IEA Newsletter for Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Welcome to the Institute for Education and the Arts' newsletter for Wednesday, June 18, 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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ARTS SCHOOLS
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LA ARTS HIGH SCHOOL BRINGS PRESTIGE, BUT HIGH COST
Jacob Adelman, Associated Press, 6/10/08
“The Los Angeles High School for the Visual and Performing Arts, with space for some 1,600 students, most from surrounding low-income neighborhoods, is the architectural crown jewel of the district's ambitious $20 billion building campaign. Supporters call the five-acre campus a beacon for a reformed educational system, a magnet for good teachers, and a means of raising dismal student performance in the nation's second-largest school district . . . Critics, however, see the school as a wasteful extravagance for a district where more than a quarter of the 700,000 students remain in temporary classrooms and many existing buildings are in dire need of renovations and repairs.”
Read more>>

CHARTER SCHOOL FINDS ITS RHYTHM
The Homeroom Blog, Los Angeles Times, 6/10/08
"Gabriella Charter School says it might be the only dance-themed public elementary school in the nation. We don't know if that's true, but it sounds like fun. Students get one hour of dance instruction daily -- ballet, jazz, tap, creative movement and world dance … Twice a week, in "reading In motion" classes, kindergartners and first-graders twist their bodies into letters while singing corresponding sounds. In a school where most of the students are English learners, vocabulary is introduced regularly and systematically −− parts of the body, directions, places in the room. And students improve graphing skills by plotting points to choreograph a dance.”
Read more>>


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MUSEUM EDUCATION
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LESSONS AT THE MUSEUM
Sean Cavanagh, Education Week, 6/11/08
“Museums and cultural institutions like the aquarium have long provided a crucial resource for students and teachers in science classes. Many of those institutions, in fact, consider working with schools to be a core part of their missions … [S]tudents from Russell Sage Junior High School in Queens are taking part in one of the largest and most coordinated such programs in the country. Known as Urban Advantage, it goes further than most museum-to-school outreach efforts in connecting students’ trips to science centers directly to school curriculum—in this case, that of the New York City schools. The program also provides teachers with extensive, ongoing training in how to use those institutions’ resources wisely.”
Read more>>

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DIRECTING THE CREATIVE ECONOMY
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MASS. SEES ARTS AS VITAL TO ECONOMY:DIRECTOR HIRED TO AID CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
Robert Gavin, Boston Globe, 6/3/08
“The Patrick administration today launches an initiative to expand so-called creative industries in the state, appointing a first-in-the-nation "creative economy" director to help expand a diverse sector that ranges from individual artists to cultural institutions to video game makers. The appointment of Jason S. Schupbach of Boston illustrates the growing role creative sectors play in economic policy as states compete for jobs, companies, and skilled workers. Beyond the direct employment provided by museums, art galleries, and design and other creative firms, the vitality of the local arts and cultural scene is increasingly viewed by development specialists as key to attracting knowledge workers expected to drive 21st century economies … Massachusetts is the first state to create such a post for creative industries, according to national economic development and arts groups.”
Read more>>


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ACTIVE LEARNING WITH SCIENCE
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LABS AT ELEMENTARY LEVEL HELP BRING SCIENCE ALIVE
Sean Cavanagh, Education Week, 6/4/08
“State and district science standards typically call for students to take part in hands-on labs and experiments in the elementary grades. The 1996 National Science Education Standards, which were written by the National Research Council and serve as a reference for many states, emphasize similar activities. Yet the use of even simple labs and experiments in early grades varies widely, say many observers, largely because of the pressure to devote time to other subjects, but also because elementary teachers lack experience and confidence in setting up those lessons.”
Read more>>


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CELL PHONE ART
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ARTIST HEEDS CALL OF A NEW MEDIUM
Regina Hackett, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 5/28/08
"[Colleen] Chartier, 56, could be edging toward the forefront of cell phone art. A photo-text story she wrote for cell phones in the language of texters -- "Th tale of ltl br" (The Tale of Little Bear) -- is featured in a group exhibit at Western Bridge titled, "You Complete Me” . . . The first line of her story came to her late at night when she couldn't sleep. "Thus bgnz th tale of ltl br" (Thus begins the tale of Little Bear). Chartier has rules for the project, such as the text can't be any longer than a single line on a cell phone screen. Both image and text are condensed without being cramped. Against swirly blue origami paper she placed her bear and created image-text No. 2: "Lil br thnx of wntrs aproach" (Little Bear thinks of winter's approach) . . . Cell phone art is gaining ground. The Australian Network for Art and Technology has a good site: anat.org.au/portableworlds. There are festivals for cell photos, videos and even ring tones. In Japan, teenagers write novels on their way home from school. The field has yet to attract established major artists or produce one of its own, although Chartier is in the running. She makes worlds, not just special effects.”
Read more and see sample screenshots>>


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VALUE OF ARTS EDUCATION
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DON’T LET CURTAIN FALL ON ARTS EDUCATION:
CHALLENGE, INSPIRE AND CHANGE PEOPLE
Craig W. Johnson, editorial, Orlando Sentinel, 6/10/08
“With school budget cuts, we're seeing the disintegration of our arts-education programs. The effect of lost jobs is unfortunate; the long-term repercussion on our community is inexcusable. There's more to the arts than meets the eye. Yes, the performing and visual arts are supposed to be entertaining, but behind every creative discipline there is a more profound concept without which a community shrivels up and dies: The arts teach us how to innovate. As a foundation for practicing imagination, the arts are a critical ingredient to forward-thinking change. When widely applied, the inherent concepts taught by the arts lead to progress in every arena of life -- from advances in medical technology to transformative public policy. The arts are not superfluous to society; they are an underestimated force that is driving it forward.”
Read more>>

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GRANTS AND AWARDS
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GRANTS FOR PROJECTS LED BY AND BENEFITING WOMEN AND GIRLS
Maximum Award: $2000
Deadline: 8/15/08
“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; have limited financial access or have encountered obstacles in their search for funding. Organizational budget should not exceed $150,000.”
Learn more>>

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