IEA Newsletter for Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Welcome to the Institute for Education and the Arts' newsletter for Wednesday, April 30, 2008. The newsletter is published each Wednesday to the IEA listserv and archived here on the IEA blog.


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REPORTS
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A NATION AT RISK: 25 YEARS LATER
Education Week series, 2008
The pragmatic report A Nation at Risk was released 25 years ago this month. Education Week is running a series of articles focused on the impact of that report on education over the years and today.
Read more>>

PISA 2006: SCIENCE COMPETENCIES FOR TOMORROW’S WORLD
Programme for International Student Assessment
”Presents the results from the most recent PISA survey, which focused on science and also assessed mathematics and reading … Analysis gives the most comprehensive international picture of science learning today, exploring not only how well students perform, but also their interests in science and their awareness of the opportunities that scientific competencies bring as well as the environment that schools offer for science learning. It places the performance of students, schools and countries in the context of their social background and identifies important educational policies and practices that are associated with educational success. By showing that some countries succeed in providing both high quality education and equitable learning outcomes, PISA sets ambitious goals for others.” High-performing countries include Finland, Canada, Japan, and New Zealand.
Learn more>>

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LOSING A SENSE OF PLAY
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CHILDHOOD’S END: GROWING UP TOO FAST
SOMETHING IS LOST WHEN LITTLE RED WAGONS AND MUD PIES MAKE WAY FOR WORKSHEETS AND TESTS
M. Jones, Edutopia, 3/18/08
”She waltzes into my room on winged feet -- all 3 feet and a bit of her, with a pixie cut and huge brown eyes. She is Katy (not her real name), and she is in the first grade. As everyone else settles down, Katy twirls in a dizzying display of excess energy. She is wearing her favorite outfit -- a rainbow poncho and a tiara with pink feathers. The rest of the class sits on the rug, crisscross applesauce. They stare up at me expectantly. Katy is trying to lie across my lap and peer up into my face. She slithers down, bounces up again, and moves to her desk to see what treasures might be in her backpack. Her bottom has never touched her chair. I invite her back to the group and sit her right next to me -- her favorite place in the room. A little young, I tell myself on the first day. Not ready for first grade and the rigors of state standards … When I check her file in the office, I am dumbfounded by an inch-thick IEP folder … An Individualized Education Program usually signals some serious area of concern. The plan spells out goals for the student and how the teacher will monitor and assess the accomplishment of those goals. Benchmarks are set. Meetings are held. I've never had a first grader with an IEP. Most students come equipped with a slim folder holding their vaccination records and birth certificate. What could possibly be wrong with this girl that warrants this level of scrutiny? The answer: nothing. She has an older brother with a learning disability and anxious parents who want to make sure Katy doesn't ‘fall through the cracks.’”
Read more>>

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ARTS AND THE ECONOMY
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ARTS INSTITUTIONS FEELING IMPACT OF AILING ECONOMY
Karen Matthews, Associated Press, 4/21/08
”When the J. Paul Getty Trust in Los Angeles was seeking to finance the purchase of art works, it did what cultural institutions often do to raise money: It issued bonds. But rising interest rates brought on by turmoil in the financial markets boosted payments, and the organization got socked for an additional $650,000 in fees earlier this year for which it had not budgeted. Like homeowners and stockholders, museums, concert halls, dance companies and other arts organizations are feeling the pinch from the faltering economy. Museums and symphony halls that financed renovations with seemingly safe municipal bonds saw interest rates spike in recent weeks; other arts institutions are suffering from low returns on investments; and some arts executives are worried that recession fears could take a bite out of donations and ticket sales.”
Read more>>

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GRANTS AND AWARDS
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PARTNERS IN EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM
National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts/MetLife Partners in Arts Education
Deadline: 5/23/08 ***coming soon***
Grant Award: Up to $20,000
“The goal of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts/MetLife Foundation Partners in Arts Education Grant Program is to enhance arts learning in K­–12 Public Schools (PS) by supporting exemplary Community School of the Arts (CSA)/PS partnerships which serve large numbers of public school students during the school day or extended day, exemplify best practices in creating and sustaining effective partnerships, provide pedagogically-sound arts education experiences, prioritize student learning and achievement in the arts, and address national, state, and/or local arts education standards.” See Web site for list of eligible communities.
Learn more>>

CVS COMMUNITY GRANTS
Deadline: October 2008
“Community Grants target effective and innovative programs that align with our philanthropic values and criteria. To ensure that we make a positive impact, the 2008 Community Grants Program will focus on these two key areas: healthcare services for uninsured people and programs targeting children under 18 with disabilities [such as] health and rehabilitation services, public schools promoting inclusion, or creating opportunities or facilities which give greater access to physical movement and play.”
Learn more>>

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IEA Newsletter for Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Welcome to the Institute for Education and the Arts' newsletter for Wednesday, April 23, 2008. The newsletter is published each Wednesday to the IEA listserv and archived here on the IEA blog.


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REPORTS
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THE ART OF COLLABORATION:
PROMISING PRACTICES FOR INTEGRATING THE ARTS AND SCHOOL REFORM
Arts Education Partnership, 2008
”The Arts Education Partnership is pleased to announce the release of its new publication The Art of Collaboration: Promising Practices for Integrating the Arts and School Reform by Andrew L. Nelson, AEP Associate for Research and Policy. This second installment in AEP’s research and policy brief series outlines promising practices for building community partnerships that integrate the arts into urban education systems.”
Learn more>>

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES: BUSINESS & EMPLOYMENT IN THE ARTS
Americans for the Arts, 2008
Creative Industries: Business & Employment in the Arts reports offer a new, research-based approach to understanding the scope and importance of the arts to the nation's economy. While most economic impact studies of the arts have focused on the nonprofit sector, Creative Industries is the first national study that encompasses both the nonprofit and for-profit arts industry. By documenting Dun & Bradstreet business and employment data for both the nonprofit and for-profit arts sectors, you can paint a picture of a powerful engine in your community's information economy. What makes this data especially potent is that it can be localized to any city, county, state, region, or political jurisdiction in the country, and it can be updated annually so that you can track trend data.”
Learn more or order a report for your area>>

STUDY: CREATIVE ECONOMY PLAYS KEY ROLE ON NORTH SHORE
Ethan Forman, Gloucester Times, 4/16/08
”From Cape Ann artists to Peabody advertisers, large newspaper publishers to one-man Web page design firms, the creative economy on the North Shore represents 10 percent to 12 percent of the region's private sector employment, a study released yesterday finds. Creative economy companies focus on industries that are tied to innovation and individual creativity, skill and talent, where ideas, products and services can lead to wealth and job creation. This economy employs a larger percentage of workers than biotech (2 percent) and manufacturing (7 percent) in the metropolitan Boston economy, the study says. While economic development officials have been touting the creative economy as a driver of job growth for years, this study represents the first time the size and scope of the creative economy on the North Shore has been fully measured.”
Read more news coverage>>
Read the report>>


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EDUCATORS
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DRAMA CLASSES HIT BY 60% TEACHER CUT
Lalayn Baluch, The Stage (UK), 4/16/08
”Secondary school drama teaching is at risk from a serious “dilution” in quality because of government plans to cut the number of new specialist teachers by 60%, education experts have warned. Figures from the Training Development Agency - which regulates the allocation of teaching programmes - reveal that in 2005 there were 261 places on postgraduate PGCE Secondary Drama courses nationwide. By 2011 that number will have fallen to just 109. Emma Brown, PGCE course leader at Central School of Speech and Drama and member of the Standing Committee of Initial Teacher Education in Drama, believes that without sufficient specialists, the government will struggle to carry through its initiatives to increase participation in the arts - such as the recently announced Find Your Talent scheme, which promises five hours of culture to youngsters every week. She told The Stage: ‘There are lots of implications. If you only have 100 trained drama teachers for 4,000 secondary schools [each year], obviously what you are going to have is a dilution in the quality of drama teaching and also a limited number of people who are specialists.’”
Read more>>

HYLTON TEACHER IS HONORED FOR HELPING STUDENTS ENVISION HISTORY
Ian Shapira, Washington Post, 4/17/08
”Lisa Racine, a history teacher at C.D. Hylton High School in Prince William County [Maryland] does not care much for textbooks in the classroom. Instead of reading aloud from a monstrous history book, Racine instead will teach topics playing music, such as an Alan Jackson song related to the Sept. 11 attacks, or with photographs from the civil rights era that depict violent protests in Alabama. ‘I have never, ever used a textbook during class time. There is not a bigger waste. They can use the textbook at home,’ Racine said. ‘You have them for 90 minutes and need to be teaching them something new. . . . I think teaching with pictures is very important. So many of us are visual learners.’"
Read more>>

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TEACHING RESOURCES
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THINKING DIFFERENTLY ABOUT MATH
These resources use puzzles, games, patterns, music, and mnemonics to develop students’ interest in and motivation for math.
Air Force Brain Booster Book>>
Harvey Mudd College’s Math Department’s Fun Facts>>

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GRANTS AND AWARDS
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FIVE-DAY CAMP FOR MATH AND SCIENCE
Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy
Application Deadline: 10/31/08
Award: All expenses paid for weeklong program
“The Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy is a one-week all-expense-paid intensive professional development program for third- through fifth-grade teachers. The Academy offers a five-day program designed to provide third- through fifth-grade teachers with the knowledge and skills necessary to motivate students to pursue careers in science and math. Phil and Amy Mickelson partnered with ExxonMobil to develop the Academy in conjunction with the National Science Teachers Association and Math Solutions. The Mickelsons wanted to develop a program that inspires teachers from across the country in math and science and equips them with interactive teaching tools to ignite their students' passion for these subjects. They also wanted to develop a program that helps to develop the next generation of science savvy citizens who will grow up to make the next breakthrough in medicine, in energy, or in any of the growing number of fields that require a solid foundation in math and science.”
Learn more>>

IEA Newsletter for Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Welcome to the Institute for Education and the Arts' newsletter for Wednesday, April 16, 2008. The newsletter is published each Wednesday to the IEA listserv and archived on the IEA blog at http://edartsinstitute.blogspot.com.


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REPORTS
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READY TO INNOVATE: ARE EDUCATORS AND EXECUTIVES ALIGNED ON THE CREATIVE READINESS OF THE WORKFORCE?
Conference Board, Americans for the Arts, American Association of School Administrators
“Innovation is crucial to competition, and creativity is integral to innovation. Employers rate creativity/innovation among the top five skills that will increase in importance over the next five years, and stimulating innovation/creativity and enabling entrepreneurship is among the top 10 challenges of U.S. CEOs. But how to foster creativity in new entrants to the workforce? [This project] surveyed public school superintendents and American business executives (employers) to identify and compare their views surrounding creativity. Overwhelmingly, both the superintendents who educate future workers and the employers who hire them agree that creativity is increasingly important in workplaces … and that arts training— and, to a lesser degree, communications studies— are crucial to developing creativity. Yet, there is a gap between understanding this truth and putting it into meaningful practice. Our findings indicate that most high schools and employers provide such training and studies only on an elective or “as needed” basis.”
Read the report>>

MULTIMODAL LEARNING THROUGH MEDIA: WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS
Metiri Group, commissioned by Cisco
As summarized in eSchool News: “An analysis of existing research supports a notion that already has begun to transform instruction in schools from coast to coast: that multimodal learning--using many modes and strategies that cater to individual learners' needs and capacities--is more effective than traditional, unimodal learning, which uses a single mode or strategy. According to a new report commissioned by Cisco Systems, adding visuals to verbal (textual and/or auditory) instruction can result in significant gains in basic or higher-order learning, if applied appropriately. Students using a well-designed combination of visuals and text learn more than students who use only text, the report says.”
Read the eSchool News article summarizing the report>>
Read the report>>

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DEVELOPING ARTS EDUCATION
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ART SCHOOL
Mary Tutweiler, Independent Weekly (Lafayette, Louisiana), 3/26/08
“In 2007, the Louisiana Legislature passed Louisiana Act 175 to bring visual and performing arts into every classroom in Louisiana by 2012. Working with the Kennedy Center, Lafayette City's arts community hopes to develop a working model for the state to adopt in implementing the new law. During last year’s legislative session, Baton Rouge Sen. Sharon Broome authored legislation requiring the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to develop and implement an arts curriculum in the public schools. Broome worked closely with Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, who has pledged to integrate eroding arts programs back into education. ‘Unlike other states, every child in Louisiana doesn’t have that opportunity for arts education, which compelled us to create the legislation and champion its passage,’ says Pam Breaux, an assistant secretary within the state Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. ‘We want to put music and the arts back in schools … Research tells us that when children are exposed to the arts, dropout rates go down, test scores go up, and science skills improve. And so it’s important for education because it ignites creative thinking and critical thinking, and it makes better students.’”
Read more>>

ARTS EDUCATION DESCRIBED AS VITAL:
STATE WORK FORCE NEEDS CREATIVITY, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR SAYS
Dani McClain, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/29/08
”Wisconsin needs to cultivate an innovative, entrepreneurial work force, and arts education is the key, Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton said Friday. A new task force on arts and creativity, co-chaired by Lawton and state schools Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster, plans to survey arts offerings in Wisconsin schools, hold public hearings around the state, and issue a list of recommendations by the end of the year. ‘I see artists imagining solutions to 21st-century problems,’ Lawton said … ‘Creativity is important to every sector of Wisconsin's economy.’ The task force[‘s] … goal will be to position arts education as a way to teach critical-thinking skills and encourage Wisconsin's students to become visionaries who can propel the state to the forefront of the green economy and other emerging industries, Lawton said. ‘The Silicon Valley wasn't brought in on semi trucks,’ she said, citing Apple CEO Steve Jobs as someone who combines technical know-how with an artist's touch.”
Read more>>

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GRANTS, AWARDS, AND CONTESTS
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GRANTS FOR ARTS, EARLY CHILDHOOD READING, AND FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION
Target Local Store Grants
Deadline: 5/31/08
Maximum Award: $3,000
Organizations are invited to apply for grants sponsored by local Target stores in the areas of arts, early childhood reading, and family violence prevention.
Learn more>>

SAVE OUR HISTORY
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 … 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>>

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IEA Newsletter for Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Welcome to the Institute for Education and the Arts' newsletter for Wednesday, April 9, 2008. The newsletter is published each Wednesday to the IEA listserv and archived here on the IEA blog.

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ART AND WAR
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BALLET AMID THE BULLETS IN IRAQ
Alexandra Zavis, Los Angeles Times, 4/1/08
"In a city full of bloodshed, the Baghdad School of Music and Ballet is an oasis, instilling in its young charges a love of music and dance in the midst of war. ‘I feel happy when I come here,’ 11-year-old Lisam says as she catches her breath between leaps and twirls in another of the school's studios. Through the worst of the violence, Iraq's only performing arts school never stopped putting on shows and sending its teachers and students on cultural exchanges abroad. But the school, one of the few places left in Baghdad where children of all ethnic and religious backgrounds learn together, cannot shield the students from the horrors beyond its heavily guarded gates."
Read more>>


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WEBINAR
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TEACHING ARTISTS AS ADVOCATES
Thursday, 4/10/08, 3pm EST ***THIS WEEK!***
Free
RSVP to dnachbar@douglasgould.com
”Join us in April for the very first in a series of arts learning Webinars. ‘Teaching Artists as Advocates’ will feature field experts from Alameda County, CA and Minneapolis, MN who will share first-hand accounts of arts learning and community engagement. They will also offer advice on what teaching artists can do to effect change. ‘Teaching Artists as Advocates will focus on how teaching artists promote arts learning in public schools. Our presenters will provide real-time examples and talk about how arts learning in public schools has affected students, teachers, parents and themselves. Have questions on how or why? Presenters will be available to answer your questions live!”
Learn more>>


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CONFERENCE
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AMERICAN EVOLUTION: ARTS IN THE NEW CIVIC LIFE
June 20 – 22, 2008
Advance Registration Deadline: 4/18/08 ***COMING SOON***
Sheraton Philadelphia City Center
American Evolution: Arts in the New Civic Life
”At this convention, Americans for the Arts will come together to share strategies for leading creative communities. We'll celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first percent-for-art ordinance in the city that created it. We'll visit traditions in arts education that date back to the founding of the country and continue on the cutting edge. We'll also fast-forward to a new vision of civic leadership being crafted daily by the collaborative spirit of Philadelphia's artists, arts administrators, business innovators, and elected leaders. Civic life is evolving in all of our communities and the arts are at the center. In this year of democratic decision-making, join more than 1,000 of your colleagues to laugh, listen, learn, and lead in the place where it all began -- and is happening again.”
Learn more>>


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DEREGULATION AND THE ARTS
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AN ARTFUL APPROACH TO REVITALIZATION
Clint Bolick, Goldwater Institute, 3/17/08
”The City of Phoenix decided a vibrant arts district would be a nifty idea to revitalize its downtown core. Too often, cities are tempted to achieve such a goal by taxpayer subsidies, eminent domain, tax hikes, or draconian zoning requirements. Instead, Phoenix decided to try a different approach --deregulation.”
Read more>>


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ARTS AND NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND
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ARTS EDUCATION DOWN SINCE NCLB
Keith Jones, WHSV.com, 3/3/08
”A new study conducted by the Center on Education Policy shows that art education has declined almost 35 percent in schools since No Child Left Behind was implemented in 2001. Here's at look at how that Act has affected schools in the Valley. Dr. Donald Ford, Superintendent of Harrisonburg City Schools, says the opposite. The art program at his schools is thriving. However, they have squeezed down minutes for academic time. Ford says they'll even discuss extending the school day by 25 to 30 minutes to accommodate subjects like art, music and physical education. Dr. Robin Crowder, Superintendent of Waynesboro City Schools, says they've started doing just that. They now offer "zero period" classes, which occur after the school day and accommodate the subjects that students may not be able to fit into their regular schedules. He says such classes include choral music, drama, art, and even photography. In Augusta County, School Board member David Shiflett says not only has NCLB led to a decline in the arts, but also in vocational education. He says many students learn by doing and just aren't good test takers. ‘What happens to these students is very simple. They have trouble in some of their classes … They have to take remediation classes in order to pass the No Child Left Behind test. Well, when that happens, then they cannot take the electives that they would like to take.”
Read more>>


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GRANTS, AWARDS, AND CONTESTS
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PARTNERS IN EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM
National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts/MetLife Partners in Arts Education
Deadline: 5/23/08
Grant Award: Up to $20,000
“The goal of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts/MetLife Foundation Partners in Arts Education Grant Program is to enhance arts learning in K­–12 Public Schools (PS) by supporting exemplary Community School of the Arts (CSA)/PS partnerships which serve large numbers of public school students during the school day or extended day, exemplify best practices in creating and sustaining effective partnerships, provide pedagogically-sound arts education experiences, prioritize student learning and achievement in the arts, and address national, state, and/or local arts education standards.” See Web site for list of eligible communities.
Learn more>>

ING UNSUNG HEROES
ING
Deadline: 4/30/08 ***coming soon***
Awards: $2,000 - $25,000
“Are you an educator with a class project that is short on funding but long on potential? Do you know a teacher looking for grant dollars? ING Unsung Heroes® could help you turn great ideas into reality for students. For more than 10 years, and with $2.8 million in awarded grants, ING Unsung Heroes has proven to be an A+ program with educators. The program’s “alumni” have inspired success in the classroom and impacted countless numbers of students. Each year, 100 educators are selected to receive $2,000 to help fund their innovative class projects. Three of those are chosen to receive the top awards of an additional $5,000, $10,000 and $25,000.”
Apply online>>

GRANTS FOR MUSIC EDUCATION
Music is Revolution Foundation
Deadline: 3 times annually: January 15, April 15, and October 15 ***coming soon***
Awards: Mini-grants up to $500
"The Music Is Revolution Foundation administers a mini-grant program for Music Is Revolution activities designed by teachers to implement, support, and/or improve their ability to provide
quality music education for their students. Mini-grants up to $500 are available to teachers for music education activities of all types. Only projects that clearly contain a music education focus . . . will be considered. Applicants are encouraged to include activities that expose students to genres and styles of music not likely to be experienced as a part of their normal daily lives ... Funds may be used for supplies, materials, equipment, transportation for a field trip, and/or to bring a performer or musical group to the school. Funds may not be used to pay for personnel, to replace state or local school funds, or for celebration food and drinks."
Learn more>>

IEA Newsletter for Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Welcome to the Institute for Education and the Arts' newsletter for Wednesday, April 2, 2008. The newsletter is published each Wednesday to the IEA listserv and archived on the IEA blog at http://edartsinstitute.blogspot.com.

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CLASSICAL MUSIC
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FORUM: EDUCATION IS THE FUTURE OF CLASSICAL MUSIC
Melinda Bargeen, Seattle Times, 3/16/08
"During the past decade, reports about the impending death of classical music have arrived with such regularity that doom-saying is practically a full-time activity for several arts journalists ... Attendees at a national classical-music summit held at Seattle University last month, however, had a whole span of quite different views. Presented jointly by Seattle U. and Bellevue Philharmonic CEO Jennifer McCausland, the summit brought in representatives from coast to coast — Carnegie Hall, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, The Washington Post, and several others — and described a classical-music industry that is doing considerably more than rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic."
Read more>>


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ARTS EDUCATION
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ARTS EDUCATION ISSUE
School Administrator Magazine, 3/08
Arts education leaders including Richard Deasy of the Arts Education Partnership, Lois Hetland of Project Zero, and John M. Eger, author of The Creative Community, contribute articles to this special arts education edition.
Browse articles>>

RHEE'S '09 BUDGET ADDS $44 MILLION: NEW FUNDING PROPOSED FOR ART, MUSIC, SOCIAL WORKERS AND ACTIVITIES
By V. Dion Haynes, Washington Post, 3/18/08
"D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee said yesterday that classrooms would get an additional $44 million in the fall for art and music teachers, psychologists, social workers, literacy coaches and more extracurricular activities under her proposed fiscal 2009 budget.Some school advocates questioned whether the school system would have $44 million for the initiatives, given Rhee's previous statements that the closings would save $23 million and the firings would reduce the payroll by $6 million. Rhee's spokeswoman said that, although she could not specify, the additional savings came from cutting some part-time employees at the schools and shifting maintenance costs from the school system to a new school construction authority."
Read more>>

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MAKING CHEMISTRY RELEVANT
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EXPERIMENTING WITH MAKEUP: WHAT PUTS THE 'ICK' IN LIPSTICK?
Natasha Singer, The New York Times, 3/27/08
Girls dissect lipstick and create their own lip balm at Boston's Museum of Science in a course called Cosmetic Chemistry. By linking chemistry to the girls' personal interests, the class brings the scientific method to life.
Read more>>

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GRANTS, AWARDS, AND CONTESTS
----------------------------------

PARTNERS IN EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM
National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts/MetLife Partners in Arts Education
Deadline: 5/23/08
Grant Award: Up to $20,000
“The goal of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts/MetLife Foundation Partners in Arts Education Grant Program is to enhance arts learning in K­–12 Public Schools (PS) by supporting exemplary Community School of the Arts (CSA)/PS partnerships which serve large numbers of public school students during the school day or extended day, exemplify best practices in creating and sustaining effective partnerships, provide pedagogically-sound arts education experiences, prioritize student learning and achievement in the arts, and address national, state, and/or local arts education standards.” See Web site for list of eligible communities.
Learn more>>

BOOKS ACROSS AMERICA
National Education Association Foundation
Award: Approximately 50 annual awards of $1,000
Deadline: November 7, 2008
"The NEA’s Books Across America Library Books Awards program is funded by the NEA Foundation in collaboration with the NEA, corporate sponsors, and individuals who donate to the program. It enables public school libraries serving economically disadvantaged students to purchase books." To be eligible, educators must "work in public schools in which at least 70 percent of the students are eligible for the free or reduced-price lunch program."
Learn more: http://www.neafoundation.org or (202) 822-7289.

ING UNSUNG HEROES
ING
Deadline: 4/30/08
Awards: $2,000 - $25,000
“Are you an educator with a class project that is short on funding but long on potential? Do you know a teacher looking for grant dollars? ING Unsung Heroes® could help you turn great ideas into reality for students. For more than 10 years, and with $2.8 million in awarded grants, ING Unsung Heroes has proven to be an A+ program with educators. The program’s “alumni” have inspired success in the classroom and impacted countless numbers of students. Each year, 100 educators are selected to receive $2,000 to help fund their innovative class projects. Three of those are chosen to receive the top awards of an additional $5,000, $10,000 and $25,000.”
Apply online>>

GRANTS FOR MUSIC EDUCATION
Music is Revolution Foundation
Deadline: 3 times annually: January 15, April 15, and October 15 ***coming soon***
Awards: Mini-grants up to $500
"The Music Is Revolution Foundation administers a mini-grant program for Music Is Revolution activities designed by teachers to implement, support, and/or improve their ability to provide
quality music education for their students. Mini-grants up to $500 are available to teachers for music education activities of all types. Only projects that clearly contain a music education focus . . . will be considered. Applicants are encouraged to include activities that expose students to genres and styles of music not likely to be experienced as a part of their normal daily lives ... Funds may be used for supplies, materials, equipment, transportation for a field trip, and/or to bring a performer or musical group to the school. Funds may not be used to pay for personnel, to replace state or local school funds, or for celebration food and drinks."
Learn more>>