IEA Newsletter for Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Welcome to the Institute for Education and the Arts' newsletter for Wednesday, July 31, 2008. We apologize that extenuating circumstances delayed this issue’s publication by a day. The newsletter is published each Wednesday to the IEA listserv and archived here on the IEA blog.

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21ST CENTURY LEARNERS
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PREPARING CREATIVE AND CRITICAL THINKERS
Donald J. Treffinger, Educational Leadership Online, Summer 2008
“Once upon a time, educators might have said to their students, ‘If you'll pay close attention to what I'm going to teach you, you'll learn everything you need to know for a successful life.’ It's doubtful that this message was ever entirely true, but it's certainly not true today. We don't know all the information that today's students will need or all the answers to the questions they will face. Indeed, increasingly, we don't even know the questions. These realities mean that we must empower students to become creative thinkers, critical thinkers, and problem solvers—people who are continually learning and who can apply their new knowledge to complex, novel, open-ended challenges; people who will proceed confidently and competently into the new horizons of life and work.”
Read more>>

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ARTS IN EDUCATION FILM
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DOCUMENTARY TRACKS SUCCESS OF SOUTH L.A.’S FOSHAY CHOIR
Mary Engel, Los Angeles Times, 7/27/08
“It all started 10 years ago when middle school student Helen Camarillo walked up to music executive Tom Sturges at a Christmas party for youths and adults interested in mentoring … Sturges, a son of legendary screenwriter and director Preston Sturges, asked Helen where she went to school. Foshay Learning Center, she told him, naming a school in a crime-ridden neighborhood in South Los Angeles … For the next six years Sturges worked with the Foshay Learning Center Choir as members wrote and performed songs before ever-growing audiences. The choir's journey was featured in a documentary that premiered Saturday in West Hollywood as part of the Dances With Films independent film festival. The audience included 150 Foshay students and Sturges, who is now working with a new group of choir members. Directed by Reginald D. Brown, ‘Witness to a Dream’ chronicles the success of not only the choir but also of the students. In a school district known for high dropout rates, Helen and 30 other sixth-grade choir students graduated from high school in 2003, and 97% were accepted to four-year colleges. Of those, 92% are now college graduates.
Read more>>


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ONLINE LITERACY
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LITERACY DEBATE: ONLINE, R U REALLY READING?
Motoko Rich, New York Times, 7/27/08
“Books are not Nadia Konyk’s thing. Her mother, hoping to entice her, brings them home from the library, but Nadia rarely shows an interest. Instead, like so many other teenagers, Nadia, 15, is addicted to the Internet. She regularly spends at least six hours a day in front of the computer here in this suburb southwest of Cleveland … Her mother … would prefer that Nadia, who gets A’s and B’s at school, read books for a change. But at this point, Ms. Konyk said, “I’m just pleased that she reads something anymore.” Children like Nadia lie at the heart of a passionate debate about just what it means to read in the digital age. The discussion is playing out among educational policy makers and reading experts around the world, and within groups like the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association. As teenagers’ scores on standardized reading tests have declined or stagnated, some argue that the hours spent prowling the Internet are the enemy of reading — diminishing literacy, wrecking attention spans and destroying a precious common culture that exists only through the reading of books.”
Read more>>


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SCHOOLS FOR THE ARTS
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STATE GIVES $250,000 TO HAGERSTOWN HIGH SCHOOL
Baltimore Examiner/Associated Press, 7/24/08
“The state is giving a quarter-million-dollar boost to a planned, arts-oriented high school in downtown Hagerstown [MD]. The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development says the grant will help finance the renovation of an old movie theater … the school will offer a college-preparatory academic curriculum in the arts to 300 students. They will be trained in the instrumental, performing, visual and vocal arts.”
Read more>>


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ARTSPACE
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ARTISTS TO GET THEIR SPACE IN ELGIN
Chicago Daily Herald, 7/25/08
“The Minneapolis-based group [Artspace] has chosen Elgin for its second Illinois project to create a co-op for artists. What put the city over the top? ‘Leadership, a vision, a drive - those were all the big indicators,’ said Stacey Mickelson, Artspace director of government relations, Thursday before a meeting with artists and community leaders. ‘We had a gut reaction in our first visit here that told Wendy (Holmes, Artspace vice president of resource development) and I this was the place.’ The 29-year-old not-for-profit group has 23 projects in 14 states. Artspace uses federal, state and local grants to convert neglected warehouses and old buildings into apartments, studio space, galleries and other commercial-use spaces.”
Read more>>


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GRANTS AND AWARDS
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MUSIC GRANTS
Mockingbird Foundation
“The Mockingbird Foundation, Inc. ("Mockingbird") offers competitive grants to schools and nonprofit organizations that effect improvements in areas of importance to the Phish fan community. Our programmatic focus is music education for children.”
Learn more>>

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

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REPORTS/PUBLICATIONS
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NEW RESOURCE HELPS TEACH 21ST-CENTURY SKILLS:
FREE ONLINE GUIDE MAPS DIGITAL-AGE SKILLS TO SOCIAL STUDIES PROJECTS AND TASKS
Laura Devaney, eSchool News, 7/18/08
“Social studies teachers now have a new resource to help them integrate 21st-century skills into their lessons: a free online document that maps various social studies projects, tasks, and outcomes to corresponding skills--such as problem solving and critical thinking--that are becoming increasingly important for 21st-century success. The 21st Century Skills and Social Studies Map, developed by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) and the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), demonstrates how integrating these 21st-century skills will help support teaching, while also preparing students to become effective and productive citizens in the 21st century. The map gives educators concrete examples of how 21st-century skills can be infused into classroom practices at various grade levels, and it highlights the critical connections between social studies and 21st-century skills.”
Read the article>>
View the guide map>>


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WHEN FIELD TRIPS BECOME TOO EXPENSIVE
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GAS PRICES FUEL RISE IN VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS:
AS SOARING COSTS MAKE TRADITIONAL TRAVEL IMPOSSIBLE FOR MANY SCHOOLS, EDUCATORS ARE TURNING TO THE INTERNET
Laura Devaney, Senior Editor, eSchool News, 7/14/08
“As schools grapple with budget cuts and rising fuel costs, many districts are finding it necessary to reduce or eliminate field trips, leaving students and teachers with a surprisingly attractive option--virtual field trips. Virtual field trips typically involve students using video conferencing software or using a simple web browser to visit an online destination, such as the web site of a national museum, that offers virtual tours through the facility and up-close, three-dimensional views of geological formations, art work, and so on. They are different from webquests, which tend to be inquiry-based activities in which students use the internet to answer a set of questions. Some virtual field trips are conducted through video or web conferencing, while others are available on individual computers by clicking a link on an organization's web site.”
Read more>>


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MUSIC AND LEARNING
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HAWTHORNE’S HIP HOP HIGH LOSES ITS CHARTER
Mitchell Landsberg, Los Angeles Times, 7/10/08
“Students at Hip Hop High know all about adversity. For many, life has been a minefield of gangs, violence and family chaos. They were academic failures, most of them, kicked out of school after school, allowed to fail their way from one grade to the next. At their charter school in Hawthorne, they say, they found a home -- a place that is quirky and rough-hewn, but one where students are given the motivation to learn. Now, they fear, a bureaucratic breakdown will cause the school, formally known as the Media Arts Academy Charter School, to close ... Giovanna Zepeda told the board that in traditional schools, ‘people looked at me like a low-life gangster. . . . When I got to Media Arts Academy, they looked at me different, they looked at me like I was somebody.’ Sobbing, she continued, ‘This is the only place we can be ourselves and express ourselves.’"
Read more>>

STUDENTS GET SHOT AT STARDOM – AND MATH GETS A GOOD RAP
Meghan Gilbert, Toledo Blade, 7/20/08
“Math is going to make these kids superstars. They're musicians, having recorded an album with a multi-platinum music producer, and actors currently rehearsing for a movie written and to be directed by professionals in the entertainment world … So have you heard of the Smart Shorties? If not, listen up and you'll say you knew them when. In a new age spin on the classic School House Rock education tool, the Smart Shorties rap, sing, and dance to today's hip hop hits. Only these musicians sing about math, specifically multiplication. … All involved will get royalty payments with music and movie sales. And they should be compensated, Ms. Smith said, since they did a lot of the work writing the lyrics, recording the songs, memorizing their lines for the film, and even coming up with the name Smart Shorties … The youngsters will spend three weeks in New York next month to film the movie, which should be finished by October. Although it will be theater quality, Ms. Smith said, it will probably go straight to DVD because of the expense of promoting a film on the big screen.”
Read more>>


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COMMUNITY ARTS CONFERENCE
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71ST ANNUAL CONFERENCE FOR COMMUNITY ARTS EDUCATION
National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts
Hyatt Regency Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia, PA, 10/29 – 11/1/08
“Presented by the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts, the Conference is the preeminent gathering of community arts education providers in the United States. Over 500 delegates--leading more than 350 community arts education organizations in over 45 states, Canada and the U.S. Virgin Islands--are expected to convene this year to discuss the latest research findings in community arts education, share information on best practices and emerging trends, and develop and share strategies and tactics for success. The conference is the only national event of its kind tailored to address the specific interests and needs of community arts education providers. Sessions led by nationally renowned experts in the field are organized into progressive tracks to provide in-depth training in best practices in Program Development, Assessment and Evaluation; Leadership and Governance; Development and Marketing; and Collaboration and Community Engagement.”
Learn more>>


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GRANTS AND AWARDS
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GRANTS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD, TECH AND COMMUNICATION FOR LEARNING, SPORTS FOR YOUTH
Lego Foundation
Maximum Award: $5000
Deadline: 8/1/08 ***coming soon***
“The Foundation awards grants to qualified tax-exempt organizations (as determined under section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue code) including educational organizations as defined in USC 26 § 170 (C) with specific, identifiable needs primarily in these areas of support early childhood education and development, technology and communication projects that advance learning opportunities, or sport or athletic programs that concentrate on under-served youth.”
Learn more>>

MINI-GRANTS FOR SERVICE-ORIENTED PROJECTS
Pay It Forward
Deadline: 9/15/08
Maximum Award: $500
“Pay It Forward Mini-Grants are designed to fund one-time-only service-oriented projects identified by youth as activities they would like to perform to benefit their school, neighborhood, or greater community. Projects must contain a "pay it forward" focus - that is, they must be based on the concept of one person doing a favor for others, who in turn do favors for others, with the results growing exponentially - to be considered in the grant making process.”
Learn more>>

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT GRANTS
NEA Foundation
Maximum Award: $5000
Deadline: 10/5/08
“The NEA Foundation provides grants to improve the academic achievement of students in U.S. public schools and public higher education institutions in any subject area(s). The proposed work should engage students in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen their knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students’ habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection. Proposals for work resulting in low-income and minority student success with honors, advanced placement, or other challenging curricula are particularly encouraged.”
Learn more>>




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IEA Newsletter for Wedneday, July 16, 2008

Welcome to the Institute for Education and the Arts' newsletter for Wednesday, July 15, 2008. The newsletter is published each Wednesday to the IEA listserv and archived here on the IEA blog.

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PAKISTANI/AMERICAN ARTS EDUCATION
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TEACHERS CROSS CULTURES
Victoria Guay, The Citizen of Laconia (NH), 7/13/08
“The rhythmic beat of drums and chorus of voices singing "Funga Alafia," a welcoming song from Liberia, could recently be heard emanating from a second-floor music room in the Draper Maynard building on the Plymouth State University campus. The voices belonged to a blend of New Hampshire and Pakistani teachers who were taking part in a workshop Wednesday during a week-long arts in education initiative …The group of 20 teachers and administrators from Pakistan are taking part in the graduate-level Pakistani Educational Leadership Institute, now in its fifth year. ‘This institute is exposing them to some sophisticated and groundbreaking educational ideas that they can bring back to their country and share with other educators,’ PSU spokesman Bruce Lyndes ... According to the Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi, based in Lahore, Pakistan, the organization that partners with PSU in the summer institutes, those who have been trained at PSU have gone on to train approximately 10,000 more educators in Pakistan.” Read more>>

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CREATIVE WRITING
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THE SHORT, HAPPY LIVES OF TEACHERS
John Norton, Teacher Magazine, 7/9/08
“It’s a good time to share this fun (and often illuminating) activity we tried out recently in the Teacher Leaders Network discussion group. The idea came from a newspaper feature describing a trend toward "succinct prose." The story cited a recent book published by Smith Magazine which carried the intriguing title, Not Quite What I was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure. As the feature story noted, this and similar collections of extremely short prose have been inspired by a six-word novel said to have been written by Ernest Hemingway on a dare. The novel read: ‘For sale: baby shoes, never worn.’ Here’s the specific question we tossed into the TLN Forum arena: ‘If you were writing a mini-memoir of your teaching life, what would your six words be?’”
See what teachers wrote>>

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ARTS CONSORTIA
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ARTS, EDUCATION, AND LEADERSHIP: POWERFUL NETWORK OR TANGLED WEB?
Essay by Laura Reeder, Arts Education Information Quarterly, 7/08
Reeder, Founding Executive Director of Partners for Arts Education in Syracuse, NY, wonders whether the current focus being given to the development of consortia and arts education networks is an advantage ‘or are we just building something that will ultimately draw dollars and time away from our children and their arts education?’
Read her essay>>

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CHILDREN AND EMPATHY
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EMPATHY COMES NATURALLY TO CHILDREN: STUDY
Julie Steenhuysen, Reuters/ABC News, 7/11/08
“When children see others in pain, their brains respond as if it were happening to them, U.S. researchers said on Friday. This response, which also has been shown in adults, suggests that normal school-age children may be naturally prone to empathy, they said. ‘What it shows us is that we have this inborn capacity to resonate with the pain of others. That's probably a very important step toward empathy,’ said Jean Decety of the University of Chicago, whose study appears in the journal Neuropsychologia. Decety said he hopes to use these results to better understand brain function in children who are aggressive or engage in anti-social behavior, such as bullying.”
Read more>>

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RETHINKING TEACHING
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HOW TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH THE CHILDREN:
THE PRESSURES OF RED TAPE AND TARGETS ARE DRIVING EARLY-YEARS TEACHERS INTO THE WORLD OF FRANCHISES
Janet Murray, The Guardian (UK), 7/8/08
“After 20 years as a primary school teacher Jayne Stanton was feeling jaded. Each new initiative (and there were many) brought hours of additional paperwork. While she still loved working with children, the pressure to meet government targets meant she was fast losing her passion for the job … Two years on, she is a small business owner, providing pre-school music classes in and around Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. After spotting an advert in a trade publication, she bought a franchise of Musical Minis - which provides music classes for babies and toddlers - and has never looked back.”
Read more>>


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GRANTS AND AWARDS
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SCHOOL COUNSELOR OF THE YEAR
American School Counselor Association
Deadline: 9/5/08
“ASCA's School Counselor of the Year program honors the best of the best -- school counselors who are running a top-notch, comprehensive school counseling program at either the elementary, middle or high school level. This newly enhanced program brings 10 finalists and their nominators to Washington, D.C., in late January, where they participate in a congressional briefing, tour Washington, D.C., and are honored at the School Counselor of the Year Gala. From these 10 finalists, one school counselor of the year is selected.”
Learn more>>

NATIONAL GRANT COMPETITION
Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
Maximum Award: $65,000
Deadline: 9/5/08
“The Foundation's grant-making program seeks to develop or expand projects that are designed to support the development of literacy skills for adult primary care givers and their children. A total of approximately $650,000 will be awarded; no grant request should exceed $65,000. The organization must operate an instructional literacy program that has been in existence for at least 2 years and includes one or more of the following components: literacy for adults, parent education, pre-literacy or literacy instruction for children pre-k to gra
de 3, and intergenerational literacy activities (Parent and Child Together time or P.A.C.T. time).”Learn more>>

OUTSTANDING YOUNG EDUCATOR AWARD
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Deadline: 8/1/08
“Do you know any emerging education leaders who exemplify excellence and equity in teaching and learning? Share their spirit and successful strategies and skills with the education community by nominating them for the ASCD Outstanding Young Educator Award (OYEA) Program.”
Learn more>>

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IEA Newsletter for Wednesday, July 9, 2008

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

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REPORT
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REVITALIZING ARTS EDUCATION THROUGH COMMUNITY-WIDE COORDINATION
Rand Corporation, 6/08
Arts education in the nation’s public schools has been declining for a generation, undermined by factors ranging from the state budget crises of the late 1970s to current school reforms that focus on reading and math. In a number of urban areas in recent years, arts learning advocates have sought to counter this trend by forming coordinated networks of schools, cultural organizations, funders, local government and other groups to work in common to revive arts education. These efforts are fragile and vary widely from city to city, but when well planned and executed, they show promise toward achieving the goal of more arts education for more children. This RAND study, commissioned by the Wallace Foundation, examines six such initiatives — in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles County, New York City and the Oakland-Berkeley area of California. It details common strategies they have used and discusses conditions that have helped and hindered their effectiveness."
Download the free report>>
Read the Chicago Tribune story>>


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THINKING SKILLS NOW
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THINKING SKILLS NOW
ASCD
“At a recent workshop for educators, participants pondered: What is the most important 21st-century skill to teach our students? In a world where teachers cannot teach every student what each will need, thinking skills landed near the top of the list for everyone. The summer online issue of Educational Leadership addresses thinking skills for the second time this publishing year. The ASCD Homepage highlights this issue and other resources that demonstrate how to improve students' ability to think deeply and well.”
View resources>>

IMMERSED IN INQUIRY
Jean Anne Clyde and Angela Hicks
Thinking Skills NOW/Educational Leadership Online, 7/08
“When adults observe children outside of school—playing, exploring, interacting—few of us recognize their behaviors as evidence of powerful learning. Yet in a moment, children's silliness can turn serious. Hooked by their own curiosity, children will intently examine found "stuff," focus on clues, and together compare what they are seeing with what they already know. They become oblivious to everything but their learning. Genuine inquiry builds on natural curiosity. It draws on strategies that most good learners use in nonschool settings: experimenting, questioning, thinking and rethinking, and communicating. It's also the kind of learning that is largely swept aside in schools.”
Read more>>


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MUSIC EDUCATION
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MIXED REVIEW FOR MUSIC IN CHARTER SCHOOLS
News Wise, 6/30/08
"Are charter schools embracing or excluding the arts? The first investigation of the status of music education in charter schools suggests the answer is neither. Joshua A. Russell of the University of Arkansas music department and James R. Austin of the University of Colorado, Boulder, examined 122 surveys from charter schools in 15 states, a representative sample of charter schools nationally. In addition to investigating music education within charter schools for the 2005-06 school year, the researchers compared music education in charter schools and other public schools. The researchers found that 70 percent of the surveyed charter schools offered music classes, with music available in 84 percent of the schools that had a combination of elementary and secondary students. The percentage dropped for schools without the combination: only 64 percent of individual elementary schools and 53 percent of secondary schools. The larger the school, the more likely music would be offered. While the majority of charter schools offered music, the researchers found that the music instruction provided in charter schools ‘does not appear to be at a level completely commensurate with that of traditional public schools.’”
Read more>>


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GAMING AND LEARNING
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AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION RECEIVES $1 MILLION GRANT FROM VERIZON FOUNDATION TO STUDY HOW GAMING CAM BE USED TO IMPROVE PROBLEM-SOLVING AND LITERACY SKILLS
American Library Association (ALA), 7/08
“ALA will launch an innovative project to track and measure the impact of gaming on literacy skills and build a model for library gaming that can be deployed nationally. Funding for the project will be provided by a $1 million grant from the Verizon Foundation. ‘Gaming is a magnet that attracts library users of all types and, beyond its entertainment value, has proven to be a powerful tool for literacy and learning,’ said ALA President Loriene Roy. ‘Through the Verizon Foundation’s gift, ALA’s gaming for learning project will provide the library community with vital information and resources that will model and help sustain effective gaming programs and services.’”
Learn more>>
Read a reaction on the ASCD blog>>


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ARTS POLICY
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PUTTING THE ARTS BACK INTO THE ARTS:
AUTHOR BILL IVEY CELEBRATES CREATIVITY, CULTURE, AND THE “AMATEUR”
Utne Reader, 7-8/08
An interview with former National Endowment for the Arts chair Bill Ivy about his new book, Arts, Inc.: How Greed and Neglect Have Destroyed Our Cultural Rights (University of California Press, 2008). “Ivey, now director of the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy at Vanderbilt University, argues that arts policy has long targeted two issues, arts education and increasing funding for nonprofit organizations, that aim to ‘bring more fine art to the American people’ without encouraging more people to actually create. Amateurs who might like to dabble in photography or the guitar, for instance, aren’t empowered by our society (or our schools) to do so.”
Read more>>


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MUSIC AND MATH
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MISSISSIPPI CLASSROOMS WORK TO INTEGRATE THE ARTS
Eleanor Barkhorn, Delta Democrat Times (Miss.), 6/29/08
“Fifth grade geometry students at Melissa Manning Elementary sang songs instead of memorizing facts. Sixth graders … learned about negative and positive numbers by dancing along a number line, not filling out worksheets. And as teachers abandoned their tried and true teaching techniques in favor of arts-based methods, student enthusiasm and achievement soared. The woman behind [it] was Marcia Daft, a Washington, D.C.-based educational consultant who specializes in using the arts to teach math, as well as language arts, social studies and science. Daft has spent four weeks in Greenville over the last two years, showing local educators how to employ chanting games to promote literacy, dance routines to demonstrate scientific processes, and group movement to teach math. Earlier this month, she was back for a final series of workshops in which she reinforced concepts to teachers who experienced her workshops before and revealed her secrets to educators who were new to her techniques. ‘Every classroom learns better if the arts are part of the learning process. That transcends private school, public school, economics,’ said Daft, whose visits to Greenville were funded by a grant from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.”
Read more>>


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GRANTS AND AWARDS
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GRANTS FOR NATIVE PLANTS
Lorri Otto Seeds for Education
Deadline: 11/15/08
“Project goals should focus on the enhancement and development of an appreciation for nature using native plants. Projects must emphasize involvement of students and volunteers and increase the educational value of the site. Creativity in design is encouraged, but must show complete and thoughtful planning. The use of and teaching about native plants and the native plant community is mandatory, and they must be appropriate to the local ecoregion and the site conditions (soil, water, sunlight). The project leader should be knowledgeable and committed. Funds will be provided only for the purchase of native plants and seed.”
Learn more>>


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IEA Newsletter for Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Welcome to the Institute for Education and the Arts' newsletter for Wednesday, July 2, 2008. The newsletter is published each Wednesday to the IEA listserv and archived here on the IEA blog.

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REPORT
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ARTISTS IN THE WORKFORCE: 1990 – 2005
National Endowment for the Arts, 6/12/08
“National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announces the release of Artists in the Workforce: 1990-2005, the first nationwide look at artists’ demographic and employment patterns in the 21st century. Artists in the Workforce analyzes working artist trends, gathering new statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau to provide a comprehensive overview of this workforce segment, its maturation over the past 30 years, along with detailed information on specific artist occupations. ‘Artists now play a huge but mostly unrecognized role in the new American economy of the 21st century,’ said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. ‘This report shows how important American artists are to both our nation’s cultural vitality and economic prosperity of our communities.’”
Read more>>


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ART EDUCATION IN CHINA
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EXHIBITING NEW APPEAL
China Daily, 7/1/08
“Yu Anjie has been a regular museum visitor for years. But the 12-year-old Beijing primary school student insists her motivation has nothing to do with Hollywood blockbusters … For her, the appeal comes from the ever-changing exhibits and educational programs offered by Dongcheng Art Cener for Children … Yu was among the 30 school pupils … attending a recent art class at the National Art Museum of China. The lessons revolved around an exhibition of German landscape paintings and the Synthetic Times International New Media Art Exhibition … Art educator Xu Weiwei … asked the kids to create their own stories after explaining to them world-renowned contemporary artist Xu Bing’s interactive Book from the Ground.”
Read more>>


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CREATIVITY
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THE POWER OF THE IMAGINATIVE MIND
Teacher Magazine, 6/25/08
After reading a speech by Sir Ken Robinson on creativity, several educators provide their perspectives on the importance of creativity in the classroom.
Read more (requires free subscription)>>


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CREATIVITY IN THE CLASSROOM
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STRICKLAND AIMS TO MAKE EDUC ATION MORE PERSONALIZED
Catherine Candisky, Columbus Dispatch, 6/18/08
“Gov. Ted Strickland wants a more flexible and personalized system of public schools where students are encouraged to be more creative and innovative. ‘Because we have become scared and frightened that we have fallen behind, there has been a tendency to emphasize sameness in curriculum,’ Strickland said. ‘We are trying to force some students into a mold, and we perhaps neglect to appreciate or understand the full array of abilities and potentials that exist within a student.’”Read more: Read more: http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/06/18/EdTed.html


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FUNDING FOR ARTS EDUCATION
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TERRY FOUNDATION GIVES $1 MILLION TO ARTS CENTER
Dallas Morning News, 7/1/08
“The Dallas Center for the Performing Arts has received a $1 million gift from the Mike and Mary Terry Family Foundation, which is dedicated to investing in Dallas-area initiatives designed to make an impact in the lives of children. A core focus is cultural education through performing arts, which is reflected in the 2-year-old foundation's first major contribution to the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts … With more than 600 performances each year, the new multi-venue arts and entertainment center will transform the way people experience the arts in North Texas.”
Read more>>


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LIFE AFTER GRADUATION
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WHAT’S YOUR JOB?
I’M AN ACTRESS WITH A HARVARD DEGREE – AND A FAMILY THAT WORRIES I’M WASTING MY EDUCATION
Danielle Kwatinez [Opinion], Newsweek, 1/14/08
“The arts are generally viewed as a waste of time in this country, in much the same way that arts education plays the stepchild, in public schools, to reading, writing and 'rithmetic. When school budgets get tight, art, music and drama are invariably the first to go. When the national budget is on the hot seat, fingers are pointed at the National Endowment for the Arts much more readily than they are at the defense budget. Similarly, artistic pursuits are generally accepted, even applauded, when an individual is in college. But once the commencement invitations go out and that same individual dons his or her graduation robe, it's time to get a ‘real job.' A real job usually means business, law, medicine--anything with a clear path and a certain paycheck. And that's fine for students with interest or aptitude in those areas. The rest of us, though, are essentially being asked to abandon the very thing that made us special enough to be accepted to such an exceptional school in the first place.”
Read more>>


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STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN RURAL SCHOOLS
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ATTITUDE DETERMINES STUDENT SUCCESS IN RURAL SCHOOLS, STUDY FINDS
ScienceDaily, 6/30/08
“While most of the country focuses on ACT scores, student-teacher ratio and rigorous curriculum to increase student success, it may be the commitment to excellence that determines student achievement in rural schools. This is an overlooked, yet critical, factor when considering nearly half of American school districts are in rural areas, educating nearly 21 percent of all students. Perri Applegate, a researcher at the University of Oklahoma K20 Center, recently investigated the qualities that differentiate a high-achieving school and low-achieving rural high school, focusing on high-poverty high schools with at least 51 percent of the population eligible for free or reduced lunch. Surprisingly, the top factors that did impact student achievement in urban high schools, ACT scores and dropout rates, did not determine student success in rural schools. Community involvement and the school's commitment to student excellence were the determining factors in whether a rural school was high- or low-achieving.”
Learn more>>


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GRANTS AND AWARDS
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GRANTS FOR MUSIC INSTRUCTION
Guitar Center Music Foundation
Maximum Award: $5000
Deadline: n/a
“The Guitar Center Music Foundation's mission is to aid nonprofit music programs across America that offer music instruction so that more people can experience the joys of making music. Qualifying applicants are established, ongoing and sustainable music programs across the United States that provide music instruction for people of any age who would not otherwise have the opportunity to make music.”
Learn more or apply online>>

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