IEA Newsletter for Wednewsday, August 27, 2008

Welcome to the Institute for Education and the Arts' newsletter for Wednesday, August 27, 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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WANT KIDS TO UNDERSTAND? SPEAK SLOWLY.
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SLOWING SPEECH EASES CHILD’S ABILITY TO LEARN
Suzanne Perez Tobias, Wichita Eagle, 8/22/08
“Toddlers can be a tough audience lively, distracted, always on the move - but Amy Hockenberry knows how to grab them. ‘Let's get in a circle,’ she tells her class at Wichita State University's Child Development Center. ‘We're going to sing some songs.’ Hockenberry speaks slowly and clearly. The children watch her intently, then meld into a cluster for music time. Wichita State audiology professor Ray Hull would say the children heard something unusual and irresistible: an adult they can understand. Because the trick to get children to listen to really hear and comprehend, whether they're toddlers or high school students isn't speaking up, Hull says. It's slowing down.”
Read more>>


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FUNDING FOR EXTRACURRICULAR ARTS
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BEYOND SPORTS, ACTIVITY FEES TOO
Kathleen Conti, Boston Globe, 8/24/08
“A combination of expense increases and less state aid has forced area school district administrators to impose fees. For several districts, the trend started with athletics. Now, many charge for everything from drama club to parking. In most districts, students who meet a low-income classification don't have to pay a fee, or are eligible for a reduced fee. Administrators said that for the most part, waivers or discounts are available, on a case-by-case basis, to anyone who can prove a financial hardship.”
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THE WHOLE CHILD
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HORSESHOES AND HAND GRENADES
ASCD, 8/21/08
“Whole child education isn't easy. Sometimes even with all the right intentions we fall short of the mark. Like when we fund athletic programs by selling candy. Or when we mandate community service instead of engaging students in real service learning. Or when we extend the school day with drill and kill "tutoring" instead of enrichment, project-based learning, or a host of other activities that have a direct positive impact on achievement.”
Read more>>

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ACCESS TO PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS
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A PROMISE OF PRE-K FOR ALL IS STILL FAR OFF IN NEW YORK
Winnie Hu, New York Times, 8/23/08
The not-so-universal state of pre-kindergarten has frustrated many parents and children’s advocates, who cite studies showing that access to early education classes can be critical in smoothing out socioeconomic differences in vocabulary and development and in preparing children for the demands of schoolwork.
Read more>>


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READING AND WRITING
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WRITING TO LEARN
Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, Education Week, 8/27/08
“The workshops sponsored by the Bay Area chapter of the National Writing Project have drawn a steady and loyal following over more than three decades among teachers seeking to refine their own skills, reflect on their practice, and learn strategies for teaching their young scribes. But at a time when the demands of high-stakes testing have led to a curriculum dominated by reading and mathematics instruction, discussion in the seminars these days is more likely to turn to the practical challenges of fitting writing into the school day, and how to show that it makes a difference in student achievement. After years of fending off critics and proposed budget cuts, the long-standing national program is moving beyond the notion of writing as an art form to promoting writing as a learning tool. And officials are collecting data they say will prove the program’s benefits to teachers and students.
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WE’RE TEACHING BOOKS THAT DON’T ADD UP
Nancy Schnog, Washington Post, 8/24/08
“[A]s school starts up again, it's time to acknowledge that the lure of visual media isn't the only thing pushing our kids away from the page and toward the screen. We've shied away from discussing a most unfortunate culprit in the saga of diminishing teen reading: the high-school English classroom. As much as I hate to admit it, all too often it's English teachers like me -- as able and well-intentioned as we may be -- who close down teen interest in reading.”
Read more>>


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GRANTS AND AWARDS
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METLIFE FOUNDATION CREATIVE AGING PROGRAM
National Guild of Community Schools for the Arts
Deadline: September 26, 2008
Maximum Award: $7500
This pilot program will provide in-depth technical assistance and seed grants of $7,500 to eight National Guild members to enable them to design, implement and evaluate sustainable creative aging programs (participatory, skill-based arts education programs for adults age 60 and above) using best practices detailed in the Guild's latest publication, Creativity Matters: The Arts and Aging Toolkit. Technical assistance will focus on capacity-building with particular attention to outcome-based evaluation measuring changes in the health of participants.
Learn more>>

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