Sequestration and the Arts

As you have no doubt been following in the headlines, specific parts of the federal budget, including that of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), will be impacted by a budgetary control called “sequestration” beginning today. This sequester, totaling $85 billion, will reduce funding to almost all areas of domestic social programs by about 5 percent, which would mean about $7.3 million at the NEA.

This cut has been expected ever since the congressional “supercommittee” of 2011 failed to find agreement on how to achieve $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction over 10 years, either through spending cuts, raising revenue, or by a combination of both. Since the possibility of the sequester was triggered, the White House’s Office of Management & Budget has alerted impacted federal agencies to prepare for it by withholding grant competitions, utilizing employee furloughs, reduced service and other budget cutting actions.

Because the sequester is an “across-the-board” cut to federal agencies, it reaches indiscriminately into every identified program and activity. The NEA, the U.S. Department of Education (which administers the federal Arts in Education program) and many other cultural agencies such as the Smithsonian, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and others will be forced to order these cuts by 11:59 p.m. ET.

This is just another step in a series of spending showdowns. Looking ahead to the rest of the month, Congress will need to address the unfinished business of FY 2013 which is set to expire on March 27. As details about implementation of these cuts or alternatives to reduce the sequester’s impact on future budget negotiations become available, we will be sure to share this information.This year, the annual National Arts Advocacy Day on Tuesday, April 9 will take place during this critical timeframe. It is imperative that arts supporters participate in this event which will be the largest arts advocacy convening of the year. Register now to ensure that your voice will be heard on Capitol Hill!

Teach the beat: D.C.’s go-go heritage making its way to the classroom

At a seminar, go-go musicians taught social studies and music teachers from D.C. public schools how to lace the city’s signature sound into their lesson plans.

By Susan Svrluga, THE WASHINGTON POST Published: February 16

Denise Dumas, a world history teacher from the Midwest with gray curls, pale skin and
granny glasses, had not heard of go-go before she moved to the District.

Now she knows Sugar Bear, David “32” Ellis and Sweet Cherie — and she’s going to bring some of that old-school funk to her classroom.

On Saturday, go-go musicians taught social studies and music teachers from D.C. public schools how to lace the city’s signature sound into their lesson plans, an effort to celebrate the students’ cultural heritage and better engage them in class.

The program — “Teach the Beat: Go Go in DC” — had the usual
trappings of a professional-development seminar: name tags,
fluorescent lighting, Post-it notes. But it also had hints of the sweaty,
dance-crazy club scene, with thumping pocket beats and swiveling
necks, and more than a few answers to teachers’ questions spun off
into long, improvisational riffs.It's hard to capture go-go on
a recording, John “JB” Buchanan told the teachers. The music is a
lot about jamming and the intense reaction from the crowd,
the arm-waving, hip-shaking and call-and-response.

For Dumas, that means she can try using the music to get students not only to listen but also to participate in class. She knows most of her ninth-graders at Cardozo High School — some of whom are 17 because they have repeatedly failed courses — don’t see the history she teaches as relevant to their lives in the city.

Measuring Student Creativity Topic of New Report

by  Erik Robelen on February 1, 2013 4:55 PM

from EDUCATION WEEK

Can student creativity be assessed in a meaningful way? Should it even be evaluated? And if so, how? These are some of the questions explored in a new working paper published by the global Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

"Creativity is widely accepted as being an important outcome of schooling," according to the paper, by researchers at the Centre for Real-World Learning at the University of Winchester in England. "Yet there are many different viewpoints about what it is, how best it can be cultivated in young people, and whether or how it should be assessed."

The research comes at a time when U.S. political and business leaders increasingly are raising concerns about the need to better nurture creativity and innovative thinking in young people. In fact, last year I wrote about a push in several states to develop a "creativity index" for schools.

NEA FAC Executive Board Member Ginger Fox Advances NBI's at CTA's State Council Meeting

NBI 1/13-25

That CTA join with CFT to seek legislation to require the State of California’s Commission
on Teacher Credentialing to develop two Single Subject Credentials, one in Dance and one in
Theatre, with grandfathering clauses; and lobby for and support colleges and universities in
the development of high-quality Dance and Theatre Education Teacher Subject Matter
Preparation Programs leading to Single Subject Credentials in Dance and Theatre.

Rationale: Equity for Dance and Theatre as Arts Education is vital to ensure that all
California students receive a balanced, comprehensive, high-quality education including a
robust offering of curriculum, instruction, and courses in the Visual and Performing Arts
(VAPA). Each arts discipline (Dance, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts) is given equal weight
in the CA Education Code (Sections 51210 and 51220), the Visual and Performing Arts
Framework for CA, K-12, and the Federal and State VAPA Content Standards. Dance and
Theatre are the only two NCLB “Core Academic Subjects” with discrete Federal and State
Content Standards that do not have corresponding California Single Subject Credentials; and
few universities offer Teacher Prep Programs in Dance and Theatre. Without Single Subject
Credentials and adequate teacher Subject Matter Prep Programs in Dance and Theatre, CA
school districts are hard-pressed to recruit, contract and retain “Highly-Qualified Teachers”
specifically trained and expert in Dance and Theatre, sustain robust Dance and Theatre
programs and fully implement the VAPA Framework and Content Standards for all students
in all arts disciplines.

[Submitted by Ginger Rose Fox and Janet Lee Davis]

THE ABOVE ITEM WAS REFERRED TO THE CREDENTIALS AND PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE.

NBI 1/13-26

That CTA lobby, support, and encourage its locals to work with their districts for full
implementation of the Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards by following the VAPA
Framework for CA Schools, K-12, and offering a comprehensive, sequential and balanced
course of study in all VAPA disciplines, including Dance and Theatre, as an essential part of
the core curriculum for all students, in all CA schools, as required by the CA Ed Code (51210
and 51220).

Rationale: All CA students deserve equal access to a balanced, comprehensive, high-quality
education including a robust offering of curriculum, instruction and courses in the Visual and
Performing Arts: Dance, Music, Theatre and the Visual Arts. Access to and participation in
VAPA is an integral part of every student’s intellectual, physical, social, emotional, creative,
cultural and civic development. Misplaced economic priorities and mandates from NCLB
have led to an elimination of Arts Education in CA public schools. A disproportionate number
of students denied access to VAPA are English Language Learners, minority students,
Students with Disabilities, and those from economically disadvantaged families, resulting in
an inequity in public school arts education offerings and a denial of a high-quality, well-rounded,
comprehensive education that all students deserve.

[Submitted by Ginger Rose Fox and Janet Lee Davis]

THE ABOVE ITEM WAS REFERRED TO THE CURRICULUM AND
INSTRUCTION COMMITTEE.

The STE(A)M Caucus Hits Capitol Hill

How easy is this?  Send a copy of our STE(A)M letter to your elected officials.

The Honorable _____________________

United States House of Representatives



Re: In support of House Resolution 51 (STEM to STEAM)


Dear Representative ________________,

I wanted to bring to your attention the recent formation of the bipartisan STEAM Caucus co-chaired by Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Aaron Schock (R-IL), and encourage you to consider joining your colleagues in working to turn STEM to STEAM.

Arts as Antidote for Academic Ills

 

Stationed in front of one of his large self-portraits, the
artist Chuck Close raised his customized wheelchair to balance
on two wheels, seeming to defy the laws of gravity.

By PATRICIA COHENPublished: December 18, 2012
NEW YORK TIMES

The chair’s unlikely gymnastics underlined the points that Mr. Close was making to his audience, 40 seventh and eighth graders from Bridgeport, Conn.: Break the rules and use limitations to your advantage.

The message had particular resonance for these students, and a few educators and parents, who had come by bus on Monday from Roosevelt School to the Pace Gallery in Chelsea for a private tour of Mr. Close’s show. Roosevelt, located in a community with high unemployment and crushing poverty, recently had one of the worst records of any school in the state, with 80 percent of its seventh graders testing below grade level in reading and math.

Campaign launched to promote arts education in L.A. Unified

Donors and school officials Monday launched a multimillion-dollar public awareness campaign to promote arts instruction in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The unveiling of a “bus wrap,” designed by a local artist, prompted cheers and unleashed a massive student dance number in front of the Torres High School Academies in East Los Angeles. But the prospects for arts in the nation’s second-largest school system are mixed — such programs, like others, have suffered from waves of budget cuts.

Artful Thinking: Maryland Middle School Proves Arts Ed Improves Grades and Behavior

by Liz Dwyer

on September 1, 2012 at 3:00AM PDT
Great YOU TUBE Video in Read More
Thanks to Stacey Kimberlin of Des Moines Education Association for this Post

Arts exposure makes students more altruistic, civically engaged, and socially tolerant. Need more proof of the transformation that happens when arts education is taken seriously in schools? Look no further than this inspiring profile of Bates Middle School, a public school in Annapolis, Maryland from our friends over at Edutopia. Bates has a full visual and performing arts program integrated across the curriculum and they've seen significant improvements in student behavior and academic performance.

The value of arts in education

Students with learning and emotional difficulties may benefit the most

by Mike McGrew

1:48 p.m. EDT, September 4, 2012

 

One dreary spring morning, I entered Robert Moton Elementary as opera resounded through its halls, stirring my soul like never before. As a school psychologist with limited exposure to classical genres, I was startled but tremendously invigorated by this music. I then noticed some students bopping down the halls — also seemingly uplifted.

 

I immediately sought out the assistant principal, a former music teacher who selects Moton's morning melodies, begging him to identify this inspiring music. "'Nessum Dorma,' Pavarotti's most famous work," he smilingly responded.

 

Well, I thought, if a geezer who failed art, hated clarinet and has no sense of rhythm could feel rejuvenated by a shot of culture, just think of how it might benefit struggling students possessing more talent and inspiration.

10 Ways to Support Arts Education

Kristen Engebretsen of AMERICANS FOR THE ARTSThe ARTS EDUCATION NETWORK is another reason that arts professionals and passionate advocates should be members of AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS
Originally posted August 11, 2011

This week I got an email from someone concerned about the budget cuts to arts education and inquiring about what they could do to help keep the arts in schools.

In the spirit of my colleague Randy Cohen’s popular post (Top 10 Reasons to Support the Arts), I am presenting my own Top 10 Ways to Support Arts Education.

10. Volunteer your time, resources, skills:Many schools would appreciate your time as a chaperone, your skill as a teaching artist, or your donations of money, costumes, rehearsal space, etc.

9. Know the facts: Stay on top of current arts education research, trends, and news articles. Start with Reinvesting in Arts Education, which summarizes research on the topic. Use this data in your messaging when you speak to elected officials or school leaders.

8. Get involved politically: Tell your elected officials why arts education is important. Ask your members of Congress to keep the arts listed as a core subject during the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Help US Advocate for the National Endowment for the Arts

Tell Legislators that the Arts Mean Jobs & a Strong Economy!

The other NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) funds grants to dance, design, folk & traditional arts, literature, local arts agencies, media arts, multidisciplinary, museums, music, musical theater, opera, presenting, theater, and visual arts.  MANY OF THESE ARTISTS WORK IN OUR SCHOOLS.  Please take a few minutes to write to your Members of Congress to urge them to support the National Endowment for the Arts in widening citizen access to the cultural, educational, and economic benefits of the arts, and advancing creativity and innovation in communities across the United States.  If you've ever used CAP WIZ in writing your legislator through the Association, you know how easy it is.  The ARTS ACTION FUND of AMERICAN FOR THE ARTS (Let me encourage you to join), uses this as well and will allow you to paste pieces of pre-written messages AND add your own original words.

To learn more about the programs of the National Endowment for the Arts and to see the Americans for the Arts Position/Policy paper on the National Endowment for the Arts, click here.  Please download, save and share this piece.  Please take five or ten minutes to do this. 

NATIONAL ARTS IN EDUCATION WEEK: SEPTEMBER 9–15

In July 2010, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution declaring the week following the second Sunday of September as National Arts in Education Week. Celebrate with us this year, September 9–15, 2012. Take the opportunity to draw attention to arts education in your school and build momentum for a great school year. Americans for the Arts will celebrate by hosting our biannual blog salon about arts education topics on ARTSblog. This blog salon will feature about 20 posts by arts and education leaders throughout the week, all discussing the intersection between the arts and the new Common Core State Standards. Follow the salon by using this link to the arts education section of ARTSblog.

Cirque du Soleil's QUIDAM--Arts Integration at Work in OUR Work

We integrate our ARTS disciplines all the time...maybe that's why the STEAM initiative isn't such a threat to us.

A little bit circus, a little bit dance, a little bit concert, a little bit drama all rolled up into one brilliant ARTS piece--Quidam.  In this post, you'll find no crunched numbers, no great quotes, no charts or graphs.  Just a little bit of inspiration, fun and the art of what we artist's do--making something that isn't easy, look easy.  Take a few minutes to enjoy.  We recommend Cirque.  If you haven't seen QUIDAM, you might just enjoy it.

Why Arts Education Must Be Saved

from EDUTOPIA

Schools draw on the community to bring art and music to students.



Almost every one of us can point back to a creative pursuit, in or out of school, that enhanced our skills, knowledge, or understanding. Yet the majority of secondary school students in the United States aren't required to enroll in arts courses, many elementary schools nationwide lack art classes or activities, and arts and music instruction is often the first thing to go when schools feel the pressure to improve test scores.

Happily, from this admittedly grim background spring many rays of hope. In our special report on arts education, Edutopia paints a bright picture of how schools are forging innovative community partnerships to bring rich, academically integrated arts curriculum to their students:

More Resources for Art Educators

Thanks to our friend Jennifer Jenkins for sharing even more great art education resources from online university.  Lots of links to online museum exhibits and on painters.  We appreciate your contribution Jennifer.

Visual art is one of the oldest forms of human expression, stretching all the way back to the cave paintings at el Castillo in Northern Spain to the massive installations by Damien Hurst in the 1990s. This resource will concentrate mainly on visual art, such as sculpture, painting, ceramics and drawing, some specific periods and movements in the history of art and galleries and influential museums which house online resources for those interested in viewing art and learning more about particular forms.

ROMNEY ANNOUNCES RYAN AS RUNNING MATE

If there was ever a doubt that Wisconsin-like, anti-education politics will be a part of this race--which there was not--today's announcement makes the threats to quality public education even more pressing.  As ARTS EDUCATORS we should have some serious concerns about this candidate and his running mate's views on what is "essential" in our "public schools."

Friends:

Can you believe it? Governor Romney has doubled down on failed economic policies, those of which we know harm the middle class and do nothing to invest in our kids and schools. By naming Paul Ryan as his Vice Presidential running mate, it is crystal clear where he wants to take the country.

Ryan has repeatedly supported cuts to education funding, including blocking support intended to help avoid educator layoffs. Ryan has proposed cutting $1.1 billion from early childhood education, which would deny more than 2 million poor children the opportunity for high-quality early education.

London's 2012 Cultural Olympiad

The London 2012 Cultural Olympiad is the largest cultural celebration in the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Movements. Since 2008, the Cultural Olympiad has featured programmes and projects inspired by London 2012, funded by our principal funders and sponsors. As part of the Cultural Olympiad:

• More than 16 million people across the UK took have taken part in or attended performances.
• Over 169,000 people have attended more than 8,300 workshops.
• More than 3.7 million people took part in nearly 3,700 Open Weekend events.
• Some 2,500 cultural projects have been awarded the London 2012 Inspire mark
  
  

Why We Should Bring Back the Arts Olympics

by Lucas Kavner HUFFINGTON POST 8/5/2012, Posted by NEA FAC on August 9, 2012

Culture Reporter, Huffington PostMarina Abramovic is probably the most celebrated performance artist in the world. She's also the subject of a new, engaging documentary called The Artist is Present, currently airing on HBO and in select cities around the world. For the first half of this new film we see Abramovic's past performance work, learn about her unique history, and follow the months leading up to her historic and wildly successful 2010 show at MoMA.

And then in the second half, we watch her do nothing but sit in a chair in the middle of an empty room and stare at thousands of strangers in the eyes, every single day, for over two months.

The event was a feat of performance endurance, surely, and also a beautiful collection of moving images, with thousands of visitors rounding the globe just to sit with Abramovic in New York and join in the project. It was art and prowess mixed, the largest performance exhibition ever mounted at the MoMA, and the longest duration piece ever performed in a museum, spanning 736 hours and 30 minutes.

High-Poverty Schools Awarded $1.2 Million in Arts Grants Awarded to Train Educators

July 31, 2012, published on the NEA FAC Website August 8, 2012

The U.S. Department of Education today announced the award of more than $1.2 million in grants to school districts in California, Florida, Nevada and New York to train arts educators serving high-poverty schools.

Under the Arts in Education-Professional Development for Arts Educators program, the funds will support high-quality model training programs in elementary and secondary education for music, dance, drama, media arts, or visual arts. The grants are especially targeted at schools with students from low-income backgrounds.

"Creating by doing is a uniquely powerful way to learn. That's why I think a high-quality arts education is absolutely critical to providing all students with a world-class education,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “The study of the arts can both significantly boost student achievement and give students a reason to look forward to coming to school. All children should have arts-rich schools."

Marvin Hamlisch, maestro of the perfect note

The late composer Marvin Hamlisch moved effortlessly across film, theater and TV, creating unforgettable music with the power to unleash tears and laughter.  He inspired this educator to understand WHAT I DID FOR LOVE.

by Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times Film Critic

August 8, 2012, 8:00 a.m.

Hearing the news of Marvin Hamlisch's sudden passing, I am suddenly awash in the sound of his music and the flood of tears unleashed by its memory. There are movies that would not have been the same without it, and a Broadway musical that will never be forgotten for it.

But what Hamlisch perhaps played best was the human heartstrings, plucking at our emotions one by one, ranging across the octaves of sadness and joy, letting the feelings resonate for as long as he dared.

Three Oscars, a Tony, four Emmys, four Grammys — they seem now the briefest of nods, insufficient for a lifetime's work of filling our films, Broadway musicals and TV shows with his artistry.

PHOTOS: Marvin Hamlisch | 1944-2012

Music Education Links

Music Education and Intergration Tools

1.) Stanton’s Sheet Music is a site that provides printable sheet music for Orchestra, Concert Band, Jazz, Marching Bang, Choral, Handbell, and General music.

2.) K-12 Resources for Music Educators is a valuable resource for music educators and students of all areas and educational levels. Regularly updated. For over fifteen years, the most visited and valued music education resource website available internationally. Carefully researched and commercial free.

3.) The Virtual Piano is a web based piano that you can play using the keyboard or mouse.

4.) The Music Resources Wiki is a great resource for finding other resources. I highly recommend seeing what you can find.

Art Education Links

 

 

Art Integration Tools and Resources

1.) Art History Resources on the Web is a place to find various Art from different countries and time periods. A valuable resource for students who might be interested in trying to recreate a famous piece of artwork, or make their own rendition. 

2.) Smarthistory.org is a free, not-for-profit, multi-media web-book designed as a dynamic enhancement (or even substitute) for the traditional art history textbook.

3.) Art Education 2.0 is a Social Network for Art Teachers to share, discuss, and find other teachers who are using technology in the art classroom.

4.) Artsonia is the words largest online database of art created by students and shared by students. It is a chance to get your student’s work displayed for the world to see.

Public schools' 'pay to play' fees: By the numbers

In the face of budget cuts and rising costs, public schools across the country are making ends meet by nickel-and-diming students

In some financially struggling school districts, students have to pay fees to participate in extracurricular activities... or not participate at all.
                       

Public schools are supposed to be free. But faced with budget cuts, rising staff costs, and declining tax revenues, many are instituting "pay to play" fees, charging students extra for everything from electives to after-school sports — and even some required classes, like French and basic sciences. Here, a brief guide, by the numbers, to these "controversial" fees:

$18
Course supplies fee for students taking English 9 at Dakota Ridge High School in Littleton, Colo.

$38
Fee for students taking Honors English 9

$75
Course supplies fee for students taking French IV at Lakota Local Schools in Liberty Township, Ohio

Lawsuit, bill aim to keep K-12 education free in California

Legislation and an ACLU lawsuit tackle the increasing use of fees at public schools, a trend that is unfair to low-income students and increases disparities.

SACRAMENTO — Not every proposed law is historic or sweeping. Some merely are pretty good ideas — perhaps even important for a low-income kid.

One such bill is among the hundreds awaiting action as the Legislature heads into its final month. The measure's goal is to stop schools from socking students with illegal fees.
Fees for sports and field trips and textbooks and art, for example.

They're being charged despite a guarantee in the California Constitution of a free K-12 education.

Beware! Sneaky Reformer Trick in L.A.

July 30, 2012--posted on the NEA FAC blog August 6, 2012 

On August 14, there will be a benefit concert in Los Angeles to “honor” teachers.

The concert is a promotion for a new “Superman”-style film that vilifies public schools and promotes privatization.

The film celebrates the “parent trigger” law, which gives parents the power to seize control of their school, fire the staff, and turn it over to a charter chain. The parent trigger was promoted by charter advocates and billionaire foundations Broad, Gates, and Walton.

Strange way to “honor” teachers–by firing them and giving the school to a non-union private entity to manage, which may hire only young teachers willing to work a 50-60 hour week at low wages. More “honors” like this and there won’t be a teaching profession in America, just teaching temps.
The concert is sponsored by Walmart (the Walton family) and Walden Media. The Walton Family Foundation gave out $159 million last year for charters and vouchers.