ArtsEd Digest

Volume 1, Issue 17 - November 12, 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, November 24 should be submitted by close of business Friday, November 20.

New from the Arts Education Partnership

AEP Fall National Forum in Cambridge, MA October 2-3, 2009 - Charting a Course for the Arts and 21st Century Learning
Please be sure to view the new information we've posted about the Fall National Forum in Cambridge, MA here. This site is full of information about forum proceedings, including slide presentations from the plenaries, a full Forum program, a set of proceedings notes, and more!

AEP Spring National Forum in Washington, DC April 9-10, 2010 - States of Change: New Leadership in Arts and Education
Planning is well underway for the Spring National Forum in Washington, DC on April 9-10, 2010 -- States of Change: New Leadership in Arts and Education. New and up-to-date information about this Forum is posted here.

AEP is now accepting proposals for Small Group Session presentations for the Spring National Forum. You can download the RFP here. We hope you'll consider submitting a proposal yourself, or gathering a team to plan a proposal. We had a slate of amazing presentations in Cambridge, and we look forward to seeing what the next sessions bring.

Additionally, the Cover Art Contest for the Spring Forum is now open for submissions. The contest is open to students aged 13-24 living in the DC-MD-VA area. Please help us spread the work about the Contest -- the submission form is available here as a pdf, and is easy to distribute!

Mentoring Arts Organizations

The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts’ Arts In Crisis Initiative is looking for mentors to work with producing/presenting performing arts organizations (www.artsincrisis.org). Over 250 people have already signed up to mentor 500 organizations that have applied for help. However, the number of organizations in need increases daily. If you have expertise in marketing, fundraising, board development, strategic planning, etc., please consider giving back to this industry and this country through this mentoring opportunity. To sign up as a mentor, go to the Arts In Crisis website—www.artsincrisis.org—and follow the directions.

Invitation for Review and Comment 21st Century Skills Arts Map

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) brings together the business community, education leaders, and policymakers to define a vision for 21st century education centered on the skills needed to be effective citizens, workers, and leaders in the 21st century.

The arts – dance, music, theatre, and visual arts - are included as core subjects within the P21 Framework for 21st Century Learning. America’s leading professional organizations for educators in these disciplines are involved in a project with the Partnership to demonstrate how an education in the arts develops essential 21st century skills. Writers for this project have drafted an “Arts Skills Map,” which is a document to be read and understood by all those interested in the arts as a part of a full, balanced education.

The writers are inviting comments on the Skills Map. All comments must be submitted through http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=p7IKPP0l7CmzWFIv1Tkp8Q_3d_3d by Friday, December 11, 2009.

Request for Proposals: NEA Education Leaders Institute

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) will convene the fifth NEA Education Leaders Institute (ELI) to foster pioneering thinking on K-12 arts learning in order to design a robust U.S. education for all of our nation's children. Up to five teams, each from a different state, will be selected to participate. You can find the Request for Proposals that describes the Institute and how to apply here: www.arts.gov/grants/apply/RFP/ELI-RFP.pdf

The NEA Education Leaders Institute, a partnership between the NEA and the Illinois Arts Council (IAC), will convene at a three-day conference in Chicago, IL on July 26-28, 2010. We encourage you to review these guidelines carefully and consult with your state arts agency if you are interested in preparing an application.

Submissions must be received by January 15, 2010.

Questions may be directed to Tatiana Gant at the IAC (tatiana.gant@illinois.gov or 312.814.6765).

The National Endowment for the Arts
www.arts.gov
202.682.5400

Curb Program in Creative Enterprise and Public Leadership

Through the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy, Vanderbilt University launched this fall the Curb Program in Creative Enterprise and Public Leadership, a new undergraduate scholarship program. Curb Scholars will have access to special classes, monthly salons, and summer internships, in addition to a core curriculum, currently in development, that will offer a concentration in creative enterprise and public leadership. A fifth year masters degree program will eventually be offered. Bill Ivey, Director of the Curb Center and former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, said, “One of the things we’re keeping in mind is that this is about doing, not observing. So we’re not just focusing on learning, but on internships and projects that will hone the skills of creative practice through work.”

A press release about the new program can be found at http://sitemason.vanderbilt.edu/news/releases/2009/11/10/curb-center-program-advances-creativity-on-vanderbilt-campus.96200.

Into the Labyrinth
Habla: The Center for Language and Culture’s Teacher Institute
Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, July 10th-17th, 2010

The 2010 Habla Institute will explore the concept of “Labyrinths” an important theme that runs through Latin American art and literature. The highlights of the week include talks and workshops by international leaders in the field of arts education, cultural experiences in the Yucatan, and the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with educators from different parts of the world. Click here (http://www.habla.org/en/for-educators/teacher-institute/) for more information.

At the 2009 Habla Teacher Institute artists, arts educators, and organizational directors gathered in Merida from Brazil, Argentina, the United States, Mexico, and Italy. Brown University professor Nidia Shumacher described it as a “timeless intense moment in which we went from one layer of depth to another, guided by discovery and wonder.”

Habla also hosts Spanish Immersion experiences for educators and artists. Click here (http://www.habla.org/en/learn-spanish/courses-es/) to learn more.

Study Links High School Graduation Rates with Arts Education

High school graduation rates and access to arts education are closely linked, according to a new study by The Center for Arts Education (www.cae-nyc.org/staying-in-school/arts-and-graduation-report). Correlating data collected by the NYC DOE, CAE found that schools with the highest graduation rates offer the most access to and benefits of quality arts instruction.

Richard Kessler, CAE executive director, said: “The findings strongly suggest that arts play a key role in keeping students in high school and graduating on time.”

“This report is of national significance,” said Diane Ravitch, NYU. ”It clearly demonstrates the linkage between high school graduation rates and availability of arts education."

NY State Senator José M. Serrano said, “The strong correlation between the inclusion of arts education in schools and high school graduation rates emphasizes the urgency with which the policy recommendations outlined in the report should be implemented.”

NYC Councilman Robert Jackson said: “CAE’s study has highlighted the outrageous inequities of how arts programming is delivered. Students of color, ELL pupils and students from families below the poverty line are definitely getting the short end of the paint brush. This is illegal, shortsighted, and counter-productive.”

New FREE Online Learning Community

The Choral Arts Society of Washington has launched an online expansion of its K-12 music education program: the FREE Choral Arts Online Learning Community. Choral Arts is pleased to be, to our knowledge, the first chorus in the United States to provide a free online resource of this scope. The website draws on Choral Arts’ 45-year history as an organization and its 15+ year history providing education programs for teachers and students in Washington, DC. The Online Learning Community includes free lesson plans aligned with the National Standards for Education, music-integration resources, full-length recordings of vocal works, downloadable composer study guides and teacher contests, among many other resources for classroom use. It also provides expanded resources supporting Choral Arts’ two print curriculum publications, Voices: A Teacher’s Guide (Civil Rights) and Celebrating Sacred Rhythms: A Teacher’s Guide (Latin American). To gain access to these resources, interested educators should visit the Choral Arts website and register for the Online Learning Community. All are welcome to use this resource, and new resources are available daily. Please pass this information along to others!

Educational Theatre Association Accepting Submissions for Second Annual Student Essay Competition

The Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) is accepting submissions for its second annual Arts Education Student Essay Competition.

The prompt for this year’s competition is, “How creativity can change the world.”

The winner and a chaperone will receive $1,500 towards expenses to attend Arts Advocacy Day, sponsored by Americans for the Arts, April 12-13, 2010 in Washington, D.C. The winning essayist will take part in all scheduled Arts Advocacy Day events and will have their essay and photo appear in the Educational Theatre Association’s publication, Dramatics.

“Young people are uniquely qualified to speak about the value of arts education,” says EdTA Executive Director Michael J. Peitz. “They can most passionately and articulately express the meaning that arts education has in their lives. EdTA is pleased that students want to express the importance of arts education to lawmakers and do so in our nation's capital. The EdTA Arts Education Student Essay Competition provides them with this opportunity.”

Essays must be submitted by e-mail no later than February 15, 2010. For the complete essay submission guidelines, go to edta.org.

For more information about Arts Advocacy Day, go to artsusa.org.

Employment Opportunity: Executive Director, Center of Creative Arts

COCA (Center of Creative Arts) is a nonprofit multidisciplinary community arts center that provides arts education through programs, performances and exhibitions. Focusing on dance, theatre, vocal music and visual arts, our programs include performances in our 400-seat theatre; over 500 educational classes, camps and workshops as well extensive outreach to low-income youths. COCA seeks a proven executive in the performing arts, education or a related field in a culturally diverse setting. Ideal candidate will be an enthusiastic leader, collaborator, and manager of people with a keen ability to motivate and inspire others, a high energy innovator with proven strategic and visionary characteristics, a passion and a commitment to the delivery of high quality arts education, a successful fundraiser in all aspects of development as well as strong board and community relations, an experienced administrator with exceptional organizational skills and a comprehensive understanding of not-for-profit finance.

Competitive compensation package and benefits. Email resume, compensation history and references to EDsearch@COCAstl.org Complete details available at www.cocastl.org. Center of Creative Arts (“COCA”) is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

Contact:
Catherine Wermert
Director of HR/Operations
Phone: 314-725-1834 Ext. 143
cwermert@cocastl.org

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.

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