I was inspired by Barry's Arts Blog and Updates list of the 25 most powerful people in nonprofit arts. So, as we close out one of the quietest weeks of the year, here's my list for the 10 most powerful people in K-12 arts education:Joel Klein, Chancellor, New York City Department of EducationRamon Cortines, Senior Deputy Superintendent, Los Angeles Unified School DistrictArne Duncan, CEO, Chicago Public SchoolsRudy Crew, Superintendent, Miami Dade County Public SchoolsCarol R. Johnson, Superintendent, Boston Public SchoolsArlene Ackerman, The … [Read more...]

So, what is a parent to do? On one hand, you've got the New York City Department of Education unveiling standardized tests for kindergarten through second grade students, some of which are as long as 90 minutes. (And if you think you shouldn't worry as you don't live in New York City or your child attends private school, think again. The New York City Department of Education has a mighty, mighty PR machine, and they are bound to convince the nation to follow suit, or at least try to convince the nation.)On the other hand, an opinion piece in … [Read more...]

It happens every year: summer comes to a close, signaled by The Jerry Lewis Telethon and a return to school. The public school battles will surely continue, and between testing, charter schools, vouchers, small schools, and so many other issues, it's sometimes easy to lose track of the fundamental reason why there are public schools. So, for this last week of August,  let's consider what Albert Shanker thought about the core rationale for public schools. Shanker was the long-term head of the American Federation of Teachers and the United … [Read more...]

Every month or so, I am going to highlight an organization and/or person doing terrific work in arts education. It may be in K-12, or adult education, youth development, or even branch out beyond arts education per se, to another area of education.If you don't already know Mosaic Youth Theater of Detroit, I am happy to introduce both Mosaic and Rick Sperling, its Founder and CEO. I had the great pleasure of seeing a production a year or so ago, and have also heard Rick present at a couple of conferences. Mosaic's Mission and Vision are:"Mission … [Read more...]

Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States and supreme allied commander, introduced the term "Military Industrial Complex," in his 1961 farewell speech before leaving office. He had wanted to call it the "Military Industrial Congressional Complex," but decided it was too confrontational. Ike worried that "this conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience." He went on to state that "we must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic … [Read more...]

For the past year or so I was a member of an Arts Education Task Force established by the New York City Department of Education. The Task Force looked at two particular areas: quality and data. Quality was about defining and ensuring "high quality" arts education; data was about providing feedback and advice to the Annual Arts in the Schools Report. The Task Force had two subcommittees, one for each of the focus areas. Overall, the Task Force, a who's who of arts education in New York City, crafted a series of recommendations for the school … [Read more...]

If you care about K-12 arts education, not to mention public education, not to mention children, well then it's impossible to get out from under NCLB. It may just be the greatest cause for education handwringing since Brown versus Board of Education in 1954.There is a terrific online discussion hosted by Newtalk, with some true heavyweights in the education field. It was a three day discussion in response to the question: "Do we need a basic rewrite of No Child Left Behind?"Among other heavyweights, you've got America's greatest education … [Read more...]

In case you missed it, The Wallace Foundation commissioned Susan J. Bodilly, et al.,  from RAND to write a report entitled "Revitalzing Arts Education Through Community-Wide Coordination." This report was released in June.There's lots here to chew on here and I am guessing that this won't be my last post on this report.While there are areas that appear weak, most noticeably the absence of a necessary and reasonable explication of what they mean by "coordination," and it should be noted that a number of the school districts complained … [Read more...]

 What a terrific piece in New York Magazine by Justin Davidson. A must read, with lots to consider around the issue of "bequeathing musical taste." Justin sees this as a parent's job, which is true, of course. However, for the many parents who work two jobs or who are simply not up to that particular job, it falls to the public (and private) schools to provide what Justin is writing about.It brings me to Sophie, my three-year-old daughter. As I wrote in my blog description, I believe that the arts are inherent to all children--that the … [Read more...]