Arts Education Research

What's Wrong With This Statement?

"People say, 'Well, you know, test scores don't take into account creativity and the love of learning,'" she says with a drippy, grating voice, lowering her eyelids halfway. Then she snaps back to herself. "I'm like, 'You know what? I don't give a crap.' Don't get me wrong. Creativity is good and whatever. But if the children don't know how to read, I don't care how creative you are. You're not doing your job."

This just documents the problem we have in education. Michelle Rhee... the wonderkind Chancellor of the DC Public Schools made this statement in this week's TIME coverstory: Can She Save Our Schools? - TIME Once again... an education leader who should know better shows the same ignorance as other policy makers when it comes to improving education. She creates a false dichotomy like we have to make a choice between creativity and reading. That these are mutually exclusive. That somehow wanting to ensure we are developing creative skills is interfering with students learning to read. This is a dangerous mindset we have seen far to much of lately. And once again an education leader demonstrates the narrow mindedness that has allowed other nations to surpass us in developing students to compete in the 21st century. This pervasiveness of this line of thinking is beginning to concern me. What about you?

No Program is Safe... STILL!

I know... I have written with this subject as a headline before... but in these turbulent economic times it is worth repeating. I do not care who you are, how good your program is, how much money you have, have wealthy your community is, how much parental support you have or how many honors, achievements, trophies, or accolades your music or arts programs have received: NO PROGRAM IS SAFE. In other words... time to get proactive about protecting our programs. Our latest example comes to us from a district with arguably one of the finest arts education programs in the country... Clark County Nevada. This is a snippet from today's Las Vegas Review-Journal:

Passions rose to scream-therapy intensity at a public meeting Wednesday on possible Clark County School District budget cuts that could total $120 million next school year. Outdrawing a Tuesday crowd of 600 people at Western High School, about 750 people came to Chaparral High School on Wednesday for the second of two meetings to give school officials input on how to manage a financial crisis brought on by a shortfall in state tax revenues. Superintendent Walt Rulffes said the public was beginning to grasp the seriousness of the situation, which could mean massive layoffs and the loss of prized programs such as arts, music and sports. In one sign of public interest in possible education budget cuts, online readers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal posted more than 130 comments about Tuesday's meeting at Western High School. Speakers at Chaparral echoed the concerns posted on the newspaper Web site, namely that the district needs to cut out "the fat" and reduce from "the top down and not the bottom up," preserving classroom funding as much possible and cutting district bureaucracy. Full Story - Anger over cuts reaches fever pitch

OK... so here we have community outrage spilling out into public display, the Superintendent doing what they like to do by crying "we are going to have to cut your precious music and arts programs" and comments flooding the newspaper website looking for whole sale changes... Baby, meet the bath water. Of particular concern to me are some of the public comments which appear to be getting nastier and more barbaric in response to the crisis. One of my favorites is this little compassionate appeal:

We can start by calling ICE. There is no need for vice principles, teachers aides, Free events(parties)free books, free meals, free school supplies, free dance classes, free drama classes, free kindergarten, free magnet schools or bussing outside a defined perimeter of 1 1/2 miles of any school. This is how it was when I went to school and your children are no better than me. It is the government’s responsibility to provide your children a basic education, which includes Math, Science, History and English/Reading/Writing. If you want additional classes, pay for them. If you cannot afford the cost associated with children, quit having children!

Wow! We can start by calling Ice? The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency? The problem is immigration? The problem is a diverse curriculum? The problem is... dare I say it... a diverse society? As I stated a moment ago... WOW! An isolated comment... unfortunately... no. It appears the back to "basics" zealots are coming out in force. They won't be happy until we are firmly ensconced back in the educational stone ages. Reading, Math, Science... none of that fluffy stuff... and if you want it... YOU pay for it. A great theory... but how does that work when we apply the same principle to something like... say... I don't know... maybe a WAR? Make that TWO WARS. But, I digress. So while other nations around the world expand their view of what forms the basis of a quality education when contemplating a broader view of human capacity for the new millennium... we are moving full speed ahead to build a better... yesterday. And in this environment... No Program is Safe! Battle Stations!

Mike Huckabee's New Book:

Former Governor and Presidential candidate (and current bass player) has come out with his new book on the past campaign with the title Do the Right Thing: Inside the Movement That's Bringing Common Sense Back to America. In a conference call today with bloggers who covered his campaign this past year Governor Huckabee outlined his goals for the book. If you are looking for political pay back... there may be some red meat for you (there is no love lost when it comes to Mitt Romney) as well as some interesting behind the scenes of the campaign. But that is not the purpose of the book. The purpose of the book is to highlight a pathway forward. And you will find in his book items the media did not cover during the campaign including my favorite topic... education. I did an analysis regarding the debates through Nov. 2007 and this is what I reported:

Governor Huckabee said today that he was so upset about being overlooked on this question that he went to Chris Wallace during a break to raise his concern. Apparently Mr. Wallace acknowledged Fox’s error in not allowing the Governor to address this issue. Not allowing Governor Huckabee to address an education question is like not allowing Rudy Giuliani to address a terrorism question. An unfortunate situation. But not as unfortunate as the total lack of concern for the education issue as demonstrated by the media. Here are the stats: Total Debates: 9 Debate Time Measured in Days: 2/3 of a day Debate Time in Hours: 16 (I did not go back and add them all up but I am sure it must be more!) Debate Time in Minutes: 900 Total minutes devoted to Education: 5 % of time devoted to Education: 55/100’s of 1% That's right. 55/100’s of 1% (as a decimal it looks like this: .0055) is the total time our Republican Presidentail Candidates have been on stage with national media coverage supposedly speaking about what are the compelling issues facing our nation. Sad.

On today's call the Governor reinforced his commitment to a whole cadre of issues that were ignored during the campaign... from health care and education to improving our nation's infrastructure. And yes... as I have been writing about on this blog now for over 4 years... music and arts education are a part of his book - just as it has been a embedded part of who he is - and will be a part of his book tour conversations. He may not have achieved his goal of becoming our nation's commander in chief but when it comes to education and particularly the important role of music and arts education in the lives of our children... he was and remains our best spokesperson in chief. Go out and buy it and see for yourself! Some coverage from Time Magazine and Politico

Should Kids Be Able to Graduate After 10th Grade?

This the intriguing question asked by this Time Magazine article. It looks at a proposal coming out of New Hampshire where there have been significant changes made to the educational structure. Time and Place have been replaced by knowledge and competency. It is no longer about how much time you sit in a class or for that matter what building, if any, the class is held in… but rather a focus on what the student actually knows… regardless of how, or where, that knowledge is acquired. Add a new set of measures to move these students on to college after grade 10 and you have real reform taking place. This is not rearranging the deck chairs:

High school sophomores should be ready for college by age 16. That's the message from New Hampshire education officials, who announced plans Oct. 30 for a new rigorous state board of exams to be given to 10th graders. Students who pass will be prepared to move on to the state's community or technical colleges, skipping the last two years of high school. Once implemented, the new battery of tests is expected to guarantee higher competency in core school subjects, lower dropout rates and free up millions of education dollars. Students may take the exams — which are modeled on existing AP or International Baccalaureate tests — as many times as they need to pass. Or those who want to go to a prestigious university may stay and finish the final two years, taking a second, more difficult set of exams senior year. "We want students who are ready to be able to move on to their higher education," says Lyonel Tracy, New Hampshire's Commissioner for Education. "And then we can focus even more attention on those kids who need more help to get there." Full Article

The model for much of this comes from the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce and their report Touch Choices or Tough Times. It is a serious and challenging clarion call about the dire need for us to break the educational mold with bold steps to shock our system of education in order for us to be competitive on a global level. Three states have now just announced commitments to the implementation of many of the reports recommendations. It is well worth a read. In a related story the Boston Globe today had this to Editorial about the efforts in the Massachusetts:

EDUCATION SECRETARY Paul Reville is loath to turn his back on the major initiatives in the state's Readiness Project - a 10-year plan to create a public education system capable of sustaining middle-class aspirations into the 21st century. But plunging tax revenues argue against Reville's strategy of establishing several "beachheads" along the road from preschool to college. In June, the Patrick administration released dozens of recommendations from his Readiness Project, including the expansion of preschool, full-day kindergarten, longer school days, the creation of semi-autonomous Readiness schools, and free tuition at community colleges. The costs of such projects won't be known for at least another month. But the need for Governor Patrick to make hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency budget cuts in October suggests that immediate new funding for education will be sparse. The best strategy right now would be to focus on plans to lengthen the school day in poorer cities and towns where students lag their statewide counterparts. A pilot program to extend the traditional 6.5-hour school day by at least 25 percent is underway in 26 schools in a dozen mostly urban school districts. Early reports show significant improvements on MCAS scores across all grade levels. Equally important, many of the extended-day schools use the extra time not only to improve scores but to provide the enrichment courses, including art and music, that bring joy to the school day. Full Article

In spite of all we are hearing about the economy... it appears change is coming to our education system. And, I might add, not a moment too soon.

Add the UK to the "What Do They Know That We Don't" List

Ah yes... another day... another nation - NOT THE UNITED STATES - announces a major investment in music/arts education.

Music changes lives - and saves them Can music really play a part in reducing knife crime, drug addiction and all the rest of society's ills, asks Julian Lloyd Webber? Yes, it can, and politicians are finally waking up to the fact Two weeks ago, a unique event took place at London's City Hall. Unheralded and predictably ignored by the media, it was hosted by Boris Johnson's live-wire arts director Munira Mirza and - due to the response to this unprecedented occurrence - what began life as a low-key breakfast meeting soon turned into a full-blown conference. What could have prompted this overwhelming reaction? A discussion on music education, believe it or not, and the tangible buzz in the air was undoubtedly due to the mayor's initiative proving for once and for all that the importance of allowing children access to music has transcended the political divide. Arriving hot on the heels of Labour's ground-breaking ｣332 million for music education in 2008-11, the meeting was a triumph for all those musicians, journalists and educationists who have worked so hard to hammer home the crucial part that music can play in young people's lives.

Is anyone in this country paying ANY attention to this? Full Story

An Obama Presidency

On this blog I have commented and shared insights regarding Barack Obama's words and plans for music and arts education as well as education in general. While I am working on my article about the opportunties created for education and the arts by an Obama Presidency I want to point to a few items that would be worth considering. First... a reminder. Here is an excerpt from his education speech given in November 2007 in New Hampshire:

But I'll tell you what's wrong with No Child Left Behind. Forcing our teachers, our principals, and our schools to accomplish all of this without the resources they need is wrong. Promising high-quality teachers in every classroom and then leaving the support and the pay for those teachers behind is wrong. Labeling a school and its students as failures one day and then throwing your hands up and walking away from them the next is wrong. And by the way - don't tell us that the only way to teach a child is to spend most of the year preparing him to fill in a few bubbles on a standardized test. Don't tell us that these tests have to come at the expense of music, or art, or phys. ed., or science. These tests shouldn't come at the expense of a well-rounded education - they should help complete that well-rounded education. The teachers I've met didn't devote their lives to testing, they devoted them to teaching, and teaching our children is what they should be allowed to do. The fact is, No Child Left Behind has done more to stigmatize and demoralize our students and teachers in struggling schools than it has to marshal the talent and the determination and the resources to turn them around. That's what's wrong with No Child Left Behind, and that's what we must change in a fundamental way.

I like it! Now, here is thee AP analysis of the challenges ahead:

EDUCATION The promise: An $18 billion plan that would encourage, but not mandate, universal pre-kindergarten; teacher pay raises tied to, although not based solely on, test scores; an overhaul of President Bush's No Child Left Behind law to better measure student progress, make room for subjects like music and art and be less punitive toward failing schools, and a tax credit to pay up to $4,000 of college costs for students who perform 100 hours of community service a year. Obama would pay for part of his plan by ending corporate tax deductions for CEO pay. He has backed away from his proposal to save money by delaying NASA's moon and Mars missions. The problem: With the budget stretched thin, a huge infusion of cash for early childhood education or college costs seems unlikely. Federal spending on education has already been rising for more than a decade. Congress and the White House will be in no hurry to tackle No Child Left Behind, which was due for a rewrite in 2007; the economy, the war and health care are stickier and more pressing concerns.

Obama's promises, vision to collide with reality Hmmm... for some reason I think the AP may have gotten this wrong. NCLB revisions have been sitting in the wings awaiting the outcome of this election. Sure it will not be the top priority... but I do not think the new administration is going to kick this down the road for later discussion. Two more interesting reads for you: An interesting article from the Times of London pre election. What will the new president do for the arts? And of course... one of my favorite insights to Barack Obama's commitment to music/arts education come from a little covered interview in Iowa. Click here to listen to the MP3 This should keep you busy while I finish my article! Enjoy!

Spellings Speaks... No One Cares!

Current and soon to be departing Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, who has singularly contributed to the stress on the public education system... first as Senior Advisory to the President and more recently as Secretary... answered some questions of students. One specifically addressed music and arts education:

Why do you think art and music programs are the first to be cut during a budget crisis when many believe that these are important learning experiences that clearly affect other disciplines? Well, again, these are not decisions made at the federal level. But I reject the assumption that we cannot teach kids to read and do math on grade level and have art and music. A lot of administrative bureaucracy exists in our system. What I often see is that we make budget cuts at the expense of kids as opposed to the expense of adults. At the same time as programs are being cut, we see salaries rise and benefits increase. This is within the prerogative of the local school boards, but I think we have to start holding ourselves accountable for a system that serves kids at least as much as it does the teachers and administrators.

The whole article is worth reading as she breathlessly claims credit for imporvements in education and pushes all the blame to local communities around whose neck this albatros of federal education policy now rest. Thanks Margaret... and don't let the door hit you on the way out! Interviews: Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings from our Teen Magazine

Rhode Island: The Canary in the Coal Mine?

Every time there is an economic down turn or some other event that could threaten music and arts education programs I often search for a sign, an article, a report that would provide some clues as to what may actually happen. Now we are faced with not one... but two shifts of the techtonic plates that will create seizmic activity in the educational arena unlike anything we have seen in a generation. The Presidential election is one earthquake. Regardless of the winner tomorrow there will be changes, probably significant, and maybe even favorable to the arts. The other earthquake of the economic down turn continues to shake across this country... and the fallout from this event is just now starting to emerge. Yesterday, a newspaper in Rhode Island reported on the threats to arts education across the state. Last week, we learned the record arts funding for the state of California was at risk. What does this have to do with the Canary in the Coal Mine? Well, Early coal mines did not feature ventilation systems, so miners would routinely bring a caged canary into new coal seams. Canaries are ideal for detecting any dangerous gas build-ups. As long as the canary in a coal mine kept singing, the miners knew their air supply was safe. A dead canary in a coal mine signalled an immediate danger. While one story does not a trend make... might Rhode Island be our canary in the coal mine?

WEST WARWICK — Stephen Saunders knew he was part of a vanishing breed — a district art supervisor who coordinated programs from kindergarten through 12th grade. He pushed for students to have access to weekly art classes and helped art teachers integrate new techniques and standards into their curriculum, a job he held for 19 of his 35 years as an educator. But after a round of deep cuts to Warwick’s school budget last year, Saunders’ position was eliminated and he found himself in an extinct group. “I think I was the last full-time arts supervisor in the state,” said Saunders, who now works as an elementary art teacher. School administrators across Rhode Island are facing tough financial decisions — as well as mounting pressure to boost performance on state tests in English and math. In many cases, districts are cutting music and art programs, calling them luxuries they can no longer afford.

Arts education threatened by budget cuts, say teachers | Education | projo.com | The Providence Journal