NEA leaders ask members to consider Obama re-election

Mid-term elections provided “teachable moment,” says NEA President

WASHINGTON - May 06, 2011 - On Thursday, May 5, 2011, the National Education Association’s (NEA) Political Action Committee approved a recommendation to NEA’s highest governing body—the Representative Assembly—to support the re-election of President Barack Obama.

“This is the time to make decisions about the direction of our country, and we have real choices to make.  As activists, engaged educators, we should get involved now,” said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel.  “Will we allow Congress to gut Medicare, slash education and cut Social Security, and continue to make it just fine for hedge fund managers and corporations to sidestep paying taxes?  Or will we act and assert the real American values of hard work and responsibility, a commitment to a vibrant middle class, to college affordability, and the opportunity to reach the American Dream?  It is time to stand strong for what we believe in and what is right for students and families, schools and the nation.  President Barack Obama has proven he deserves a second term.” During its meeting on July 2-5 in Chicago, the NEA Representative Assembly will meet to act on the PAC’s recommendation.  The NEA PAC Council – the NEA Fund for Children and Public Education – includes every NEA state association president and representatives from NEA’s constituent caucuses.  The Council is charged with making a recommendation to the NEA Representative Assembly. 

Studio Thinking Framework: Eight Habits of Mind

Studio Thinking Framework Eight Habits of Mind
	Develop Craft Learning to use and care for tools (e.g., viewfinders, brushes), materials (e.g., charcoal, paint). Learning artistic conventions (e.g., perspective, color mixing).
	Engage & Persist Learning to embrace problems of relevance within the art world and/or of personal importance, to develop focus and other mental states conducive to working and persevering at art tasks.
	Envision Learning to picture mentally what cannot be directly observed and imagine possible next steps in making a piece.
	Express Learning to create works that convey an idea, a feeling, or a personal meaning.
	Observe Learning to attend to visual contexts more closely than ordinary "looking" requires, and thereby to see things that otherwise might not be seen.
	Reflect Question & Explain: Learning to think and talk with others about an aspect of one’s work or working process. Evaluate: Learning to judge one’s own work and working process and the work of others in relation to standards of the: field.
	Stretch & Explore Learning to reach beyond one's capacities, to explore playfully without a preconceived plan, and to embrace the opportunity to learn from mistakes and accidents.
	Understand Art World Domain: Learning about art history and current practice. Communities: Learning to interact as an artist with other artists (i.e., in classrooms, in local arts organizations, and across the art field) and within the broader society.

Steps to Art Early Childhood Arts Education Initiative

Fact Sheet About the Benefits of Arts Education for Children
Benefits of Arts Education
Source: Americans for the Arts, 2002

• Stimulates and develops the imagination and critical thinking, and refines cognitive and creative skills.
• Has a tremendous impact on the developmental growth of every child and has proven to help level the "learning field" across socio-economic boundaries.
• Strengthens problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, adding to overall academic achievement and school success.
• Develops a sense of craftsmanship, quality task performance, and goal-setting—skills needed to succeed in the classroom and beyond.
• Teaches children life skills such as developing an informed perception; articulating a vision; learning to solve problems and make decisions; building self-confidence and self-discipline; developing the ability to imagine what might be; and accepting responsibility to complete tasks from start to finish.
• Nurtures important values, including team-building skills; respecting alternative viewpoints; and appreciating and being aware of different cultures and traditions.

National Endowment for the Arts News

This morning, the House Appropriations Committee publicly released the final budget agreement for FY 2011 negotiated by President Obama with House and Senate leaders, which includes $155 million in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). This represents a cut of $12.5 million from the FY 2010 enacted level of $167.5 million, which is significantly better than the previous House-approved level of $124.4 million.  Also included in this bill is $25.5 million in funding for the Arts in Education programs at the U.S. Department of Education, which had been zeroed-out in a previous continuing resolution. This compromise legislation is set to go to the House floor later this week before moving on to the Senate for final approval.

STEM OR STEAM? THE ART OF SCIENCE LEARNING

Posted by Martin Storksdieck on April 1, 2011
from Science Blogs

Within certain education and policy circles the acronym STEM (i.e., science, technology, engineering, math) has become a common term, used frequently to be inclusive when referring to a broad area of scholarship and enterprise we deem particularly connected, i.e., those listed four subjects. How, or even whether the acronym is understood and fashionable outside these education “insider” groups is not well know. What is known, though, is that the acronym and associated term is not well defined even within groups that make heavy use of it.

When we say STEM, do we simply mean any of the four subjects or do we mean those areas in which some of the four, ideally all four, overlap? My sense is that most people simply mean Science OR Technology OR Engineering OR Mathematics when referring to STEM, though there are some efforts under way, including some at the National Academies, that mean to explore whether education can benefit, just as research already does, when the four are somehow linked.

Federal: Tell Congress to Support Arts in Education

http://capwiz.com/artsusa/issues/alert/?alertid=13158246

Reflections of a Dance School Dropout

By Cindi Rigsbee
Published Online Education Week Teacher

March 16, 2011

At the beginning of a new calendar year, everyone resolves to get healthy, eat better, and exercise more. I myself know my limitations when it comes to exercise. I’m limited in that I don’t like it. I also have an aversion to sweat.

So this past January I decided to get creative. I thought about what type of exercise I would most enjoy. I wanted to try an activity that wouldn’t seem like exercise at all. Then remembered my teen years and how much I loved my dance classes. I could again be a dancer, exercising in a way that would be fun and calorie- burning at the same time.

Arts Education for Minority Children Drops



Art-Less Generation A new survey finds

that 18- to 24-year-olds received significantly less

arts education that did the previous

generation of young people. 

Note: Numbers are rounded.
SOURCE: National Endowment for the Arts



by Erik W. Robelen  •  Education WeekPublished Online: March 8, 2011

Published in Print: March 9, 2011

 
Fewer children are getting access to arts education, whether at school or elsewhere, according to a new analysis¹ of federal data issued by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Especially alarming is that the overall decline in recent decades is coupled with a big drop for African-American and Hispanic youths.

The research, part of a broader look² at arts participation by U.S. adults, finds that fewer 18-year-olds surveyed in 2008 reported having received any arts education in childhood than did those surveyed in 1982, dropping from about 65 percent to 50 percent. The report also contains survey data in 1992 and 2002, and each successive time, the overall figure was lower.

We need to Join Education Votes

In 30 minutes on March 9, Wisconsin Republicans shredded 50 years of labor peace, bipartisanship, and Wisconsin's democratic process by ramming through an unpopular bill to silence the voice of state workers. Their actions sparked outrage in Madison Wednesday night and sent shockwaves across the country. Republicans in Idaho and Ohio have already voted for similar anti-worker bills like the one in Wisconsin -- and attacks are being waged in other states. In Iowa - Florida - Indiana - Michigan - Tennessee - from Alabama to Arizona, our members are fighting to retain their voice in the workplace...fighting for students...fighting for public schools.

We do not run away from a fight! Brad Lutes, a WEAC member from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, says it best: "We can't be defeated. There's not really an alternative. You can take away my collective bargaining rights. You can take away my pension and some of my health care, but the one thing you can't take away from me is my vote. I think that's how a large majority of Wisconsinites and Americans feel right now."

Now is the time for every NEA member to stand up and stand together...to fight for what we know is right, what is fair, and for what we all deserve. Go to Education Votes to get involved and stay informed.

Arts Education Funding Cut in Two-Week Budget Fix

March 03, 2011—Although Congress quickly avoided a government shutdown this week, arts education funding somehow managed to get caught up in the two-week continuing resolution Band-Aid that was passed by both the House and Senate yesterday.

While the Continuing Resolution (CR) keeps the government running for another two weeks, it also makes a $4 billion cut in domestic spending, including a number of federal education programs.
Among the programs designated for cuts is the total elimination of funding for the Department of Education’s $40 million Arts in Education program. This program funds a large number of arts education activities across in the country, including the Kennedy Center’s arts education efforts and VSA, the international organization on arts and disability.

It is unclear at the moment of how a short-term CR might impact a program that currently has over 50 active multi-year grants in place around the country. However, this can be fixed in the upcoming long-term CR that Congress and the White House are currently negotiating.

It is vitally important that the arts community mobilizes to restore this important Arts in Education program, as well as restore the cuts previously made in the House to the National Endowment for the Arts, as the final FY 2011 CR budget is considered in the coming days.

Tim Mikulski, ArtsBlog

NEA Fine Arts Task Force Final Recommendations 2/22/2011

MEMO

TO:              Dennis Van Roekel, President

                        National Education Association

FROM:           Princess Moss, NEA Executive Committee

                        Fine Arts Task Force Co-Chair

                        Greg Johnson, NEA Executive Committee

                        Fine Arts Task Force Co-Chair

DATE:         February 22, 2011

RE:             Fine Arts Task Force Proposed Recommendations—New Business Item 2010-86

The NEA president established a Fine Arts Task Force in response to NBI 2010-86—adopted by the 2010 NEA Representative Assembly (RA)—which provides as follows:

NEA Fine Arts Task Force Meeting Minutes—Webcast –February 9, 2011

NEA Fine Arts Task Force Meeting—Webcast –February 9, 2011

The meeting was called to order at 6:02 p.m. ET

Meeting Participants: (2-Absences: Andrew Corbin, Derrick Johnson)

·         Princess Moss (Co-Chair)- NEA Exec. Committee, elementary school music teacher

·         Greg Johnson  (Co-Chair)- NEA Exec. Committee, high school choir director

·         Tom McLaughlin- a high school drama teacher

·         Jennifer Roberts- a high school art teacher

·         Christopher Thomas, NEA Staff Liaison

·         Aaron Muhammad- Manager, Governance and Policy

Your Voice Matters!

Please join--and contribute--to our sister organization who is doing more than anyone in the nation to advocate for our cause... 

The arts enrich our lives. From the high school musical that attracts an entire town to the regional theater that brings groundbreaking new plays to life, the arts make us smarter, increase our happiness, and connect us more deeply to each other.

Quite simply, the arts are essential to the proper functioning of American society. Among other crucial benefits, the arts:

NEA FUNDING: Watch the Debate

NEA Funding: Amendment Number 196 from Americans for the Arts on Vimeo.

Cutting Funding to the NEA

8 votes. That was the narrow vote margin of 217 to 209 by which the House approved Rep. Tim Walberg’s amendment to cut an additional $20.5 million from the already reduced budget of the National Endowment for the Arts. We were so close. All but 3 Democrats voted against the arts funding cut, but only 22 out of 241 Republicans voted against the cut. You can see how your Representative voted and watch the video excerpts from the floor debate.

Axe to the Arts?

We need your help.

The new majority in power in the U.S. House of Representatives is taking an axe to the current 2011 federal budget in an attempt to bring it down to levels from three years ago. That alone would cut irreplaceable National Endowment for the Arts funding to state and local nonprofit arts groups by at least $27 million immediately.

The Skills Connection Between the Arts and 21st-Century Learning

Arts Education and 21st-Century Skills
By Bruce D. Taylor of Education Week
Published in Print: February 2, 2011, as Not for Art's Sake Only

Few of us could disagree that today’s students must be taught the necessary skills to function in an increasingly complex, conceptual, and globalized 21st-century society and economy. Students have to acquire so-called “habits of mind” that will enable them to develop the skills of creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. In addition, they must be able to communicate effectively, collaborate with people different from themselves, exercise initiative, and be self-directed.

NEA FAC Midwest Regional Minutes 1/15/2011

IN ATTENDANCE: Tom McLaughlin (IA), NEA FAC Chair; George Affeldt (WI); Linda Atwood (IN); Barbara Lex (IA); Michael D. Deatz (IA); Karen Hartlep (IA);  Megan Russo (IA); Nancy Notton-Stumpff (IA); Maggie Parks (IA); Scott Reiker (IA); Sue Williams (IA).

The meeting began informally with caucus attendees visiting over breakfast.  The meeting was called to order at 7:12 am.

INTRODUCTIONS

Those in attendance were asked to introduce themselves, tell what they teach and share stories that outlined how the economy has affected arts education in their school district and

NEA Fine Arts Caucus Agenda & Minutes 1/13/2011

Thursday, January, 13 2011 7:00 PM CST * 5:00 PST * 8:00 EST

Conference Dial-in Number: 605.475.4000

Participant Access Code: 604735#

The meeting was called to order at 7:04 CST

I. Roll Call

Members present included: Tom McLaughlin (IA), Deb Turrici (PA), Pam Gibberman (CA), Oscar Forseman (IL), Charlie Fry (PA), Rich Nicklay (IA)

II. Adoption/modification of Agenda

Adopted without objection.

Study: Love music? Thank a substance in your brain

By MALCOLM RITTER, AP Science Writer – Sun Jan 9, 1:23 pm ET

NEW YORK – Whether it's the Beatles or Beethoven, people like music for the same reason they like eating or having sex: It makes the brain release a chemical that gives pleasure, a new study says.
The brain substance is involved both in anticipating a particularly thrilling musical moment and in feeling the rush from it, researchers found.

Previous work had already suggested a role for dopamine, a substance brain cells release to communicate with each other. But the new work, which scanned people's brains as they listened to music, shows it happening directly.

NEA FAC Regional Conference Agenda

REGIONAL CONFERENCE SAMPLE AGENDA

BREAKFAST TO BE SERVED AT 7:00 AM

I.  Introductions, welcomes and networking (we need your cell number to text and/or call you).

II.  Our caucus and its goals & our work this year

A.  Website: http://www.neafineartscaucus.blogspot.com/

B.  Constitution, Bylaws and Operating Procedure revisions

C.  Scholarships

D.  NEA Fine Arts Task Force
            E.  Membership Development
            F.  Internal & External Promotion & Adocacy
            G.  Resolutions & New Business

NEA FAC MINUTES 1/13/2011

NEA Fine Arts Caucus Agenda
Thursday, January, 13 2011
7:00 PM CST * 5:00 PST * 8:00 EST

Conference Dial-in Number: 605.475.4000
Participant Access Code: 604735#
During the call: *3 Exit the call; *4 Conference call instructions; *6 Mute/Unmute

The meeting was called to order at 7:04 CST

I.          Roll Call   

Members present included: Tom McLaughlin (IA), Deb Turrici (PA), Pam Gibberman (CA), Oscar Forseman (IL), Charlie Fry (PA), Rich Nicklay (IA)

II.         Adoption/modification of Agenda

            Adopted without objection.

If not us, who? If not now, when? Arts Advocacy Begins with US.

January 5, 2011

Today, all 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives will be sworn in, and 13 new U.S. Senators will take the oath of office as a result of the November elections. It is critical to contact them now to show that the arts are important to you and your community.

Many of the newly elected congressional leaders are focused on cutting discretionary funding, reducing the federal deficit, and creating incentives to grow the economy. It is imperative that arts advocates work quickly together to help educate the largest congressional freshman class in decades about the profound role the arts play in spurring economic growth and job creation.

We have provided a customizable letter you can send to your Member of Congress congratulating him or her on beginning their service in the 112th Congress and letting them know the arts are important to you!

Take your advocacy work one step further by becoming an official member of the Arts Action Fund. Play your part today – it’s free and easy to join.

NEA Fine Arts Task Force Meeting—Webcast –December 8, 2010

The meeting was called to order at 5:00 p.m. ET

Meeting Participants: (1-Absence Andrew Corbin)

• Princess Moss (Co-Chair)- NEA Exec. Committee, elementary school music teacher
• Greg Johnson (Co-Chair)- NEA Exec. Committee, high school choir director
• Tom McLaughlin- a high school drama teacher
• Jennifer Roberts- a high school art teacher
• Christopher Thomas, NEA Staff Liaison
• Derrick Johnson, NEA Staff Liaison

B-29 of the NEA Resolutions -Gifted, Talented and Special Needs Students

The National Education Association believes that there must be additional educational  arts programs and  services for gifted, talented,and special needs students and  for  and creative students  supports federal and state funding for the education of these students..