Opportunity:  The Arts Education Partnership (AEP) is calling for student artists in the DC, Virginia and Maryland area, ages 13-25, to submit artwork for the program cover for our Spring 2010 Forum, "States of Change: New Leadership in Arts and Education." The deadline for contest entries is January 22, 2010. The winner will have his/her artwork printed on the program cover and receive a $100 cash prize.  Don’t miss this opportunity to have your work displayed to a broad audience of arts educators and arts professionals!  Use the links below to access contest guidelines and submission form. Please contact Teka Phan at tekap@ccsso.org with any questions.

Cover Art Contest Guidelines and Submission Form
Cover Art Contest Guidelines and Submission Form

AEP is also now accepting proposals for Small Group Session presentations for the Spring National Forum in Washington, DC, April 9-10, 2010. You can download the RFP.  Proposals due January 5, 2010.

Why teach the arts? Art inspires learning. Math and science may boost economic competitiveness, but art completes our education. When American presidents talk about education, they inevitably stress the need to focus on math and science. In a technological world, they say, math and science ultimately equate with economic competitiveness. This line of thinking may be smart politics, but it makes education merely the means to an economic end.

art:21 News:

• Miss a Season 5 episode during the national broadcast in October? Season 5 episodes will be available in the online PBS Video portal.

• Highlights from the Art21 Blog-
  -New Flash Points topic! Through the end of 2009, they'll be exploring issues of art and the environment, asking "How does art respond to and redefine the natural world?"
  -From The Columns: Teaching with Contemporary Art: Test-Driving the Season 5 Educators' Guide
  -Art 2.1: Creating on the Social Web: "Rachel Is"--An Interview with Rachel Perry Welty

Latest RTTT NEWS:
Race to the Top guidelines to include point system for states (The New York Times, 11/11)
Some States Disappointed by Proposed Funding Levels in RttT (ASCD SmartBrief, 11/13/09)
$5 billion 'Race to the Top' begins. Amid concerns over test scores and equal opportunity in some quarters, Obama uses school dollars to prod states to change (eSchool News, 11/12/09)
School Districts to Be Big Players in Race to the Top Contest (Education Week, 11/12/09)
Race to the Top: More Than Just a Nod to High SchoolImprovement (Education Week, 11/12/09)
Race to the Top Forcing School Change (Education Week, 11/12/09)

U.S. Department of Education Opens Race to the Top Competition (November 12, 2009) U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today released the final application for more than $4 billion from the Race to the Top Fund, which will reward states that have raised student performance in the past and have the capacity to accelerate achievement gains with innovative reforms.

Rules Set for $4 Billion 'Race to Top' Contest. For a good shot at the $4 billion in grants from the federal Race to the Top Fund, states will need to make a persuasive case for their education reform agenda, demonstrate significant buy-in from local school districts, and develop plans to evaluate teachers and principals based on student performance, according to final regulations set for release Thursday by the U.S. Department of Education.

Teacher Beat: Teacher Elements of Final Race to the Top Guidelines (By Stephen Sawchuk on November 12, 2009) The final Race to the Top guidelines are here! There are some interesting new details on the effective-teacher policies. And of the four pillars or "assurances" in the economic-stimulus legislation, teacher effectiveness, it turns out, gets the most weight (28 percent) in the scoring process.

Race to the Top guidelines to include point system for states
The Obama administration is expected to announce a plan today to rate states' progress on education reforms -- rankings that will determine which states get a piece of $4.35 billion in federal Race to the Top stimulus funding. Improving teacher and principal effectiveness will carry the most weight in evaluating states' applications. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, criticized initial plans but is supportive of this final version, saying it will measure teacher effectiveness based on several criteria, not just student test scores. The Washington Post (11/12), The New York Times, (11/11)

New 21st-century skills guide available. Updated MILE Guide measures schools' policies and practices regarding 21st-century skills -- and offers advice on implementation. "The 21st Century MILE Guide specifically outlines goals that will assist educators and stakeholders at every level in constructing a common vision of how to move forward with this critical initiative,..."Accelerating technological advances, a rapidly changing knowledge base, an interconnected workforce, and an increasingly global society have all combined to make the integration of 21st-century skills into rigorous courses essential for every student's success. We believe that [P21] and its member states will assist in guiding us in our systemic and forward-thinking educational improvement efforts."

NAEA Comments on Investing in Innovation (i3) Guidelines
On behalf of the nation’s visual arts educators, NAEA submitted recommendations to the U.S. Department of Education in response to the Proposed Priorities, Requirements, Definitions, and Selection Criteria for the Investing in Innovation Fund issued on October 9, 2009. With an appropriation of $650 million, this is the only portion of the U.S. Department of Education’s stimulus funding for which nonprofit organizations may apply directly, as long as they are working in partnership with Local Education Agencies.  Local Education Agencies and/or consortiums of Local Education Agencies may also apply. Following the comment period, the Department anticipates releasing the final guidelines in early January 2010. Related Information: Investing in Innovation Fund Overview | Click here for details and links to a program fact sheet, the proposed guidleines, and a PowerPoint presentation.

Invitation for Review and Comment - 21st Century Skills Arts Map
Deadline is 12/11/09. Background: The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills (www.21stcenturyskills.org) is the leading advocacy organization focused on infusing 21^st century skills into education. The organization brings together the business community, education leaders, and policymakers to define a powerful vision for 21^st century education and to ensure that students emerge from our schools with the skills needed to be effective citizens, workers, and leaders in the 21^st century. Read additional background information on the Arts Map (Note: The draft of the Arts Map is embedded into the survey.) NAEA Members Invited to Review and Comment on Draft 21 Century Skills Arts Map

Whole Child E-Book: Supporting the Whole Child: Reflections on Best Practices in Learning, Teaching, and Leadership. This e-book, a collection of articles from Educational Leadership and other ASCD publications, explores what it means to support the whole child. Authors ponder the various meanings of support in the classroom, school, and community. This third book in a four-book series exploring whole child education ends by emphasizing another maxim of good teaching: Hold high expectations for your students. This e-book is free to download November 3–17, 2009.

Ed. Dept. Proposes Innovation Grant Ground Rules. The U.S. Department of Education is proposing high hurdles  for school districts and nonprofit organizations that want a piece of the $650 million Investing in Innovation grant program, including evidence of past success in helping students most in need, and a significant financial commitment from the private sector. (Education Week, 10/6/09)

Southeast Center for Education in the Arts’ Arts & Education Forum: Arts Integration and Teacher Change Report Now Available. Personal narratives stimulated discussions about dilemmas faced by professional development providers seeking to foster teacher change for improving arts integration. Facilitators posed questions to frame conversations, and sessions concluded with participants identifying ideas they might incorporate into their practice as well as emerging questions. The report is filled with session accounts, participants’ thoughtful ahas and questions, photographs, lessons learned, and musings on the dilemma of a dilemma-based Forum.

Obama to highlight education-reform efforts on election anniversary. At a speech today in Wisconsin marking the first anniversary of his election, President Barack Obama is expected to highlight steps some states are taking to become eligible for federal funding under the $4.35 billion Race to the Top program. With the money expected to be disbursed in January, a number of states have already adopted reforms, including changing laws to allow teacher evaluations to be linked to student test scores and removing caps on charter schools. Wisconsin's legislature is close to signing off on the use of test scores in teacher evaluations. (The Washington Post, 11/3/09, USA TODAY, 11/4/09)

Fellowships for Arts Educators Through the Surdna Foundation Arts Teachers Fellowship supports the artistic revitalization of outstanding teachers from public arts high schools throughout the United States. Eligible schools include specialized public arts high schools, as well as arts-focused, magnet, and charter high schools. The program offers arts teachers the opportunity to immerse themselves in their own creative work, interact with other professional artists, and stay current with new practices. All fellows will be invited to convene during the fall of 2010 in New York City to share experiences and discuss relevant issues and concerns. Online applications for the program are due November 13, 2009. Visit the Surdna website for program details and application guidelines.

SYMPOSIUM: Art and Special Education: What Every Art Teacher and Special Educator Needs to Know will be held on December 5, 2009 from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia, PA. It is a day of discussion, exploration and discovery of the best teaching and learning practices for children with special needs. The Keynote Speaker: Dr. Beverly Gerber. This symposium is FREE and open to the public: seating is limited. RSVP by November 23, 2009. www.moore.edu

The Importance of Looking at Art for Visual Artists. Being Aware and a Part of the Artistic Dialogue. Being a visual artist requires a certain degree of ego. At the very least a visual artist has to be confident enough to take a creation and put it on view for public scrutiny. In this respect, the ego in a visual artist is paramount. This importance is especially true if one expects to survive and continue to exhibit and thrive as a visual artist. Having confidence and maintaining self-esteem, however, should not turn into solipsism. (Associated Content, 10/29/09)

CONTEST: Save the Children's 2010 Valentine's Day Card Contest. The theme for the contest is "A Generation United." Contest participants can create cards that use the heart image as a symbol for values such as unity, loyalty, and responsibility. Five designs, representing each of five age groups from pre-school through high school, will be chosen by kids during a December online voting contest. Each of the five winners will receive a $500 savings bond and the winning designs will be printed on cards and used to create a Valentine's Day card set which will be offered as part of a gift with a donation to benefit Save the Children's programs that help kids in need in the United States. The deadline is December 1, 2009, 6PM ET.

Arts Education blog post, written by Jonah Lehrer. Michael Posner and Brenda Patoine make a neuroscientific case for arts education. They argue that teaching kids to make art has lasting cognitive benefits...The current obsession with measuring learning certainly has some benefits (accountability is good), but it also comes with some serious drawbacks, since it diminishes all the forms of learning, like arts education, that can't be translated into a score on a multiple choice exam. That's why the research cited above is so important: it helps us appreciate the "soft" skills that we tend to neglect. (The Frontal Cortex, 11/2/09)

Art Therapy Meets Digital Art and Social Multimedia, Psychology Today blog. Traditional materials of 20th century visual arts--drawing, painting, sculpture, and collage or mixed media--have defined the field of art therapy for the past 50 years. In fact, most educational programs that offer art therapy coursework or related degrees require applicants to demonstrate proficiency in drawing, painting, and sculpture as part of prerequisites. But as digital technology has become more accessible and straight-forward, practitioners of art therapy are gradually including digital media as a method and means for client self-expression. Well, maybe...

Artwork selected for the 2010 CSUB Children's Art Institute Calendar will be on exhibit at the AltaOne Federal Credit Union on River Run Blvd., Bakersfield, CA, November 10-17, 2010.

College Board's National Task Force on the Arts in Education
The NTFAE's report, "Arts at the Core: Recommendations for advancing the state of arts education in the 21st Century" confronts challenges to the state of the arts in education, identifies the many benefits of arts learning, and details eight key recommendations for advancing the place of the arts in American education.  It outlines recommendations for making the arts a core component of American education. Download the full report [2.4 MB]. Send any comments or questions to: artstaskforce@collegeboard.org.

Congress Approves Budget Increase for Arts and Humanities Endowments. The House and Senate on Thursday passed a budget increase for the National Endowment for the Arts and for the National Endowment for the Humanities. (The New York Times)

Bill heading to Obama would boost federal arts, cultural funding to highest level in 16 years. The increase — amid a record federal budget deficit — comes after an aggressive push by lobbyists to show that arts organizations provide thousands of jobs across the country.

Free viewing of Visual Arts Research journal, Vol. 35 No. 1 Issue 68 Summer 2009, which is now published both as a print journal and online by University of Illinois Press.

Center For Craft, Creativity & Design Is Pleased To Announce The 2009 CRAFT RESEARCH FUND GRANT AWARDS. The goals of this peer-reviewed grant are to support innovative research on artistic and critical issues in craft theory, practice and history; to explore the inter-relationship among craft, art, design and contemporary culture; to foster new cross-disciplinary approaches to scholarship in the craft field in America; and to advance investigation of neglected questions in U.S. craft history and criticism. With two grant categories, Project Grants for up to $15,000 and Graduate Research Grants for up to $10,000, the Grant strives to support research of both emerging and professional scholars. Contact: Katie Lee, Assistant Director, klee@craftcreativitydesign.org or 828-890-2050.

The National Task Force on the Arts in Education Launches new web page!
Visit their web page to learn about the Task Force’s work and mission, and its members and collaborators. You can also read the Steering Committee’s report to the Board of Trustees, browse through the NTFAE brochure featuring articles from leaders in the Arts Education field and visual art from AP art students, and watch a short video of the Task Force members in action.

Why teach the arts? Art inspires learning. Math and science may boost economic competitiveness, but art completes our education. When American presidents talk about education, they inevitably stress the need to focus on math and science. In a technological world, they say, math and science ultimately equate with economic competitiveness. This line of thinking may be smart politics, but it makes education merely the means to an economic end. President Obama is no exception to this tendency. But as a candidate, he also routinely noted the importance of the arts, as does Education Secretary Arne Duncan. It is fair then to ask what art actually offers. Science emphasizes quantities. Art emphasizes qualities. Their mix, although paradoxical, moves us closer to completeness. (The Christian Science Monitor, 10/26/09)

Report Reveals Principals are Key to Arts Education. New research from ArtsEd Washington, a member of the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network, shows that supporting principals is a highly effective method to increase access to arts education in our schools. ArtsEd Washington has released the results of its in-depth evaluation of Principals’ Arts Leadership (PAL). Principals credited the scaffolded planning process, peer-to-peer support, and access to ArtsEd Washington’s expertise as powerful contributors to increasing arts learning in their schools.

Calling all student artists and filmmakers! Enter the GEICO Safety Belt Video and Poster Contest. All students - public, private and home schooled - are invited to enter the competition. They must be between the ages of 6 through 18, as of September 1, 2009. There are three ways to win. Students can create a hand-drawn poster, a compute-generated poster or produce a short video. GEICO has a new website for students with the complete rules and entry guidelines for each category along with the prize list. Go to geicosafetycontest.com for all the details and to see last year`s winning entries. Contest deadline is January 15, 2010, and after the winners are announced, GEICO will reprint and circulate the winning posters to schools, businesses, and safety groups across the country.

Duncan Cites Shortcomings of Teacher Preparation Secretary Spreads Blame for Quality of Programs. “America’s university-based teacher-preparation programs need revolutionary change—not evolutionary tinkering,” he said. Such changes should include a stronger preservice fieldwork component, a focus on subject-matter competency and classroom-management techniques, and state action to gauge the success of teacher college graduates in classrooms. He highlighted recent grants to bolster teacher “residency” programs and criteria in the $4 billion Race to the Top program that would help states boost teacher-training accountability. (Education Week, 10/23/09)

Standards Aren't Enough. While Americans spent the summer watching shouting matches over health care, quiet but historic progress was being made on another of President Barack Obama’s domestic-policy priorities: getting schools to ask more of their students so that they graduate better prepared for life and work.

Duncan calls for overhaul of education schools. The Obama administration is calling for an overhaul of college programs that prepare new teachers, saying they are cash cows that do a mediocre job of preparing teachers for the classroom. Among the changes proposed by Education Secretary Arne Duncan: overhauling education schools' curricula to ensure that future teachers learn how to use data to improve their instruction, and linking the performance of teachers with the schools where they received their training, so policy makers can see which schools are most effective. (eSchool News, 10/23/09)

Governor O'Malley Discusses Arts Education. In an interview with Imagination Stage, Maryland Governor O'Malley discusses the importance of the arts in education. (YouTube.com)

States' largesse sways government spending. The real secretary of education, the joke goes, is Bill Gates. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been the biggest player by far in the school reform movement, spending around $200 million a year on grants to elementary and secondary education. Now the foundation is taking unprecedented steps to influence education policy, spending millions to influence how the federal government distributes $5 billion in grants to overhaul public schools. (The Associated Press, 10/25/09)

Duncan wants a "revolutionary change" in teacher training. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is calling for "revolutionary change" in college programs that train teachers for the classroom, which are responsible for educating at least 80% of the country's teachers. In a speech prepared for delivery today, Duncan said that traditional teacher-preparation programs do not give educators enough classroom experience and do not guide them in using data properly. Officials are predicting about 1 million teaching vacancies over the next four years as veteran baby boomer teachers retire, and teacher training must become a priority, Duncan said. (MSNBC/The Associated Press, 10/21)

Creative Teens Can Earn Money for College: Young Writers & Artists Grades 7-12 Invited to Submit Work to The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards (09-10 school year). 15 Seniors Will Receive Top Honors and $10,000 Awards; Additional $3.9 Million in Writing and Art Scholarships Available to Selected Students. There are more than 30 categories, including animation, poetry, sculpture, fashion design, journalism, photography, novel writing, science fiction, and video game design. The submissions will be evaluated by a panel of local jurors comprised of artists, authors, educators and other arts professionals. Works are evaluated on the time-honored criteria of originality, technical skill and the emergence of a personal vision or voice. Deadlines vary by regional affiliate. To learn more about regional submission deadlines and how to submit work, visit http://registration.artandwriting.org.

View Archived Webcast of Secretary Arne Duncan's Town Hall with Teachers from 10/20/09 about the future of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

Arts Education and Graduation Rates. In a report released on Monday, October 19th, the nonprofit Center for Arts Education found that New York City high schools with the highest graduation rates also offered students the most access to arts education. The report, which analyzed data collected by the city’s Education Department from more than 200 schools over two years, reported that schools ranked in the top third by graduation rates offered students the most access to arts education and resources, while schools in the bottom third offered the least access and fewest resources. Among other findings, schools in the top third typically hired 40 percent more certified arts teachers and offered 40 percent more classrooms dedicated to coursework in the arts than bottom-ranked schools. They were also more likely to offer students a chance to participate in or attend arts activities and performances. The full report is at caenyc.org  (The New York Times, October 18, 2009)

Art Expert: The Problem With School Art Programs Are Teachers Who "Can Barely Draw" Many believe that the repeated bloodletting of arts curricula in our schools is a reflection of community values in which the arts rank very poorly; perhaps a legacy from our iconoclastic 17th century forebears as well as the outcome of general disbelief in the arts’ relevance to intellectual and academic growth. (The Washington Post)

View resources here from the Oct. 13th State Leaders’ Webinar on Arts Education Federal Policy & State Implementation. Couldn't join the Webinar? Click on the links to view PDF versions of the PowerPoint presentations: Federal Policy & State Implementation for State Leaders in Arts Education Slides  | AEP Slides

Investing in Innovation Fund: Click here for details and links to a program fact sheet, the proposed guidelines, & a PowerPoint presentation.

Town Hall with Teachers: Join the Discussion! In a major speech about the future of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Secretary Arne Duncan urged stakeholders to "build a law that respects the honored, noble status of educators--who should be valued as skilled professionals--rather than mere practitioners, and compensated accordingly." View Webcast: "Elevating the Teaching Profession: A National Town Hall Meeting with Arne Duncan," which originally aired Tuesday, October 20, 2009 from 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm ET. Direct link to Webcast

States, Districts Feel Stimulus-Reporting Strain. Faced with their first reporting deadlines for economic-stimulus aid to education, school districts are toiling over how every stimulus penny has been spent so far and how many jobs have been saved—numbers that will be scrutinized not just by the public, but by government auditors as well. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, passed by Congress in February, earmarked roughly $100 billion for education, and Oct. 30 is when the first quarterly spending reports are scheduled to be made public.

Arts for Learning: Connecting the Arts with Literacy, Learning and Life is a new blog launched by Young Audiences Arts for Learning on October 1st. The idea emerged during discussions about how to stimulate productive attention to important issues at the intersection of arts and education. Upcoming blog topics include: Individual Achievement through Cooperative Learning, Applause for Integrating Music into the Curriculum, and Metacognition for Effective Cognition.

National Endowment for the Arts Celebrates National Arts and Humanities Month. Visit NEA’s website to view daily highlights of arts projects happening throughout the country during the month of October by past and current NEA grantee organizations. Click here for a full list of recent NEA grantees.
Currently coordinated by Americans for the Arts, National Arts and Humanities Month is a month-long celebration that grew out of National Arts Week, which began in 1985.  View Presidential Proclamation

Case Studies Report on L.A. County’s Arts For All Districts Fills Knowledge Gap about Arts Education Efforts. The case studies and cross-case analyses in Arts for All: The Vanguard Districts – Case Studies from the First Five Years offer new insights about the differences between planning to restore arts education and making that plan a reality.

The Phillipis Collection Announces Emily Rauh Pulitzer as the Winner of the 2009 Duncan Phillips Award. Mrs. Pulitzer is founder and chairman of The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts in St. Louis, Mo. For more than 40 years, she has been a champion for the arts, helping to shape the nation’s cultural landscape through her work as a distinguished curator, collector, and arts patron.  The award was presented at a ceremony on Oct. 10, 2009.

MEMORANDUM: "The Arts: Course Guidelines" from Paul G. Pastorek, State Superintendent of Education, Louisiana The Louisiana Department of Education has developed model lessons for the visual and performing arts curriculum. The Department collaborated with the Louisiana Division of the Arts to assemble committees of arts educators, classroom teachers, teaching artists, administrators, and university professors to develop lessons based on the Louisiana Arts Content Standards.  A quality arts education is part of a world-class educational system vital to preparing students for the creative economy in the 21st century. See how Louisiana is making strides to advance art education!

New model for arts education emerges--Kennedy Center enlists local art groups to help teach students music, theater, and the visual arts. Advocates of teaching 21st-century skills understand the importance of fostering creativity in today's students, but harsh economic realities have led many schools to cut back on their arts-education programs. Now, a new model is emerging that could help offset those cuts.

Rembrandt and Collections of His Art in America. This website is a product of a National Endowment for the Humanities Curriculum Development grant. It offers an online resource for teaching about the art of the Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn. Included as instructional material are video, musical, and audio features related to Rembrandt’s paintings, etchings, and drawings, a slideshow of artworks, an interactive timeline and map, and links to primary source documents. Most importantly, it includes digitized instructional resources that contain lesson leads, art historical information about each work, and reproductions that the user can zoomify, together with a “rollover” feature that helps to decode the work in order to better understand its meaning.

Investing in Innovation Fund. This week the U.S. Ed announced priorities for the Investing in Innovation fund (i3).  Details and links to a program fact sheet, the proposed guidelines, and a PowerPoint presentation are available here. There will be a 30-day comment period, a final application will be available in early 2010, and proposals will be due next spring. Nonprofit organizations will be eligible for these funds if they partner with LEA’s (local education agencies). The current issue of the Department’s newsletter, “The Innovator,” includes an interview with Deputy Assistant Secretary for Innovation and Improvement Jim Shelton.  In it he says the following about the Innovation Fund: “I also see us looking to our arts and financial-literary programs for opportunities to push the envelope and really craft solutions that drive a different level of academic achievement and school performance.”

ED Stakeholders Forum - Watch Video. The Forum kicked off a series of conversations regarding the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). A transcript [132K] of the September 24th session is now available. In addition, here are the proposed dates for the upcoming fall forums: Tue., October 13, 2009, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.; Wed., October 21, 2009, 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.; Wed., November 4, 2009, 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.; Fri., November 20, 2009, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.; and Wed., December 2, 2009, 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. Read report on the U.S. Department of Education, Education Stakeholders' Forum - September 24, 2009 (Kathi Levin)

The Arts Education Effect-Why Schools With Arts Programs Do Better At Narrowing Achievement Gaps. Most Americans agree with President Barack Obama’s assessment that a “complete and competitive education for the 21st century” means all students will need some form of education or training beyond high school. That’s why college and career readiness for all by 2020 is his administration’s top education goal. (Education Week, 9/23/09)

Duncan Sounds Starting Gun on ESEA Renewal. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan signaled this week that the U.S. Department of Education is poised to launch reauthorization efforts for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as he used a packed meeting here to underline his likely priorities to a broad range of key stakeholders. (Education Week, 9/24/09)

Reauthorization of ESEA: Why We Can't Wait. Secretary Arne Duncan's Remarks at the Monthly Stakeholders Meeting. "Let us build a law that discourages a narrowing of curriculum and promotes a well-rounded education that draws children into sciences and history, languages and the arts in order to build a society distinguished by both intellectual and economic prowess. Our children must be allowed to develop their unique skills, interests, and talents. Let's give them that opportunity," said Duncan. (U.S. Department of Education, 9/24/09)

The Arts Education Effect-Why Schools With Arts Programs Do Better At Narrowing Achievement Gaps. Arts learning experiences play a vital role in developing students’ capacities for critical thinking, creativity, imagination, and innovation. These capacities are increasingly recognized as core skills and competencies all students need as part of a high-quality and complete 21st-century education. And, as a matter of social justice, we must be concerned when students are denied access to a high-quality education—one that includes learning in and through the arts—simply because of where they live or go to school. (Education Week (9/23)

Duncan to Get Advice on ESEA Renewal. It sounds as if the Department of Education is ready to get rolling on reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. On Thursday, Secretary Arne Duncan will do the "inside the Beltway" version of his listening and learning tour. Around 200 education advocates, representing nearly all the major education organizations, will be on hand. The meeting is just the first in a series seeking input from Washington-based advocates, think tanks, and other interested parties. Education Week (9/24)

NCLB needs to be changed in 2010, Duncan urges. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is calling on educators and others to help rewrite the No Child Left Behind law by early next year. Duncan says the administration supports the testing and accountability portions of NCLB but hopes the law can go further in respecting the "honored, noble status of educators." Duncan will deliver a speech on the topic today, where he is expected to ask for a "greater sense of urgency" in reforming education. USA TODAY (9/23) , Google/The Associated Press (9/23)

The RTTT Webinar has been scheduled for Tuesday, October 13, 2009 from 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm (ET) to brief arts education leaders about RTTT Funds. Registration information has not ben released yet. Additional information about stimulus funds for education, including Race To The Top, is provided within the U.S. Department of Education PowerPoint Presentation.  Also, Foundation Center Launches National Education Stimulus Initiative. Click here for more info.

Learning & the Brain-Modern Brains: Enhancing Student Memory & Performance in this Distracted, Digital Age, November 20–22, 2009, Boston Marriott Cambridge and MIT Campus, Cambridge, MA. Cognitive neuroscience is finding that today's fast-paced, stressful, multi-tasking, media-driven, internet-isolating life is altering the way young minds develop, function, remember and process information. This conference will explore how these changes affect learning, memory and may contribute to learning problems. Discover ways to improve student memory, learning and achievement in today's distracted, digital society.

How Arts Training Improves Attention and Cognition. Does education in the arts transfer to seemingly unrelated cognitive abilities? Researchers are finding evidence that it does. Michael Posner argues that when children find an art form that sustains their interest, the subsequent strengthening of their brains’ attention networks can improve cognition more broadly. (The Dana Foundation, 9/14/09)

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Integrating core skills, arts improves learning at DV school. The integration of fine arts and core subjects is something Lynn Tuttle, director of arts education and comprehensive curriculum for the Arizona Department of Education, calls a beneficial pairing. "Kids that are artistically motivated incorporate those talents into different core-learning areas that help them go deeper in their learning and make more connections...can better recall important facts and topics during a test and retain what they've learned longer." Tuttle said. (The Arizona Republic, 9/13/09) 

Call for Submissions: The Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network and National School Boards Association Award. The Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network (KCAAEN) and National School Boards Association (NSBA) Award program, now in its 12th year, recognizes school boards that have demonstrated support for and commitment to high-quality arts education in their school districts, communities, states, or special jurisdictions. This national award recognizes districts that have included all four major artistic disciplines—visual arts, music, theater, and dance—in their programs. The KCAAEN & NSBA Award is presented every year at NSBA’s Annual Conference. The Award recipient will also receive a $10,000 cash prize to help the district continue its work in strengthening arts education programs. Deadline for submissions is December 1, 2009. Visit http://www.kennedy-center.org/education/kcaaen/recognition/ or call 202-416-8817.

Fall 'Spirited' Family Day, hosted by the Neighbors to the President Consortium (NTPC), will offer Halloween-themed activities throughout the day on Saturday, October 17, 2009. Families are encouraged to get into the spirit of fall and spend the day touring the various cultural sites located around the White House neighborhood and participate in a full schedule of free activities, tours, and gallery talks.

UCM GALLERY OF ART & DESIGN PRESENTS: DESIGN CHICAGO 2010: sustainability, responsibility, play, and social practice. EXHIBITION DATES: OCTOBER 1 - NOVEMBER 6, 2009. OPENING RECEPTION: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1. 5 PM - 7 PM. ARTIST LECTURES: KIRBY KERR OF ROTOFUGI - OCTOBER 1, 3 PM; BRYAN SCHABEL OF PERKINS+WILL - OCTOBER 8, 3 PM; & TULA PINK - OCTOBER 22, 3 PM. GALLERY HOURS: Monday - Friday 9 pm-5 pm, Saturday 12pm-4pm, Thursdays until 8 pm. An exhibition of all things design, DESIGN CHICAGO 2010 will blur the lines between art and design, design as model for the betterment of humanity, and the multi-faceted nature to the practice and professional responsibility of a working “designer.”

What Teachers Need to Know About Race to the Top. As states continue the scramble for education dollars this year, teachers may hear frequent references to a federal grant program called “Race to the Top.” What exactly does it mean for classroom educators? (Education Week, 9/2/09)

Hurdles Ahead in 'Race to Top'. Merely filling out the award application will take each state 642 hours, according to the U.S. Department of Education, which included that estimate in its 35-page draft guidelines for the Race to the Top competition, published late last month in the Federal Register. (Education Week, 8/26/09)

View all Art:21 Access '09!
View the "Art:21-Art in the Twenty-First Century" Season Five Trailer (Fall 2009). Season 5 premieres on Wednesday, October 7, 2009, at 10:00 pm Season Five of the Peabody Award-winning television series premieres on PBS in the U.S. This trailer spotlights the artists Mary Heilmann, William Kentridge, and Yinka Shonibare MBE, offering brief glimpses of an additional eleven, dynamic and engaging contemporary artists. Can you guess who they are?
Follow the Art21 blog! Meet the Season 5 Artist: Yinka Shonibare MBE.
Access current and future "Access ‘09" content. Art21 Access ’09 is an international screening initiative that provides opportunities to increase knowledge of contemporary art, ignite dialogue, and inspire creative thinking through hundreds of public screenings and events celebrating the premiere of the fifth season of the Peabody Award-winning television series, "Art:21—Art in the Twenty-First Century."
Season 5 Educators' Guides are posted under Planning Resources
Follow the “Teaching With Contemporary Art” column, published on a weekly basis
Follow the "Flash Points" column and the Exclusive video column.

ICCA - International Collection of Child Art Digital Image Collection. This resource holds images of art created by children and adolescents representing more than fifty countries and cultures from Argentina to New Zealand. The artworks are two dimensional and use varied media. The work in this collection reflects the profoundly imaginative and energetic vision young artists use to create images.

The Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange Program provides opportunities for K-12 teachers to participate in direct one-to-one exchanges of positions with colleagues from other countries for a semester or academic year. By living and working in the cultures of their host countries, exchange teachers gain an understanding and appreciation of the similarities and differences in national cultures and education systems. APPLICATION DEADLINE for 2010-2011: October 15, 2009. The Distinguished Awards Program offers fellowships to highly accomplished U.S. and international teachers to conduct research, take courses for professional development, lead master-level seminars, and engage in other activities such as in-service training for local teachers. During the program Distinguished Teachers will work towards the completion of a capstone project of their own design. APPLICATION DEADLINE for 2010-2011: January 15, 2010. Questions on either program to fulbrightcte@aed.org.

Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, celebrates 25 years this season along with the 50th anniversary of the Guggenheim Museum, and is pleased to announce its fall 2009 schedule. In over 300 productions, Works & Process has championed new works, offered audiences unprecedented access to our generation’s leading creators and performers, and hosted post-show receptions for the audiences and artists. Each 80-minute performance uniquely combines artistic creation and stimulating conversation and takes place in the Guggenheim’s Frank Lloyd Wright–designed 285-seat Peter B. Lewis Theater. Described by the New York Times as “a popular series devoted to shedding light on the creative process.”

Education Week summarizes the public comments received in its online posting of September 3, 2009 on the Race to the Top Guidelines. Notable is the fact that the comments from the arts education community were those first described in the article. Congratulations to all of our colleagues across the sector, for making such an impact. Now we await word on the changes to the guidelines. The article indicates that the final guidelines are to be posted in early November 2009. (Note: This is a premium article. You must be a subscriber to view the article in its entirety.)

President Barack Obama to Make Historic Speech to America’s Students. C-SPAN and White House Web Site to Broadcast Speech Live. At 12:00 pm (ET), September 8, 2009, President Barack Obama will deliver a national address to the students of America. During this special address, the president will speak directly to the nation’s children and youth about persisting and succeeding in school. The president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning.

What Teachers Need to Know About Race to the Top. As states continue the scramble for education dollars this year, teachers may hear frequent references to a federal grant program called “Race to the Top.” What exactly does it mean for classroom educators? (Teacher Magazine, 9/2/09)

How to Help Your State Get Race to the Top Money. Educators can be coaches in the contest for stimulus-package funding for innovation. (edutopia, 8/27/09)

Engaging Students Through Art. Art and music can help create an environment where today’s visually oriented and tech-savvy students are more apt to learn. (AP)

How Colleagues Can Help New Teachers. Teacher mentor Jane Ching Fung says that seemingly small gestures from experienced colleagues can mean a lot to new teachers.

U.S. Department of Education 2009-2010 FRSS Arts in Education Surveys. The U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII) are collaborating to conduct seven surveys on arts education in U.S. public schools during the 2009-10 school year. The surveys will be conducted through the NCES Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), which was used to conduct previous national surveys on arts education in 1999–2000 and 1994-95. Specifically, a survey will be conducted with: • Elementary school principals • Elementary music specialists • Elementary visual arts specialists • Elementary general classroom teachers • Secondary school principals • Secondary music specialists • Secondary visual arts specialists. Both school-level surveys will be administered beginning in the fall of 2009, while the administration of the teacher-level surveys will begin in January 2010. NCES anticipates releasing initial school-level data results by January 2011 and teacher-level results by June 2011. A larger, more comprehensive report will follow the initial releases and provide combined and detailed findings for all of the surveys, including comparisons between the 1999–2000 and 2009–10. Contact: Peter Tice, Ph.D., Project Officer, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, 1990 K St., NW, Suite 9033, Washington, DC 20006, (202) 502-7497, peter.tice@ed.gov.

Social-networking site helps teachers collaborate online
BetterLesson is allowing teachers to collaborate with colleagues as well as upload and share lesson plans and other ideas. The site has been compared to Facebook, and allows educators to create their own pages, upload an entire year's curriculum and "colleague" each other. CNET (8/13)

NAEA Comments on Race to the Top Guidelines. On behalf of the nation’s visual arts educators,  NAEA submitted recommendations to the US Department of Education in response to the Notice of Proposed Priorities, Requirements, Definitions, and Selection Criteria for the Race to the Top Fund issued July 29, 2009. In July, President Obama announced the preliminary requirements for states applying for the $4.3 billion “Race to the Top” fund included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Read more

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Reinforces Importance of the Arts in Schools. Duncan featured on SupportMusic Coalition Conference Call Discussing His Letter to School and Education Community Leaders that the Arts Are Part of A Core Curriculum and Encouraging Use of Stimulus Funds. (U.S. Dept. of Education, 8/18/09)

"Studies Weigh NCLB's Broad Impact." State-level implementation of the federal No Child Left Behind Act has changed how education is delivered and to whom, researchers have found. Still, they say, it’s difficult in some cases to measure which changes can be attributed solely to the law. (Education Week, 8/18/08)

New Publications from The Wallace Foundation: Reports, articles and tools on Arts Participation & Arts Education Research; shared insights that arts organizations can use to build and sustain participation in their programs and activities. Engaging Audiences, a report on a recent Wallace Foundation conference, describes how arts organizations can build their audiences even in a tough economic climate. In several U.S. cities, institutions including schools, arts groups, and public agencies are banding together to improve arts learning for children citywide. You can find a series of slideshows from a recent conference exploring these “coordinated efforts” at AEQ: Access, Equity and Quality in Arts Learning.

"Schools Need Teachers Like Me. I Just Can't Stay." In her article, Sarah Fine explains why she has reluctantly left the profession after four years of teaching.  I highly encourage anyone concerned about the teaching profession to read her piece. (The Washington Post, 8/9/09)

"10 Ways to Improve Arts Education for All Students in Your Community" by Victoria Saunders and John Abodeely. Education is often a political issue. Thousands of adults from the feds to the states to school districts and school buildings make decisions every day that determine what a child learns—or doesn’t—in the classroom. Because of this complicated pathway, No Child Left Behind, and the perception that the arts aren’t “core subjects” (which they are), students often need our help to get access to arts education.

"15 Ways to Expand Your Reach through Social Media" by MacEwen Patterson
. With all the hype social networking is getting, there are two platforms that are actually creating an impact: Facebook and Twitter. There are two other tools that are better in design or enhance the function of both: Givezooks.com and TipJoy.com. 

U.S. Secretary of Education Affirms Value of Arts Education. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan released a letter to school officials and community leaders across the nation affirming the vital role of arts education as a core subject and supporting it as an acceptable and appropriate strategy in proposals and programs funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act [ARRA]. “Under ESEA [the Elementary and Secondary Education Act],” the Secretary noted, “states and local school districts have the flexibility to support the arts. Title I, Part A of ESEA funds arts education to improve the achievement of disadvantaged students. Funds under Title II of ESEA can be used for professional development of arts teachers as well as for strategic partnerships with cultural, arts, and other nonprofit organizations…Moreover, local school districts can use funds under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the arts along with other district expenses.” In his letter, the Secretary acknowledged results of the recent 2008 NAEP assessment in the arts, commenting, “The arts can help students become tenacious, team-oriented problem-solvers who are confident and able to think creatively. These qualities can be especially important in improving learning among students from economically disadvantaged circumstances. However, recent NAEP results found that only 57 percent of 8th graders attended schools where music instruction was offered at least three or four times a week, and only 47 percent attended schools where visual arts were offered that often.”  

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Releases Letter in Support of Arts Education. On Thursday, August 13, 2009 U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan released a letter in support of arts education.  The letter is directed to school and education community leaders. In the letter, Secretary Duncan notes that the arts are a core subject in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The letter provides a brief overview of those Titles through which federal funding to local school districts can be used to support arts education (Title I, Title II, Title V). He also notes that local school districts can use funds under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the arts along with other district expenses. The letter also provides an overview of the Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) study of arts education which will be conducted during the 2009-2010 school year by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Arts education leaders are encouraged to share this letter with appropriate individuals in their school district and in other venues.

New Project Zero Study: The Qualities of Quality: Understanding Excellence in Arts Education. Many children in the United States have little or no opportunity for formal arts instruction and access to arts learning experiences remains a critical national challenge. Additionally, the quality of arts learning opportunities that are available to young people is a serious concern. Understanding this second challenge—the challenge of creating and sustaining high quality formal arts learning experiences for K–12 youth, inside and outside of school—is the focus of a new report from Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.The report is available as a free download from The Wallace Foundation. Or download the full report here. Hard copies of the report are available from Project Zero.

New Endowment Chairman Sees Arts as Economic Engine. "He was particularly angered by parts of the debate over whether to include $50 million for the agency in the federal stimulus bill ... that arts money did not belong in the bill" (The New York Times, 8/7/09). Related: “To fix the economy, fund the arts”

Four Funding Imperatives for Public Schools. How to make the most of an unprecedented $100 billion federal stimulus package for education. President Obama's federal stimulus package, which is being spearheaded by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, presents a true ray of hope for making bona fide changes. If used wisely, the recent infusion of funds into our public education system provides the opportunity for far-reaching innovation, consequential changes, and long-lasting impact. But it is essential that we take full advantage of this unprecedented opportunity to invest in the quality of education nationwide, as we may not see an infusion like this for another generation or more. (Edutopia, 8/5/09) 

The Arts Action Alliance of Miami-Dade County in Florida announces the launch of their new AAA Blog! Updates on the latest developments for cultural funding in Miami-Dade County and recent articles and resources on arts funding will be featured.

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Related news:
Statement from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on Results of NAEP Arts 2008 Assessment
 View webcast of the release of the report
What does 'p' in music mean? Twenty percent of US students know (The Christian Science Monitor, 6/15/09)
“Mediocre” Arts Skills for American Eighth Graders (The New York Times, 6/15/09)
National arts test scores offer clouded picture (The Associated Press, 6/15/09) 
NAEP Finds Schools’ Offerings in Arts Hold Steady, But Such Classes Not Available to Many 8th Graders Tested (Education Week, 6/15/09)
Picture is unclear on arts instruction in schools (USA Today, 6/15/09)
Studies Show Art Audience Decline (The Washington Post, 6/16/09)
Are American students receiving enough arts education? (Digitaljournal.com, 6/16/09)
All Is Well with Arts Education? Not So Fast (Learning First Alliance, 6/19/09)
THE NATION’S ARTS REPORT CARD: Results reveal significant achievement gaps in both music and visual arts (AEP NAEP, 6/15/09)
NCES Commissioner's Statement: Read the statement by Stuart Kerachsky, Acting Commissioner, National Center for Education Statistics. 

U.S. 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 U.S. ED:
• Press Release
• Program Overview, Fact Sheet and Guidelines
• President's Interview

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 or other funding resources. 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.

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.

View "25 Places for Kids to Learn and Experiment with Art" from Karen Schweitzer. The web is a great place for kids to learn and experiment with art. There are sites that teach art history and theory, sites that offer easy-to use tools for mess-free creations, and sites that provide interactive games and activities.

Amon Carter Museum Receives Grants from King Foundation and Erwin E. Smith Foundation. With a $25,000 grant, the King Foundation is supporting the museum’s educator programs, which include interactive workshops that explore the museum’s collection and special exhibitions, training sessions tailored to individual districts, programs for pre-service teachers, and materials related to American art available for free loan to educators through the Teaching Resource Center. The Erwin E. Smith Foundation grant of $10,000 will allow the museum to broadcast Cowboy Close-Up, an interactive student videoconference. With the grant, the museum can provide a free broadcast for 40 schools, as well as provide participating schools with copies of the children’s book Cowboy with a Camera: Erwin E. Smith, Cowboy Photographer and other classroom resources.

Become More Tech Savvy This Summer. Dedicating time to becoming technologically proficient in your personal life can translate into a more innovative classroom.

Can lagging schools meet Duncan's goal for improvement? Education Secretary Arne Duncan has called for the turnaround of the country's 5,000 worst-performing schools in the next five years. Federal stimulus funds are an incentive for states to meet new school-performance standards. But education experts disagree on the feasibility of the goal and the means to achieve it. (Education Week, 7/21)

New Project Zero Study Highlights Importance of Arts Educators. Many children in the United States have little or no opportunity for formal arts instruction and access to arts learning experiences remains a critical national challenge. Additionally, the quality of arts learning opportunities that are available to young people is a serious concern. Understanding this second challenge -- the challenge of creating and sustaining high quality formal arts learning experiences for K-12 youth, inside and outside of school -- is the focus of a new report from Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. (Staff News Editor, 6/30/09)

New York School of Interior Design Announces Three New Degrees and Continuing Education Institute. NYSID has just announced three new degree programs, greatly expanding the college's educational offerings:
*MFA in Interior Design—A unique 3-year master's program for students without prior training in interior design
*MPS in Sustainable Interior Environments—The first post-professional degree to focus on the sustainable interior environment
*BA in History of the Interior and the Decorative Arts—The first undergraduate degree dedicated to history of the interior environment
There is also a new Institute for Continuing and Professional Studies, which began offering classes this summer, but will be expanding to two additional locations in the fall. The classes will primarily be geared toward the design professional, with a few general courses for those with an interest in interior design.

Teaching Artists Are Still Learning Their Roles. Despite a long history, the exact roles that teaching artists play in schools and the best ways for them to interact with fellow teachers and school administrators remain fluid, according to veteran educators. (The Dana Foundation)

Arts Educators Should Be Asking One Key Question. The “Learning, Arts, and the Brain” summit, hosted by the Johns Hopkins University(JHU) School of Education...was 36 hours packed with new ideas, invigorating exchanges and the unusual opportunity for educators, artists and scientists to consider the latest scientific research on how the brain learns and its relationship to actual practices in education. At the end of a presentation that demonstrated how the process of developing an animated film offers a template for dynamic teaching and learning, one of the classroom teachers present asked the question of the hour: “How can we get these new ideas into the classroom?” (The Dana Foundation)

What Educators Can Learn from Brain Research. Breakthroughs in neuroscience are measuring brain response to stimuli and beginning to alter classroom practices. (eSchool News)

The Dana Foundation created the Arts Education program with a sole focus of providing grants to support professional development for teaching artists and in-school arts specialists. Visit http://www.dana.org/grants/BrowseArtsGrants.aspx.

Curriculum Brokering: Integrating Authentic Visual Arts - By NAEA Member Jacqueline McDowell. Early in my career as a middle school art teacher, it didn't occur to me that I was not part of an integrated team. I was busy enough teaching my 50-minute art classes, working with students during exploratories (the archaeology dig was very popular), and meeting with the art club at lunch. I was the consultant for anything "visual" around the school—scenery for the plays, decorations for dances, pep signs, banners, and bulletin boards. I never felt left out and I knew how much everyone in the school valued art … or did they?

FREE LESSON PLANS! Blick Art Materials, one of NAEA's Convention sponsors, has dedicated a teacher section on their website, including videos and materials, even if you do not purchase lesson plans. The teacher news section can be found at http://www.dickblick.com/landing/teachernews/; lesson plans at http://www.dickblick.com/lessonplans/.

Common Core State Standards Initiative: Why is the Common State Standards Initiative important for the country? Today we live in a world without borders. To maintain America’s competitive edge, we need all of our students to be well prepared and ready to compete with not only their American peers, but with students from around the world. CCSSO and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) in partnership with Achieve, Inc., ACT, and the College Board have initiated a state-led process of developing and adopting a common core of state standards. The Common Core State Standards Standards Initiative will be research- and evidence-based and aligned with college and work expectations, include rigorous content and skills, and be internationally benchmarked. The first standards being addressed are English-language arts and mathematics in grades K-12.For more information: http://www.ccsso.org/federal_programs/13286.cfm

Music education may boost learning in other subjects. A Minnesota school district has implemented a music program for English-language learners that a music researcher hopes will help prove the cross-disciplinary value of arts programs in schools. By tapping into skills such as spatial reasoning and logic, music study may help students achieve in other learning areas. (The Free Press, Mankato, Minn.)

Access, Equity, and Quality in Arts Learning Conference, from June 18-20, 2009, Seattle, WA. Representatives of arts learning initiatives supported by the Wallace Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, the Heinz Endowment, and the Grable Foundation—came together for the Conference, which was planned by the Wallace Foundation with ongoing input from AEP and hosted by Americans for the Arts. It provided a unique opportunity for participants to share ideas; learn from one another; and consider how, seen together, their work constitutes a potent and systemic effort to transform education through arts learning. Materials from this conference including PowerPoint presentations can be found under the Ford Arts Ed Initiative section of the Arts Education Partnership website under Resources.

7-15-09

CAST "Spotlights" VSA Arts' Teaching Practices. CAST is pleased to announce that VSA arts’ teaching practices are currently “Spotlighted” on their website as an excellent example of how the arts can be effectively integrated into core curriculum giving students many more options for accessing, expressing and engaging in learning. This Spotlight explores how the community of teaching artists and managers in VSA arts Massachusetts are using CAST’s research-based UDL Guidelines as a framework to guide their discussions about effective teaching practices. Over the past 25 years, CAST has worked to improve instruction and learning, with an initial special focus on individuals with disabilities. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) theory (Rose & Meyer, 2002; Rose, Meyer, & Hitchcock, 2005) serves as a foundation for CAST’s ongoing program of research and development. Through the Spotlight, they hope to stimulate discussion in the field, and encourage you to nominate other innovative initiatives, products and practices for recognition. An online nomination form is available here.

Guggenheim Museum Expands Public Access to Archives with Support of Four Recent Grants. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of its Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building this year, has expanded the public and private access to its archival materials with the support of four recent grants totaling more than $200,000. The grants have been awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), the Documentary Heritage Program of the New York State Archives, the Hilla von Rebay Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts to preserve archives that document the museum’s founding history and select areas of exhibition and educational programming.

Needed: A Federal Arts Policy. There is frequent discussion about the validity of federal funding for the arts in this nation; most recently, the inclusion of $50 million for employment in the arts in the stimulus package was the source of heated debate. What we really need is a debate over federal arts policy. Most people do not know that no fewer than nine government agencies provide support to arts in this nation. That is not a typo. In addition to the National Endowment for the Arts, the national Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, arts money is also granted by the Departments of Commerce, Education, State, Agriculture, Defense, and Transportation!

What makes the arts 'essential'? Let me draw you a picture. Experiencing art is a crucial to producing young people who can understand the world's complexity. That's something philanthropic leaders should remember. Last month, the results of the U.S. Department of Education's National Arts Report Card revealed that only 16% of the eighth-graders visited a museum at least once last year. Why should we care? Because experiencing and creating art is a crucial part of developing young people who can understand the world's complexity and tackle its problems with a full range of tools.

How to Make the Most of Your Summer Job Search. If you’re still searching for a teaching position for the fall, these summer days are probably filled with anxiety and fear, writes Career Counselor Amanda Hoffman. But it’s not too late to find a fall job, she says, if you follow the right strategies.

Studying for the Praxis exam? Find information on the Art Content Knowledge portion at http://www.praxisprepinfo.com/Art_Content_Knowledge.htm. General Praxix exam information can be found at http://www.praxisprepinfo.com.

NEA, Obama Administration May Not Be in Sync. This year’s convention, which ended yesterday, was marked by the NEA’s first major attempts at getting a handle on what the administration’s push into sensitive policy areas will mean for the union’s 3.2-million members. Issues on the table for the union, which represents mostly teachers and education-support personnel, include the expansion of charter schools, the “turning around” of low-performing schools, and now with Mr. Duncan’s latest address, structural changes to the way teachers are compensated and evaluated. (Education Week, 7/7/09)

YouTube EDU is a gateway to free educational video content. YouTube EDU contains hundreds of free video clips from each college and university's YouTube channel, including lectures by well-known professors and scholars on a variety of subjects. Site visitors can browse through each of these channels individually, or search by the most viewed clips each month, or of all time. (eSchool News, 7/1/09)

New Project Zero study—The Qualities of Quality: Understanding Excellence in Arts Education—highlights importance of arts educators focusing on quality, and need for alignment of purposes. The Qualities of Quality: Understanding Excellence in Arts Education addresses the multiple challenges of achieving and sustaining quality in arts education, across major as well as emerging art forms in rural, urban, and suburban settings. The report is available as a free download from Project Zero at www.pz.harvard.edu and The Wallace Foundation at www.wallacefoundation.org. Hard copies of the report are available from Project Zero at www.pz.harvard.edu.

7-1-09

New! A unique, early film on the feminist artist Judy Chicago is a great aid in giving older and college age students a feel for the development of women's art. The website http://www.judychicagoandthecaliforniagirls.com offers streaming video of Chicago discussing the philosophy of female imagery that led to her iconic Dinner Party installation, clips of early performance art, and an authentic time capsule of the birth of the Women's Art Movement.

7-1-09

Interested in technology and art education, visit http://arted20.ning.com/.

AEP Winter 2009 Forum Report, New Orleans, LA - Reflections on the Forum The report from the AEP Winter 2009 National Forum in New Orleans, All Together Now: Building Strong Communities Through Arts and Education Partnerships, a collection of reflective essays.

Arts and 21st Century Learning Research and Policy Agenda The Arts Education Partnership (AEP) is developing an Arts Education and 21st Century Learning Research and Policy Agenda. The Agenda will provide a conceptual road map to guide the next generation of educational research and ensure that it drives and is informed by educational policy.

6-29-09

Announcing a new Yahoo Group organized to assist NBCT-EAYA Art Teachers who have been or plan to undergo recertification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

6-10-09

LISTEN: Arne Duncan Hopes to Overhaul Education System from the show, Talk of the Nation, NPR Radio, June 9, 2009.

6-9-09

COMMON EDUCATION STANDARDS. Forty-six states-representing 80 percent of the nation’s K-12 student population-have formally agreed to join forces to create common academic standards in math and English language arts through an effort led by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. In each of the 46 states, both the governor and the chief education officer signed a memorandum of agreement committing to the process and development of voluntary, common standards-the tangible result of a daylong meeting in Chicago in April. The groups plan to pursue an aggressive timeline of getting college- and career-readiness standards-things students should know by the time they finish high school-in draft form for states and eventually the public to review in July. Grade-by-grade standards-which the organizers are also calling “learning progression standards”-are set to be done by December 2009.

6-5-09

MYARTSPACE launches 2009 cash scholarship competition for graduate and undergraduate students. This is their 2nd annual art scholarship competition, with $16,000 in CASH prize awards. This merit-based scholarship is intended for students who have a passion for art and demonstrate that passion in their work. Students using all mediums of visual art, including photography, digital media, and sculpture, are encouraged to apply. Three scholarship prizes for undergraduate students and three prizes for graduate students will be awarded. First place winners in each category are awarded a $5,000 cash scholarship. Second and Third place winners receive $2,000 and $1,000 cash awards. Artists simply register for a FREE membership at MYARTSPACE, where they can upload unlimited images, videos, and music. Members can then enter the free scholarship competition by submitting their online art gallery following the simple instructions listed on the scholarship page. FINAL DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION IS DECEMBER 16, 2009.