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In This Issue
- State Braces for Worsening Crisis in Education Funding
- Schools Without Art
- Grassroots Interactive Map of LAUSD Tracks Education Cuts
- Comic Genius Dom DeLuise Passes Away
- Support AB700, the Creative Industries Revitalization Act
- Secretary of Education Embarks on Listening Tour
- Administration Addresses Soaring Dropout Rate
- Research Cardiologist Demonstrates the Power of Music
- Music Education Petition to the U.S. Department of Education
- Educational Theatre Organization National Conference
- Arts Education Partnership Conference
CONFERENCES, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
- Lincoln Center Institute National Educator Workshop
- Wells Fargo Center for the Arts Summer Institute
- Career Strategies for Teachers
- Advice on Finding Your Dream Teaching Job
RESOURCES, FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
- NEA Shakespeare for a New Generation Grants
- NEA Announces Second Round of Funding for FY 2009
- MetLife Foundation Partners in Arts Education Grant
Date May 21, 2009
ArtsEdMail provides all the latest information to connect the Arts Education community in California. Our free e-newsletter is published every two weeks.
We rely on you to support our efforts.
What
Now?
This is an eventful week for everyone interested in the fate of education
in our schools. Tuesday’s election led to the defeat of several propositions,
an outcome that the state estimates will lead to an increase in the state
deficit to about $21.3 billion (from about $15 billion prior to the election).
The deficit means further cuts to education and to arts education.
Late last week, Governor Schwarzenegger held a press conference anticipating the possible outcomes of the May 19th election and indicating how the state might address a worsening budget crisis. His office reported that in the wake of the defeat of the propositions, they expected further cuts to education of $2.3 billion. Categorical funding, including the Arts and Music Block Grant, will be reduced in the 2009-10 school year by $334 million, up from the anticipated $221.6 million resulting from the February 2009 state budget.
It is too early still to quantify in any detail the pending losses in terms of positions and programs in art, music, dance and theatre in districts across California. The Alliance will be surveying the losses over the summer. But we know visual and performing arts are among the hardest hit during periods of declining education funding, and already in the wake of the February state budget, we saw pink slips going out to legions of arts and music instructors. That situation has now grown worse.
The crisis serves as a call to action for you, our statewide network of arts education advocates. We need you to work harder than ever to lobby your districts to preserve visual and performing arts instruction. We cannot afford to be fair-weather arts education advocates, speaking out only when resources are plentiful. Standing up for art, music, dance and theatre as an essential part of every child’s education is all the more important when programs and teaching positions are being slashed to the bone.
Please continue to speak to district leaders about why arts education matters and what we deny our students when we take away such opportunities. Our advocacy center will help you make the case.
Please also help expand our grassroots network over the coming months. Reach out to business and community leaders and let them know that when arts education suffers, we fail to prepare our students for the jobs and citizenship requirements of the future. Ask them to join you in advocating for arts instruction in the schools, and invite them to join the Alliance. Signing them up for our newsletter is one of the most important things you can do – all subscribers receive out action alerts to send letters and sign petitions that go to local and statewide policymakers who determine the future of arts education. The more we raise a chorus of voices representing educators, parents, business and community leaders who understand how much is at stake, the more effective we can be in protecting arts education and restoring what has been lost as the state starts to recover.
Watch for a survey this summer asking you to help us gather critical information about the state of art education in your district. And in the meantime thank you for all you do to help the cause.
State
Braces for Worsening Crisis in Education Funding
The growing budget deficit is expected to force deep cuts that will lead
to layoffs, larger classes, school closures, and a shortened school year.
Further cuts to arts and music are expected. Read
more.
Schools
Without Art
A recent editorial in the Tracy Press by a substitute dance teacher contemplates
schools without arts, and considers what’s being lost in a “cloud of
pink slips.” Read
more.
Grassroots
Interactive Map of LAUSD Tracks Education Cuts
The folks at Cuts Hurt Kids have set up this interactive map to show
where parents, teachers, students, and community members are working
in protest of Los Angeles Unified School District budget cuts, including
teacher layoffs. View
map.
The Alliance is tracking protests and grassroots actions around the state.
Send us an
update about what’s happening in your district, or contribute to one
of our Facebook
discussion groups to let us know what’s happening.
Comic
Genius Dom DeLuise Passes Away
Comic actor Dom DeLuise died May 4th. He is survived by his wife Carol,
a long-time friend and supporter of the Alliance, and their three sons,
as well as the actor’s sister and three grandchildren. The staff and board
of the Alliance send condolences to the entire family. We know he will
be greatly missed by friends and fans around the world. Read
more.
Support
AB700, the Creative Industries Revitalization Act
The Alliance is calling for support of AB700 (Krekorian), a bill under
consideration by the state legislature that would provide a stable revenue
source for the California Arts Council and other support for the arts.
California Arts Advocates has an action center in support of the bill.
Take action.
Secretary
of Education Embarks on Listening Tour
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will travel to 15 or more states
in the coming months to solicit feedback from a broad group of stakeholders
around federal education policy in anticipation of the reauthorization
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The meetings and events
will be taped and reports and video summaries will be published on the
department’s website. Read more.
Administration
Addresses Soaring Dropout Rate
A New York Times editorial board recently called attention to the soaring
high school dropout rate that traps millions of Americans, and a disproportionate
number of minority students, in poverty and economic instability. Read
editorial. The House Committee on Labor and Education recently held
hearings to
examine policies for addressing the high school dropout crisis. Relevant
to the focus on dropout rates, various studies including this one from
the Arts Education Partnership, show a connection between keeping kids
in school and arts education – in particular, the essay entitled “The
Role of Fine and Performing Arts in High School Dropout Prevention” which
starts on p. 84. Get
report.
Research
Cardiologist Demonstrates the Power of Music
“Music may be one of the best de-stressors – either by playing or evening
listening to music,” says Dr. Mike Miller of Baltimore. His studies show
physical responses to music that are protective to the heart. Read
more.
Music
Education Petition to the U.S. Department of Education
The National Association for Music Education is circulating a petition for the
U.S. Department of Education asking that they include in a reauthorized Elementary
and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind) a provision that music be
treated as a core subject and a mandatory component of every public education
curriculum in the United States. View
petition.
The
New Insider's Guide is Now Available
Our new Insider’s Guide to Arts Education Planning is now online.
It is a thorough handbook for organizing a community arts team, assessing
the current state of arts education in your district, and generating a
strategic plan and a funding strategy, as well as ways to measure and assess
implementation. The need for such strategic organizing has never been greater.
Educational
Theatre Organization National Conference
The ETA and the California Educational Theatre Association will hold a
conference, The Power of Leadership: Shaping the Future of Theatre Education
September 10-13 in Anaheim. Get
more information.
Arts
Education Partnership Conference
The AEP National Forum, October 2-3 in Cambridge, MA, will explore the
connections and synchronicities between the arts and 21st century learning.
This meeting will be hosted by Lesley University. Small group proposals
are due June 15th. Please send all small group proposal submissions to
Laura Smyth, Senior Associate for Communications and Partnerships at lauras@ccsso.org.
Submissions for the Cover Art Contest are due June 25th to Teka Phan, Program
Assistant, at tekap@ccsso.org.
Conferences, Professional Development
Lincoln
Center Institute National Educator Workshop
Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education, established in 1975,
is the educational cornerstone of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts,
Inc. The National Educator Workshop is a week-long intensive professional
development workshop for pre-K-12 educators, administrators, curriculum
developers, teaching artists, teacher educators, college/university professors,
or arts administrators. Cost is $500. Registration for all 2009 sites will
be handled by the Lincoln Center Institute. Space is limited, so register
early. Learn more.
Wells
Fargo Center for the Arts Summer Institute
With focused attention devoted to standards-driven lesson planning, authentic
assessment, and behavior management, this course will help teachers effectively
introduce the arts into their instructional "toolbox" in a way
that makes the most effective use of instructional time. This course consists
of a series of interactive workshops, giving teachers an opportunity to
learn by participating and sharing with colleagues. The summer institute
will be held July 13-17 in Santa Rosa. Space is limited to 40 participants.
Cost: $350. More
information.
Career
Strategies for Teachers
EducationWeek is sponsoring a free chat about opportunities for teachers
and ways to find a new teaching position or advance your career, May 19th
12:00 noon PST. Speakers include Kent McAnally, director of finance and
budget for the American Association of Employment in Education, and Mark
T. Brophy, director of long-range planning and development for the American
Association of Employment in Education. This chat will be moderated by
Anthony Rebora, managing editor of teachermagazine.org and the Teacher
Professional Development Sourcebook. Get
more information.
Advice
on Finding Your Dream Teaching Job
Edutopia recently published this list of tips for teachers looking for a new
position. Their advice includes strategies for a highly targeted job search,
and ways to reach out to a hiring principal. Read
more.
Resources,
Funding Opportunities
NEA
Shakespeare for a New Generation Grants
The National Endowment for the Arts announced 37 new Shakespeare for a New Generation
(SNG) grants for 2009-2010. Six of the participating theaters also will receive
additional grant support through an NEA/Department of Justice partnership to
bring SNG to youth involved with the juvenile justice system. SNG brings Shakespeare
performances and educational activities to middle and high schools nationwide.
Grants are $25,000 each to support performances and educational activities by
each theater for at least 10 schools. Additional funding ranges from $10,000-20,000.
More information.
NEA
Announces Second Round of Funding for FY 2009
The NEA has announced its second round of funding for FY 2009. The National Endowment
for the Arts will distribute $82,477,100 to nation’s non-profit arts organizations.
You can read the full release and list of grants here.
Grant categories include: Access to Artistic Excellence; Learning in the Arts; Arts on Radio and Television; American Masterpieces ; and Partnership grants to Regional Arts Organizations and State & Jurisdictional Arts Agencies.
MetLife
Foundation Partners in Arts Education Grant
The National Guild of Community Schools has received a grant of $275,000 from
MetLife Foundation to continue the MetLife Foundation Partners in Arts Education
Program. The national initiative aims to improve teaching and learning in the
arts by supporting and promoting sustainable partnerships between community arts
education organizations and public schools. Grants of up to $20,000 will be awarded
to support arts education partnerships during the 2009-2010 school year. Deadline
is May 26th, 2009. Get
more information.
Arts
for All Implementation Manager
Arts for All is a countywide strategic plan to restore dance, music, theatre,
and the visual arts to 1.7 million students in Los Angeles County’s 81
public school districts. Reporting to the Arts for All Senior Implementation
Manager, this position will provide analysis, development, and administration
of highly complex, multifaceted initiatives to deepen school district capacity
to provide quality arts instruction and increase the quality of arts instruction
through professional development for district-level Arts Coordinators,
teachers, and arts providers. This position works independently to administer
all aspects of program initiatives. Candidates are invited to submit via
email a cover letter and detailed resume describing their relevant experience,
education and qualifications. All submissions should be sent to artsforall@arts.lacounty.gov,
with Arts for All Implementation Manager Job Application as the subject
line.
Executive
Director, Recording Academy, San Francisco Chapter
This is an exciting position for someone with relevant music industry experience
in the greater San Francisco area. The ideal candidate will posses strong managerial,
relationship and consensus building skills. The Executive Director will build
chapter membership and develop productive relationships with sponsors while producing
various programmatic events and developing the staff as well as the Board of
Governors. This position will also contribute to the administration of the Awards
process. Contact: Jilene Rackemann, Wentworth Recruiting: 479 West Sixth Street,
San Pedro, CA 90731. Phone: (800) 995-9678, ext. 360. Email:jilenerackemann@wentco.com
Music
Center, Los Angeles
The Music Center, Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County one of the nation’s
premier performing arts institutions located in downtown Los Angeles has two
immediate openings.
Tour Coordinator: The Tour Coordinator works with school coordinators and artists to ensure successful program implementation. This position will coordinate performances in schools and community centers for Music Center on Tour, the Music Center’s in-school assembly performance program; fulfill requests from schools and community centers for assemblies utilizing the Music Center’s roster of performing artists; work closely with school coordinators to schedule performances; maintain calendars, process contracts and invoices, and perform other duties as assigned.
Regional Programs Manager: The Regional Programs Manager will manage and administer student, teacher, and public sector arts programs including working closely with colleagues to design, implement, manage and evaluate arts programming in schools in assigned school district territory. Responsible for marketing arts education services and cultivating relationships with various education stakeholders in order to foster school-wide and district-wide arts programming efforts including coordination all aspects of arts programming with artists and schools/agencies within assigned regions of Los Angeles County to facilitate arts education services.
Get more information. To be fully considered for one of these positions please review the full job description, then email or fax cover letter and resume to: 213 972-0721 or e-mail: jobs@musiccenter.org
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