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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