ArtsEd Digest

Volume 1, Issue 10 - July 29, 2009

Welcome to ArtsEd Digest, the new and improved face of the AEP listserv. The ArtsEd Digest is an online publication that allows for the easy access to vital and timely information about arts education from our partners and from the field. It is published twice a month, on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday. Items for inclusion in the upcoming listserv must be submitted by close of business on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of each month. For example, items for the Digest to be published on Tuesday, August 11should be submitted by close of business Friday, August 7.

New from the Arts Education Partnership

New Updates on "Charting a Course for the Arts and 21st Century Learning"!
Champions of Change author and eminent researcher James Catterall has now been confirmed to participate on the plenary panel, "Navigating New Waters: Arts Learning and Higher Education Policy, Research and Practice." He will be discussing this topic with panelists Shirley Brice Heath, Martha McKenna, moderator Jane Polin, and respondent David Haselkorn.

Previously confirmed speakers for the AEP Forum include performer, artist and activist Derrick Ashong, Superintendent of Boston Public Schools Carol Johnson, Massachusetts Secretary of Education Paul Reville, President of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills Ken Kay, and Director of State Services at the National Center for Education and the Economy Susan Sclafani.

AEP will be hosting a Day of Service prior to the Forum on Thursday, October 1, 2009, 1-4 pm, at Cradles to Crayons: The Giving Factory. Volunteers will be working along side area residents on a community project to benefit local children and families. Activities will be determined on an "as-needed" basis on the day of the event.

The AEP Fall National Forum will be taking place on October 2-3, 2009 in Cambridge, MA and hosted by Lesley University. Check for updates on confirmed sessions and more information on this Forum by clicking here. Regular registration ends on August 31st so register now to save your spot at this Forum.

White House Music Series Features Country Music

In the second installation of its music series celebrating the arts and demonstrating the importance of arts education, the White House featured country music traditions in an evening event on Tuesday, July 21, 2009. Bluegrass dynamos Alison Krauss and Union Station, along with singer-songwriter Brad Paisley, performed in the East Room of the White House at 7:30 PM. Paisley and Krauss also participated in an educational workshop from 2-3 PM with 120 middle and high school students to learn about songwriting.

The first event of the White House music series took place on June 15, 2009, featuring the musical form jazz and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. The next event in the White House Music Series, planned for the fall, will feature classical music. The White House Music Series was launched by the First Lady Michelle Obama to encourage the arts and arts education.

Read the President's Remarks at "An Evening of Country Music".

(Yes, that’s AEP’s own Sandra Ruppert with Alison Krauss!)

Former NEA Director of Arts Education Appointed New York Education Commissioner

David M. Steiner has been appointed the state education commissioner and president of the University of the State of New York on Monday, August 27, 2009 by the New York State Board of Regents. Prior to his appointment, he was a dean at the Hunter College School of Education, where he has developed a comprehensive system of filming student teachers to evaluate the development of their skills. He also was a former director of arts education at the National Endowment for the Arts. He is expected to take office on October 1, 2009.

For more information, please consult the NYTimes article here.

US Department of Education Announces new Race to the Top Program

On Friday, July 24th the President and the Secretary of Education announced the launch of the Race to the Top competitive education grants, a new program of the Recovery Act targeted at education reform and innovation. These funds will be directed to states who show a commitment to reform and the best prospects for incorporating the ED’s “four assurances”: rigorous, common core of state standards; pre-K to college and career data systems; effective teachers across all schools, and the turnaround of the lowest-performing schools. In addition to the $4.35 billion for the Race to the Top funds, $650 million for an Invest in Innovation fund available to districts and nonprofits. Guidelines for additional grants programs, eventually adding up to $10 billion toward education reform, will be announced throughout the next months.

More information from the US ED:

Arts education programs and initiatives and some community arts organizations may be eligible for education stimulus funds.

For information about arts education and the ARRA, see Americans for the Arts Federal Resource Guide for Accessing Stimulus Funds for Arts Education at www.AmericansForTheArts.org/ArtsEducation/Guides.

For information about accessing Title I funds for arts education, see No Subject Left Behind.

For an overview of the ARRA, see the AEP Summary and Analysis of Education Stimulus Funding.

DC Public Schools Launches Catalyst School Initiative for 2009-2010 School Year

On July 28, 2009, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Chancellor Michelle Rhee named the 13 District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), selected to transform into theme‐based Catalyst Schools. Each school will spend the next year creating plans to refocus their strategic school design and content delivery by adopting one of three themes: STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), Arts Integration, and World Cultures. At the catalyst schools, all scholastic, extra-curricular, and community activities will be designed through its thematic lens. The catalyst schools won't require auditions or an academic prerequisite in order to attend. The initiative is financed by the D.C. Education Fund through support from the Philip L. Graham Fund, the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation and the CityBridge Foundation.

To find out more about this initiative, please see the DC Public Schools press release: http://www.k12.dc.us/File.aspx?id=0.

New Magazine Issue - Teaching Artist Journal, July-September 2009

The Teaching Artist Journal is a print and online quarterly devoted to the work and thought of teaching artists and all those working at the intersection of the arts and learning. TAJ is published by Routledge and is edited and produced under the auspices of the Office of Academic Research at Columbia College Chicago.

Here is some of what is included in this issue:

Jesl Cruz on Filipino roots, the arts and Special Education
Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein on mentorship for the new TA
Tanera Marshall on redefining “process” and “product”
Rosalind Flynn on teaching TA’s to lead PD for teachers
Newsbreak edited by Laura Reeder: An interview with Steve Seidel on quality in Arts Education, and more
Research Review edited by Judy Hornbacher: Kristin Baxter draws out the practical implications of Dan Serig’s work on visual metaphor
Resource Exchange edited by Becca Barniskis: A cross-country dialog between working TA’s about Studio Habits of Mind

To find out more and subscribe to the Teaching Artist Journal, go to TAJournal.com. Discounts of up to 50% are available for organizations and groups buying multiple subscriptions. If you would like to submit articles, ask questions or share thoughts, please e-mail TAJournal@colum.edu or call 773-793-4643.

This message is from the ArtsEd listserv. ArtsEd hosts discussions and communications for the Arts Education Partnership which demonstrates and promotes the essential role of arts education in enabling all students to succeed in school, life and work.

Email address:
(required) Your name:
Organization:
Title: