THUNDERSOUL Screening at 2011 RA--Arts Teachers Sought to Speak After Screening

We are at the beginning of a terrific partnership with Anita Merina, NEA Read Across America,  the producers of this film and its director, producers and Jamie Foxx.  NEA Fine Arts Caucus Members, NEA Members and guests have been invited to the films first screen at the NEA RA on June 30, 2011 in Room S101AB on the Convention Center.

We are looking for FAC members/arts teachers/advocates to speak about the importance of arts education after each of the screenings.

]

NEA & NPR Arts Event FROM THE TOP Used to Kick-Off Our Year-Long Arts Advocacy Campaign

JOIN IN A CELBRATION OF STUDENTS AND THE ARTS.July 2, 2011 * Tickets $7.50 * 6:30-10:00 PM
Arie Crown Theatre, Lakeside Building, McCormick Place

Tickets Available at: http://www.cvent.com/d/3dqhfd  

NEA FINE ARTS CAUCUS AGENDA & MINUTES JUNE 22, 2011

NEA Fine Arts Caucus Agenda
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
7:30 PM CST * 5:30 PST * 8:30 EST

I.          Roll Call was called at 7:32 PM--Members present: Tom McLaughlin, Deb Turici, Pam Gibberman, Andy Pors, Dan Caruso, Kathi Zamora.  Absent: Sue Lemmo, Steve Dineno, Charlie Fry, Rich Nicklay,  Guest--Princess Moss)

II.         Adoption/modification of Agenda (moved by Caruso, seconded by Gibberman, Motion Passed) (attachment 622.1)

III.        Approval of 6/12/2010 Minutes (attachment to follow—item tabled)

IV.        Treasurer’s Report (attachment 622.2) (Moved Caruso, Seconded by Gibberman—Motion Passed)

V.         Final Constitution Approval (attachment to follow—item tabled)

VI.        General RA Communication tools (attachments 622.3-622.5)  VI.       NEA RA Schedule & Mechanics (attachment 622.6) (Moved by Gibberman, Seconded by

RHODE ISLAND LEADS LEGISLATIVE ACTION TOWARD STEAM

A briefing marking Rhode Island’s commitment to fostering innovation through the addition of Art and Design to STEM education and research.

NEA Fine Arts Caucus On-Line Advocacy Kit

GENERAL ARTS ADVOCACY

• Advocacy for Arts in General
• Advocacy for Community Schools
• Americans for the Arts
• Arts Education Advocacy
• The National Guild

SPECIFIC ARTS ADVOCACY SITES

Each of the discipline specific arts education service organizations’ websites contain a great deal of information on how to advocate for the arts as a part of education. These sites are a great starting point for finding statistics, research reports, sample speeches, letters and the like.
American Association of Community Theatres http://www.aact.org/advocacy.html

Amendments for Consideration by the 2011 RA

To establish for five (5) membership years (from 2011-2012 through 2015-2016) an additional

NEA Bylaw 2-7.n provides that as of the 2007-2008 membership year, the annual membership dues

Contact: NEA Board of Directors

2. Membership

2-7. Membership Dues.

n. Beginning with the 2007-08 membership year, the annual membership dues of Active members of the Association, as computed pursuant to Bylaw 2-7.a, shall be increased by ten dollars ($10.00), with an additional increase of ten dollars ($10.00) for the 2011-2012 through 2015-2016 membership years. This dues increase shall be allocated to the Ballot Measure/Legislative Crises and Media Campaign Fund.  The annual membership dues of Student members of the Association, as established pursuant to Bylaw 2-7.g, shall include one dollar ($1.00) to be allocated to the Ballot Measure/Legislative Crises and Media Campaign Fund.

Campaign Fund during each membership year shall be available to assist state affiliates in dealing with ballot measures and legislative crises, and forty percent (40%) shall be available for national and state

Art and Music Learning Emphasize Interactivity, Real-World Relevance

by Katie Ash  •  EDUCATION WEEK
June 22, 2011

Melissa Flores, a senior in Matt Cauthron’s art class, recently got a taste of what it might be like to shoot photographs for a living.

Mr. Cauthron, who teaches at the Digital Arts Technology Academy at the 2,800-student Cathedral City High School, about 50 miles east of Los Angeles, hooked his students up with a local skateboarding shop to create a photo session.

“That kind of fashion shooting was really practical for me,” said Ms. Flores, “because I went on to shoot fashion week,” an annual professional event in El Paseo, Calif., that showcases fashion from the region. “I got to see what it was like to be a professional photographer.”

Problems with Standardized Testing

Need some research to convince policy makers that standardized tests are not the answer and that we should advocate for authentic, performance and alternative assessment?

• Ravitch: Standardized Testing Undermines Teaching - http://www.npr.org/2011/04/28/135142895/ravitch-standardized-testing-undermines-teaching
• When Will the Testing Bubble Burst? - http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2011/04/when_will_the_testing_bubble_b.html?sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4dbb7ec542a97d3b%2C0

NEA FINE ARTS CAUCUS MINUTES 6/12/2011

Minutes from meeting 6.12.2011

Conference call was held on 12 June 2011.

Members present:

Tom McLaughlin, IA

Rich Nicklay, IA

Charlie Fry, PA

Debbie Turicci, PA

Pam Gibberman, CA

Oscar Forsman, IL

Sue Lemmo, PA

Kathi Zamora, NV

Tom called the meeting to order at 7:45p CST

NEA FAC AGENDA 6/12/2011

NEA Fine Arts Caucus Agenda
Sunday, June 12, 2011
7:30 PM CST * 5:30 PST * 8:30 EST

I.          Roll Call

II.         Adoption/modification of Agenda (Attachment 611.1)

III.        Approval of 5/1/2010 Minutes (Attachment 612.0)

IV.       NEA RA Schedule & Mechanics

	JUNE 30TH	JULY 1ST	JULY 2ND	JULY 3RD	JULY 4TH	JULY 5TH
Fine Arts Caucus	Exhibits 8:00-5:00 pm 4 – 6:30 pm Fine Arts Caucus Executive Board Meeting Convention Ctr Room N135	Exhibits 8:00-5:00 pm 12 – 1 pm Fine Arts Caucus Executive Board Meeting Convention Ctr Room N135	Exhibits 8:00-10:00 am Non-profit exhibits 10:00-5:00 9:30 – 10 am Fine Arts Caucus First Meeting at the NEA FAC Non-Profit Table (if transportation allows leadership and members to arrive in time) 2:30-3:30 pm Fine Arts Caucus Meeting Convention Center Room N135 6:30-10:00 NEA/NPR Friendship Night FROM THE TOP—Celebrating the Arts in our schools and kicking off our national Arts Advocacy Campaign.	Non Profit NEA Fine Arts Caucus Booth Open  9:00-5:00 pm 9:30 – 10 am Executive Board/First Meeting & Open to All Members (depends if transportation allows leadership and members to arrive in time) Convention Ctr Working Lunch Meeting FAC to be announced on FB and in text messages.  Meetings will be held at an appropriate break in the Annual Meeting.  Convention Center Room N135	Non Profit NEA Fine Arts Caucus Booth Open  10:00-5:00 pm 9:30 – 10 am Executive Board/First Meeting & Open to All Members (depends if transportation allows leadership and members to arrive in time) Convention Ctr Working Lunch Meeting FAC to be announced on FB and in text messages.  Meetings will be held at an appropriate break in the Annual Meeting.  Convention Center Room N135	Non Profit NEA Fine Arts Caucus Booth Open  10:00-5:00 pm NEA FINE ARTS CAUCUS EXECUTIVE BOARD ELECTIONS 10:00-3:00 PM. FINE ARTS CAUCUS PHOTO AT LUNCH BREAK. 9:30 – 10 am Executive Board/First Meeting & Open to All Members (depends if transportation allows leadership and members to arrive in time) Convention Ctr Working Lunch Meeting FAC to be announced on FB and in text messages.  Meetings will be held at an appropriate break in the Annual Meeting.  Convention Center Room N135 BOOTH STRIKE 5:00--ALL EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS Post RA Executive Board Meeting Convention Ctr Room N135

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND: WE NEED RELIEF NOW!

Today, [my principal told me] that I can only teach reading and math during the school day in my sixth grade class.  Everyone is so scared to not make AYP, that this is the response that we are getting….I'm not allowed to teach science, social studies, and writing, [or] address the poverty students' needs or those who are neglected in some form or another.  Can I incorporate some of this into my reading and math?  Yes, I can do that because I'm a great teacher who cares about a well-rounded student.  But it won't be enough.  What do I tell my coworkers in middle school who teach these other subjects?  There are major flaws in NCLB and they need [to be] fixed now…. Please help!  – NEA Cyber-lobbyist, Wisconsin

Kansas Arts Agency Eliminated

May 28, 2011—In response to Kansas Governor Sam Brownback’s decision to veto funding for the Kansas Arts Commission, Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, issued the following statement:

Americans for the Arts is disappointed with Governor Sam Brownback’s decision to eliminate the Kansas Arts Commission (KAC) by vetoing the legislative branch’s budget for the agency. His action not only robs the citizens of his state of access to quality arts programming, but is also a direct affront to his campaign platform to create jobs and rebuild the state’s economy.  Kansas now holds the dubious distinction of being the only state without a functioning state agency in charge of promoting the arts and culture.

 
Further, the KAC received a matching grant of $778,200 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in 2011 to support Kansas jobs, artists and cultural groups. That funding is now lost for 2012 with the elimination of the KAC, the only agency in Kansas that is eligible for the NEA’s matching grants. Kansas also loses the $437,767 the KAC brought in from its regional partner, the Mid-America Arts Alliance. This $1.2 million funding shortfall far exceeds the $689,000 KAC appropriation recommended by the Kansas legislature during budget negotiations.
 
We at Americans for the Arts understand that times are tough, and governors across the country are facing hard budget decisions. We further recognize that the arts will have to do their part to ensure state governments are able to make ends meet. So while some cuts to arts funding are expected, they should be proportional to those of other government services.  We all have to do our part. The arts alone should not be sacrificed as they have been in Kansas as the total elimination of the KAC does not substantially solve Kansas’s budget deficit but rather removes $1.2 million in federal money from Kansas’ economy—money that will now go to other states.

Teacher leaders recommend overhaul of evaluation and accountability

NEA focused squarely on student success and ‘true profession’ with highest standards

WASHINGTON - May 11, 2011 - Signaling a commitment to a new, more prestigious profession of teaching, the National Education Association (NEA) is calling on its members to set a course to overhaul teacher evaluation and accountability and advance student learning.

Based on recommendations of a workgroup of NEA leaders convened this spring by NEA President Dennis Van Roekel, the NEA Board of Directors has approved for final action a policy statement that revamps teacher evaluation and accountability. The statement reflects the first broad endorsement by NEA of the need for evaluation and accountability reform.

NAMM Honors NEA’s John Wilson with Support Music Award

WASHINGTON, May 10, 2011— The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) honored John Wilson, executive director of the National Education Association (NEA) with its prestigious Support Music Award at a dinner on Monday night. NAMM recognized Wilson for his long-held belief in a complete education for all children, one that includes music and the arts as core academic subjects.

“John Wilson is an education leader who truly understands that kids simply need music and the arts to keep them engaged at school,” said Joe Lamond, president and CEO, NAMM. “We recognize John as a defender of creativity, innovation and passion in America’s schools for more than a decade at the NEA.”

The NAMM dinner was a part of the association’s weeklong music education advocacy efforts in Washington including special events, meetings with key legislators and educational seminars.

ABOUT NAMM

NAMM is the not-for-profit association that unifies, leads and strengthens the $17 billion international musical instruments and products industry. NAMM’s activities and programs are designed to promote music making to people of all ages. NAMM is comprised of approximately 9,000 Member companies. For more information about NAMM or the proven benefits of making music, interested parties can visit http://www.blogger.com/ or call 800-767-NAMM (6266).

ABOUT NEA

The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers. Follow NEA on twitter: @NEAMedia. For more information, please visit http://www.blogger.com/

White House Panel Calls for 'Reinvesting' in Arts Education

by Erik Robelen  •  May 6, 2011

from EDUCATION WEEK

A presidential advisory panel today issued a report¹ that makes the case for expanding access to arts education in schools, arguing that the arts hold great potential to bolster student engagement and academic achievement. At the same time, the report laments that, if anything, the current trend is toward the erosion of the arts on campus.

The report gives special attention to the practice of arts integration, where subjects such as math, science, and language arts are integrated with teaching arts disciplines. (I wrote about how dance² was used for that purpose last fall, including an example in Maryland where dance and science were brought together in elementary classrooms.)

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