« June 2007 | Main | August 2007 »

July 24, 2007

“Money doesn’t make the difference, accountability does.”

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the city’s plans to add accountability in arts education to the measures principals will be graded on for the success of their schools. This announcement follows months of concern that the Department of Education was more concerned about releasing the funds that had been dedicated to the arts and less concerned with the arts themselves.

I wrote about this in the blog entry Not on the Test so I am keenly interested in how this plays out.

Through the research we have been doing around the nation it is clear that Mayor Bloomberg is correct: Money doesn't make the difference… Accountability does!

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced yesterday that the city’s Department of Education will require all schools to maintain arts programs, and that principals will be rated in their annual reviews on how well they run those programs.

The announcement came just months after the department infuriated arts groups by eliminating a multimillion-dollar program to finance arts education.

Under a new set of city standards, the arts curriculums will be judged for comprehensiveness, and potential pay bonuses for principals could be affected.

“An excellent arts education is essential,” the mayor said at a news conference at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan.

Bloomberg Announces Plan to Shore Up Arts in Schools - New York Times

Related Articles:

SCHOOLS BRUSHING UP ON THE ARTS | By CHUCK BENNETT | New York Post

Bloomberg Arts Initiative To Grade Schools' Performance - July 24, 2007 - The New York Sun

New city-wide program emphasizes art in schools - SI Advance Newslog

Posted by musicforall at 7:55 AM

July 16, 2007

Do Schools Kill Creativity?

One of the most enjoyable parts of my work is that I get to hang out with people who are significantly smarter than I (as a drummer this means just about anything with a pulse!)

Sir Ken Robinson has been a personal friend and advisor to my work for the past several years. He is a very nice guy. He is extraordinarily funny. And he is probably the greatest thinker about the arts, creativity, education and the new global economy.

As I was doing my morning surfing today I came across the video below of his presentation at TED.

It remains one of the great education speeches of our time.

Check it out:

Posted by musicforall at 8:07 AM | Comments (1)

July 9, 2007

Mike Huckabee Brings Arts Ed to N.E.A. Convention

Governor Mike Huckabee continues to push the issue of music and arts education as a central cause of his campaign for president. Although he has voiced his frustration that education has not come up in the debates as much as it is brought up by voters on the campaign trail.

After three presidential debates and not one question on education - Governor Mike Huckabee made it clear why he was so eager for someone to discuss the education issue and why he, a Republican, would appear at an NEA convention.

He spoke about his vision for education, the role of music and arts have inspiring our children's creative thinking, personalized learning, and the terror our nation faces if our citizens do not have a quality education.

There were six... count them... SIX standing ovations.

No other candidate mentioned the arts. I hope others will soon join the discussion. In the mean time the music and arts education community has at least one candidate willing to promote our cause. This is a major step forward for the field!

Short Video from the NEA:

NEA Speech Highlights

From thee NEA news release:

Mike Huckabee, the first Republican presidential candidate to accept NEA’s invitation to address the Representative Assembly, said he might look “as out of place as Michael Moore at the NRA convention,” but education is an issue that must cut across party lines. The presidential debates have focused heavily on national security, he said, but “there is another issue of national security, and it is the education of our children.”

Heavy emphasis on testing has led to a narrowing of school curriculums, and Huckabee said this contributes to the national dropout crisis: students need access to subjects that excite them. “Every student in the United States of America should not be denied the opportunity and the obligation to study music and art as part of his or her education,” he said. “We’re leaving a lot of kids’ talents behind by denying them the opportunity to experience their creative self.”

Posted by musicforall at 7:43 AM | Comments (0)