the passion and experience to discover new opportunities, create new programs, and make lasting change."
Learn more>>

DRIVING SAFETY FILM CONTEST
Bridgestone Firestone 2008 Safety Scholars
Deadline: 6/24/08
"It’s your turn to take the director’s chair. Make a short video (25 or 55 seconds) related to safe driving. Enter it in the Safety Scholars Competition and your video may be aired as a commercial for Bridgestone Firestone. The three top filmmakers also will each win a $5,000 college scholarship and the ten finalists win a new set of tires." For high school students.
Learn more>>

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IEA Newsletter for Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Welcome to the Institute for Education and the Arts’ weekly newsletter for February 13, 2008. The newsletter is published each Wednesday and is archived here on the IEA blog.

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REPORT
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THE OTHER HALF OF THE STRATEGY:
FOLLOWING UP ON SYSTEM REFORM BY INNOVATING WITH SCHOOL AND SCHOOLING
Education Evolving, 1/08
This report advocates for the need to move beyond standards and accountability into new schools and kinds of schooling. The report suggests that new innovations, including a variety of school models, can advance this cause.
Read the report>>


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THE VALUE OF ARTS EDUCATION
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WHY ARTS EDUCATION MATTERS
Commentary by Stephanie Perrin, Education Week, January 30, 2008
”For years, we have watched arts classes give way to the seemingly more ‘practical’ courses that politicians and policymakers assume have a direct link to professional and economic success. But in an increasingly globalized economy, one in which an ability to innovate and to imagine new possibilities is critical to America’s ability to compete, we still train our young people very narrowly to work in an industrialized society. As the country contemplates reauthorization of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, political and policy leaders must recognize that an education in and through the arts, as a central part of a total school program, allows schools to better address these challenges than a curriculum that defines success as aptitude in literacy and math only.”
Read more>>


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A LESSON ON DIVERSITY
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YOUNG STUDENTS USE CRAYONS TO LEARN ABOUT DIVERSITY
Chris Lundy, APP.com, 1/31/08
” Kim Troncone's first-grade students opened their crayon boxes to draw a picture but found a surprise: They only had one crayon. The students at Veterans Memorial Elementary School were taking part in a lesson on diversity, inspired by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Sean Aubrey, 6, was stuck with just an orange crayon. Thus, he drew an orange. ‘An orange crayon doesn't really make a lot,’ he said. Then, Troncone gave them all the colors they were missing.”
Read more>>


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SCHOOL REFORM
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SCHOOL CHIEF LAYS OUT AMBITIOUS PLAN
Tracy Jan, Boston Globe, 1/31/08
”More Boston high school students would be able to attend classes on college campuses. Parents would be able to send their young children to popular Montessori schools without paying private school tuition. And students of all ages would have more opportunities to learn art and music. Those are among the ambitious plans Superintendent Carol Johnson unveiled last night during her first major policy address before the School Committee. Hoping to entice parents to enroll their children in public schools, Johnson called simultaneously for increasing accountability to ensure there are improvements among struggling students while expanding programs for the highest achievers.”
Read more>>


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THINK AN ARTIST’S LOFT IS A TAX BREAK? READ ON
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IRS CHALLENGES LOW-INCOME ARTIST LOFTS
Marianne Combs, Minnesota Public Radio, 1/31/08
“Starting this year, artists may have a harder time finding places to live and work for cheap. A new IRS ruling says low-income artist lofts are not in compliance with federal tax regulations.”
Read more or listen to the story>>


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VISUAL LITERACY
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THINKING LIKE AN ARTIST
Pamelia C. Valentine, Educational Leadership online, 2/08
”I'm sitting at a staff meeting while the principal works her way through yet another PowerPoint presentation. This one is gloriously titled ‘Every Teacher Is a Reading Teacher!!’ All the teachers who teach non-text-based classes are reacting to the presentation. The physical education teachers are looking uncomfortable. The horticulture guy is squirming. The music teacher is pantomiming gagging. I'm a visual arts teacher at this middle school, and I'm sitting up straight and hanging on the principal's every word. OK, I'm not exactly hanging on every word, but I am paying close attention because I believe that every subject area has its own forms of literacy. I didn't always see the value in teaching reading, writing, and thinking skills in art class. I used to teach a project-based art class where we spent all our time "making art." But when I reflected on my teaching, I realized that I wasn't helping my students meet the National Visual Arts Standards developed by the Consortium of National Arts Education Associations, such as the ability to ‘reflect upon and assess the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others.’ My art learners needed to be thinking deeply, writing about art, and making connections between the features of high-quality art across genres and styles.
Read more>>


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GRANTS AND AWARDS
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ARTS EDUCATION AWARD
Americans for the Arts’ Arts Education Network
Deadline: 2/15/08 **coming soon**
”The Arts Education Award is given annually to identify the best in arts education program design and execution, as well as leadership. The award brings visibility and national recognition to model partnership programs. The award is presented to a local organization that can demonstrate systemic and sustainable results in support of learning in the arts, or through the arts, for public school students for a minimum of five years. Other important criteria include the integration of work into school or district infrastructure, involvement of public school and discipline-based arts educators, effective partnerships, industry-recognized work, success in building capacity for the organization itself and for the community, and conscientious efforts to build the scale of the work.”
Learn more>>


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DID YOU KNOW?
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We archive past newsletters here on our searchable blog.

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IEA Newsletter for Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Welcome to the Institute for Education and the Arts’ weekly newsletter for February 6, 2008. The newsletter is published each Wednesday and is archived here on the IEA blog.

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RESPONDING TO PRESIDENT BUSH’S EDUCATIONAL FUNDING PLAN
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FROM WENDY D. PURIEFOY
PRESIDENT, PUBLIC EDUCATION NETWORK
"President Bush has talked tough in the past about holding our country’s public schools and students accountable. His last proposed education budget appears to free him and his administration from any serious accountability for the state of our nation’s public education system, which is remarkable, as such accountability was something that he and his party fought hard for in the early days of his administration. The president has said he supports education but this budget, as was true for previous budgets, is insufficient to support education to the extent necessary in our nation. The 2009 budget includes what appears to be increases for the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), but are really just restorations of previous cuts. These restorations are nowhere near enough to provide the resources necessary to meet the Adequate Yearly Progress mandated by NCLB. This is insufficient funding for what was once termed a bold initiative by both parties, and which is now seen by many as a liability because of the failure of the administration to properly fund NCLB. Several reading programs have had their funding levels restored to levels they had at least two years ago. However, restoration of lost funds does not equal increases and it does not equal forward movement. Monies are being cut from a number of other crucial initiatives, including pre-school programs and several programs aimed at making American children ready for the technology revolution sweeping our globe. But the most serious cuts of all are those being made to programs aimed at addressing this nation’s teacher quality challenges. Teacher quality and teacher efficacy are at the very heart of student achievement. For these programs to be cut indicates that the administration is not listening to the American public, who have long voiced their support for measures to bolster the nation’s teacher quality.”
Read more>>

A RESPONSE FROM ASCD
“President Bush's FY 2009 proposal will essentially level fund education. This does not even include an inflationary increase, which will result in a funding cut for many programs. With increases for programs not meeting inflationary costs coupled with growing student enrollments, schools will be forced to do more with less. Further, the funding increases proposed for a few programs come at the expense of other education programs. The budget proposal continues the President's attempt to eliminate 47 programs to save about $3.3 billion. Slight increases in Title I and IDEA (roughly equal to inflation) are provided as a result of the cuts to other programs. While essentially freezing or eliminating many public school programs, the President has proposed about $300 million to enable children in lower performing public schools to go to unregulated private schools with no requirements for teacher quality and curriculum. To cover the tuition and other expenses of a few students, the initiative would take away taxpayer dollars that could be used to improve public school education for many more students.”
Read more>>


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PREPARING ALL STUDENTS FOR COLLEGE
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URBAN HIGH SCHOOLS AIMING HIGHER THAN DIPLOMA
Sara Rimer, New York Times, 1/17/08
”At Excel High School, in South Boston, teachers do not just prepare students academically for the SAT; they take them on practice walks to the building where the SAT will be given so they won’t get lost on the day of the test. In Chattanooga, Tenn., the schools have abolished their multitrack curriculum, which pointed only a fraction of students toward college. Every student is now on a college track. And in the Washington suburb of Prince George’s County, Md., the school district is arranging college tours for students as early as seventh grade, and adding eight core Advanced Placement classes to every high school, including some schools that had none. Those efforts, and others across the country, reflect a growing sense of urgency among educators that the primary goal of many large high schools serving low-income and urban populations — to move students toward graduation — is no longer enough. Now, educators say, even as they struggle to lift dismal high school graduation rates, they must also prepare the students for college, or some form of post-secondary school training, with the skills to succeed.”
Read more>>


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MUSIC INTEGRATION IDEAS
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MUSIC IN EVERY CLASSROOM
PBS.org
“Explore the world of music through activities that focus on musical beat, rhythm, mood and emotions. Investigate the science of guitars, learn musical notation and enjoy multicultural music and popular songs from three generations.”
Learn more>>


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MUSEUM FELLOWSHIPS
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RINGLING MUSEUM POST-GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
”The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, The State Art Museum of Florida and a division of Florida State University, offers two 12-month, post-graduate fellowships. The fellowships are designed to enable recent recipients of a master?s or doctoral degree in the arts, arts administration, museum studies, or other related fields to prepare for a museum career. These one-year non-renewable positions will provide each fellow with a challenging and comprehensive work experience. Fellowship departments change from year to year. The Circus Museum Archives and Collections Management will host fellows in 2008-2009. See online application at website below for full job description. We consciously look for upbeat personalities who can work as a team member, independently, and with imagination. Our organization works across departments and divisions, so each fellow participates in many areas of museum operations. Students nearing completion of a master or doctoral degree are encouraged to apply. The fellowship begins in June 2008. Interested applicants are required to submit an online application with attached or mailed cover letter, résumé or cv, and list of references. Additional materials will vary depending on the position.”
For more information, contact Karen Patriarca, kpatriarca@ringling.org, 941-359-5700 x4401.
To apply, visit: http://www.jobs.fsu.edu; Keyword: Ringling


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GRANTS AND AWARDS
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SAVE OUR HISTORY INITIATIVE
The History Channel
Deadline: 6/6/08
Maximum Award: $10,000
” Inspire the youth in your community to become the preservationists of tomorrow. Museums, historic sites, historical societies, preservation organizations, libraries, and archives are invited to partner with a local school or youth group and apply for funding to help preserve the history of their communities. Each year, The History Channel awards grants of up to $10,000 to organizations across the country that partner with schools or youth groups on community preservation projects that engage students in learning about, documenting and preserving the history of their communities.”
Learn more>>

A+ FOR ENERGY GRANTS
BP America
Deadline: 3/7/08 **coming soon!**
Maximum Award: $10,000
”The A+ for Energy® program was developed by BP to recognize teachers for innovation and excellence in teaching energy and/or energy conservation in the classroom. Any public or private preK-12 teacher currently teaching in an accredited or licensed schoolin Alabama, California, Illinois, Indiana, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, or Texas, is encouraged to apply.”
Learn more>>

GRANTS FOR PROJECTS LED BY AND BENEFITING FEMALES
Open Meadows Foundation
Deadline: 2/15/08 **coming soon!**
”Open Meadows Foundation is a grant-making organization for projects that are led by and benefit women and girls. Open Meadows Foundation funds projects that do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age or ability. It offers grants up to $2000 to projects that are designed and implemented by women and girls; reflect the diversity of the community served by the project in both its leadership and organization; promote building community power; promote racial, social, economic and environmental justice; and have limited financial access or have encountered obstacles in their search for funding.”
Learn more>>


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DID YOU KNOW?
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We archive past newsletters here on our searchable blog.