Archives for category: Arts Education
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A Gift for You: A Beautiful Poem

By dianerav
May 12, 2013 //
10

When Jacqueline Kennedy died, a dear friend read this poem by Constantine Cavafy at her memorial service. It is one of those wonderful pieces of literature that has remained with me. I hope you enjoy it:

Ithaca

When you set out for Ithaka
ask that your way be long,
full of adventure, full of instruction.
The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops,
angry Poseidon – do not fear them:
such as these you will never find
as long as your thought is lofty, as long as a rare
emotion touch your spirit and your body.
The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops,
angry Poseidon – you will not meet them
unless you carry them in your soul,
unless your soul raise them up before you.

Ask that your way be long.
At many a Summer dawn to enter
with what gratitude, what joy -
ports seen for the first time;
to stop at Phoenician trading centres,
and to buy good merchandise,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensuous perfumes of every kind,
sensuous perfumes as lavishly as you can;
to visit many Egyptian cities,
to gather stores of knowledge from the learned.

Have Ithaka always in your mind.
Your arrival there is what you are destined for.
But don’t in the least hurry the journey.
Better it last for years,
so that when you reach the island you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to give you wealth.
Ithaka gave you a splendid journey.
Without her you would not have set out.
She hasn’t anything else to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka hasn’t deceived you.
So wise you have become, of such experience,
that already you’ll have understood what these Ithakas mean.

Constantine P. Cavafy
Categories Arts Education

Yes, Too Good to Be True

By dianerav
May 4, 2013 //
12

Earlier I posted a story about an elementary school in Massachusetts where the principal fired the security guards and expanded the arts program….and, voila! The school miraculously improved.

The title was, “Could This Be True?”

Sadly, it was not true.

According to our friends in Massachusetts, the principal fired most of the teachers and the enrollment of the school changed, raising its socioeconomic profile.

No miracle.

Here is a comment from EduShyster:

“Barack Obama visited this school just last year–although the principal’s decision to bulk up the arts budget was not the lesson that BO was there to promote. Before Principal Bott got rid of the security guards he got rid of 80% of the teachers. And unlike other schools in Massachusetts where slash-and-burn turnaround efforts have produced very little, test scores at the school have risen, making Orchard Gardens what Arne Duncan might call a SIG-sess story.”

ChemTeacher added this comment:

“Let’s ask Deborah Meier. She has some understanding of the pilot schools in Boston. According to the video, the school originally opened as an empty promise, and the art and music equipment was left in storage.

That was for the old Orchard Garden Children. After those children were replaced with higher socioeconomic children, somebody finally thought of hiring art teachers.

“The new Orchard Gardens replaced a failed, dysfunctional public housing development with a mixed income community of over 200 units of affordable family housing in an inner city neighborhood. ”

http://www.dhkinc.com/Housing/public_housing/9606A.asp

The moral might be that we need integrated, mixed income communities, or maybe we can just hire art teachers right away. I’m worried about where the old Orchard Park children are, and do they have art and music there?”

ChemTeacher added:

“This is not necessarily a heart-warming story. Please read the link I posted above. The scores rose because they moved out the old, low-scoring population. Firing teachers didn’t raise the scores. The only way corporate reformers know to dramatically raise average scores is to cheat, or to raise average socioeconomic status. Art and music will save children’s lives and souls, and eventually pay off for their community and nation, but it won’t necessarily work standardized-test-score miracles.

“My guess is that the school was prepared and equipped specifically for the new affordable housing development, and that’s why the arts and music curriculum wasn’t launched until after the old community was gutted.

“Affordable housing” doesn’t mean low-income.”

Another Massachusetts reader sent this story, of a school that got $4 million in federal grants, extended the day from 7:30 to 5:30 pm, and hired a new staff of data-driven teachers. If Arne Duncan wants to give $4 million to every low-performing school, maybe he will see big change. If they all fire 80% of their teachers, where will we find new teachers? And how destructive is that to the teaching profession? Or is that what he wants?

Categories Arts Education, Duncan, Arne

Could This Be True?

By dianerav
May 4, 2013 //
17

Beware, this might be a hoax.

I hope it is true.

If it is true, please share at once with your legislators. Send it to Arne Duncan. Share it with corporate leaders.

A principal of an elementary school in Massachusetts fired the security guards and expanded the school’s arts programs. Everyone and everything got better.

Call Ripley. Tell “Believe It or Not.”

Categories Arts Education, Massachusetts

Lansing Cuts Teachers of Arts, Music, Physical Ed on Elementary Schools

By dianerav
March 22, 2013 //
70

The school board in Lansing, Michigan, reached a deal with its teachers union to slash the budget. The district will eliminate teachers of the arts, music, and physical education in elementary schools. That is a cut of 87 teachers in a staff of 915. The teachers also accepted a pay freeze.

What kind of state and nation can’t afford arts and physical education for its young children?

Categories Arts Education, Budget Cuts, Michigan

Heckuva Job, Reformers!

By dianerav
February 27, 2013 //
28

There is this motley group of people and organizations in the U.S. who call themselves “reformers.” Few of them are educators. Most are corporate leaders, pundits, think tank thinkers, or rightwing politicos.

They say they want to “fix” education but their main goals seem to be to belittle the people who actually work in schools and to close down public schools in high-poverty districts.

These self-named reformers (did GOP wordsmith Frank Luntz write their playbook?) have been in charge of federal policy since the passage of No Child Left Behind. President Barack Obama built his Race to the Top program right on top of the NCLB approach.

And what’s the result?

The MetLife Survey of the American Teacher 2013 says the troops are stressed out, demoralized, and doing their best to survive. What kind of general would go into a crucial battle with his heavy artillery pointed at his own troops?

Actually, the survey includes both teachers and principals. Both are beaten down by the Bush-Obama reforms. It seems that the non-educators and entrepreneurs decided that to impose their ideas without bothering the people who do the daily work.

Three-quarters of principals say their job has become far too complex. Half of them feel stressed out lost daily. Their job satisfaction has declined, and about one-third of them are thinking of quitting.

Despite the constant reformer sniping and whining about “bad” teachers, 98% of principals–the ones with boots on the ground–have a positive view of their teachers.

But we have all seen those Hollywood movies that tell us teachers suck, and teachers have seen them too.

The reformers’ nasty portrayal of our nation’s teachers has had the following result:

“Teacher satisfaction has declined to its lowest point in 25 years and has dropped five percentage points in the past year alone, from 44% to 39% very satisfied. This marks a continuation of a substantial decline noted in the 2011 MetLife Survey of the American Teacher; teacher satisfaction has now dropped 23 percentage points since 2008.”

Principals and teachers think they can implement the Common Core standards but only one out of five educators (or fewer) feel “very confident that the new standards will raise achievement or better prepare their students for college and careers.

Among high school principals and teachers, only 11-15% of principals and teachers are very confident that the Common Core will help their students.

Bottom line: a workforce in the schools that is increasingly demoralized, stressed out because of the demands imposed on them by politicians, and worried that they and their students are being set up to fail by clueless reformers.

When will the CEOs of the “reform” movement be held accountable for the harm they are inflicting on students, teachers, and principals?

Categories Accountability, Arts Education, Common Core, Principals, Teacher Evaluations, Teachers and Teaching

What the Best and Wisest Parent Wants for His Child……

By dianerav
February 22, 2013 //
63

John Dewey wrote this great sentiment over a century ago:

“What the best and wisest parent wants for his child, that must we want for all the children of the community. Anything less is unlovely, and left unchecked, destroys our democracy.”

I do not begrudge any parent their decision to send their child to a private or religious school, so long as they pay for it themselves. What I object to is when parents choose a private school for its small classes, its experienced faculty, its wonderful curriculum, its great arts programs, and its freedom from standardized testing…..but advocate for something far different for other people’s children.

Instead of fighting to get comparable programs for public schools, they insist that other people’s children should have larger classes, a school day devoted to reading and math, no arts programs, and nonstop testing.

Sandy Kress, the architect of NCLB, is now a lobbyist for Pearson, which won a contract worth nearly $500 million from the state of Texas as the legislature cut the schools’ budget by $5.4 billion.

This comment came from a reader in Texas:

Ms. Ravitch – I found the following as I was researching private schools for my son last night. The first part is a part of the homepage for a primary school affiliated with the middle school that Sandy Kress’ children have attended. The second part includes testimonials from Sandy Kress. I removed his childrens’ names.

Why Paragon for grades 2-5?
• Central Austin Location
• Small class sizes
• Experienced and caring teachers
• Academic challenge
• Daily PE, plus Art, Music, Electives
• Selective admission
• Fully accredited
• No STARR test = more time to learn!
To schedule a visit – contact Headmaster ____________________________________________________

Testimonials for Paragon Prep

Paragon creatively concocts the perfect recipe for bright adolescents: begin with a classically driven curriculum seasoned with open-minded innovation, high moral expectations with a good dose of humor and a hilarious pinch of irreverence. Then add competitive spirit on the field and in the classroom, blended with genuine care so that each student and athlete feels a valued part of the school. But their secret and unique ingredient: the total focus is on the middle schoolers’ needs with the aim to provide the best preparation possible for high school. We as ourselves how is it possible that all this takes place in such a modest building with no aggressive fundraising or fancy bells and whistles. How do they turn out kids with a disciplined work ethic and a passion for learning? Now we know. Our son, _____, comes home everyday with stories of friendship, teamwork, and a mind brimming full of new thoughts. Paragon Prep is one of the smartest decisions we have ever made.
Camille and Sandy Kress
Parents of _____ Kress (Class of _____)
and _____ Kress (Class of _______)
________________________________________

Categories Arts Education, NCLB (No Child Left Behind), Teachers and Teaching, Testing, Texas

What Great Things Happen in Your School?

By dianerav
February 4, 2013 //
18

Every year the sixth-grade students at Albert T. Lawson Intermediate School in Essex Junction, Vermont, build an igloo. It is part of a multidisciplinary study of polar regions in Mr. Gustafson’s class, a tradition for 30 years. Last year, there was so little snow that the students missed out on this beloved tradition. But, this year, the snows came, and here is the igloo. Students will remember this forever!

What does your school do to create joy and great memories for your students?

As we head deep into the winter season, we need to think of all the good things around us, the little miracles that we witness and take part in.

Please share.

Categories Arts Education

Who Cut Arts Education in Los Angeles?

By dianerav
February 3, 2013 //
15

A reader writes:

Shakedown Artists

A number of billboards have gone up recently in LAUSD board member and candidate for re-election, Monica Garcis’s district two months before school board elections. They read, ‘ Dream Big – Arts education fuels creative thinking’ and include a picture of a thirteen year old Monica Garcia. This billboard was funded by LA Fund (lafund.org), a non-profit group founded in 2011 by her political allies LAUSD Superintendent and former Deputy Director of Education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, John Deasy and Megan Chernin. One of the LA Fund projects is Arts Matter which was started in response to the deep cuts to arts education in Los Angeles. Their website points
out that ‘In four years, the LAUSD has gone from running a nationally recognized arts education program’, to today struggling to piece together a drastically reduced and inequitable program. However, neither the website nor billboards point out that it was Monica Garcia and John Deasy who cut the arts program to the bone and created this crisis in the first place!

The LA Fund website points out how the arts promote creative thinking while at the same time, Deasy and Garcia have supported a stripped down curriculum focused on standardized tests. To put it simply, they have created a phony crisis by cutting the arts and are now using that very crisis to ask for monetary donations to be made to Deasy’s foundation. And how is that money used? The LA Fund website states that ‘All proceeds raised throughout Arts Matter will directly support arts integration in LA. public schools’ when in fact, a great deal of their money is being used to create billboards of Monica Garcia! This is the same Monica Garcia who recently let the school board know how she feels about funding programs supported by the community. She suggested that, instead of funding the arts, adult and early childhood education, LAUSD should spend $500,000 on ipads for each student! It is also important to point out that Superintendent Deasy is an employee of LAUSD supervised by Ms. Garcia who has voted in favor of a number of raises for Deasy in the time since he founded the LA Fund.

The bottom line………Deasy created a crisis, created a non-profit to collect money to fix it and instead spends it on political ads for the woman who helped create the crisis and is responsible for his employment.

Matt Kogan

BILLIONAIRES OUT OF EDUCATION!!!!!!

Categories Arts Education, Los Angeles

Why You Should Support Steve Zimmer for LA School Board

By dianerav
February 1, 2013 //
0

The billionaire boys club wants to beat Steve Zimmer so they can proceed with dismantling public education in Los Angeles. Steve had the nerve to say there should be some oversight of charter schools, so the privatizers are out to get him. They raised over a million dollars from corporate types in just a few days.

There are many reasons to support Steve Zimmer. His courage, independence, and integrity are good reasons. Another is his passionate support for the arts.

From a strong supporter of the arts in Los Angeles:

;

;

Dear Friends of Arts Education,

Please read the forward below, from Karen Wolfe, a Venice parent.
I would add a few things to the list of reasons to vote for Steve Zimmer in the upcoming election for School Board.
1. He is a crusader who has devoted his entire career to public education and knows schools inside and out.
2. He is by far the most “hands on” board member, in schools ALL THE TIME, asking the important questions and supporting strong programs.
3. He is a steady and articulate and passionate supporter of the Arts Education Branch and all of the arts programs in the schools, attending and promoting student arts festivals and events, writing a regular blog for Arts for LA, co-authoring Board resolutions on the arts, and keeping the arts on the Board’s agenda at all times.
4. His opponent, Kate Anderson, is spreading lies. One example (of several – but the one that offends me most personally): yesterday, one of her (presumably paid) canvassers made the unfortunate mistake of knocking on our door and telling my husband to vote for her because “Steve Zimmer is against the arts”! (Some of you may know that only the day before I hosted a house party fund raiser for him precisely because he has been such a strong supporter of the arts in our schools.)
Please read on below, and PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE WORD. The corporate “reformers” have bottomless purses and there is no way Zimmer can compete with them in funding for this campaign, but he has an army of teachers, administrators and parents who know what he has done, how brave he is in speaking truth to power, and how important this election is.
Robin
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: wolfepack <;wolfepack@verizon.net>;
Date: Sun, Jan 27, 2013 at 12:42 PM
Subject: Why is the election for School Board more important than we realized? One mom’s reasons
To:

You are receiving this email because you’ve expressed interest in education in and around Venice. As we spread the word about the importance of re-electing Steve Zimmer, I’ll be sending more information to help us discuss the issues with other voters. If you do not want to receive these emails, just let me know.

On March 5, I’m voting for Steve Zimmer because he fights for equal access for ALL students (and truly knows what that means), demands a level playing field for charters and community schools, and helps innovate curriculum.

While so-called reformers claim no progress is possible until unions are shut down and school governance is turned on its head, Steve just gets the work done. This election is getting national attention because his opponent has backing from big money supporters who want to corporatize our school system. As a mom, would I sometimes like to scrap the whole school system and start over? Heck yeah! But Steve has accomplished so much without that kind of drama.

STEVE’S VICTORIES
Just recenty, his victories for our kids include:
* achieving landmark agreement on teacher evaluations
* expanding school gardens and permitting students to earn money by selling their crops
* improving nutrition policies by giving more time for students to sit down and eat a healthy lunch.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Zimmer’s campaign does not have the money to send weekly mailers. It will be up to us to spread the word.
* Make a list of at least 5 people you’ll forward emails like this to every time you receive them.
* Friend Steve on Facebook.
* Plan a house party so your neighbors can meet Steve & his supporters.
* Dedicate a booster club fundraiser to Steve.
We only have one month to re-elect the best school board member ever.
Let’s get it done!
Karen Wolfe
Categories Arts Education, Broad Foundation, California, Charter Schools, Los Angeles

A Pretty Wonderful Public School in Colorado

By dianerav
January 27, 2013 //
4

Responding to a post about a test question for second-grade students, which assumed they knew the words “commission” and “Mozart,” this parent replied:

My second-grader defined “commission” without needing the
multiple choice prompts this morning, but her school has a really
strong music program.

She credited her music teacher for having
taught her the term–which was done in the context of an annual
all-school field trip to a local Symphony Orchestra concert. (This
is not district-wide; our PTA fundraising pays for the cost of the
buses necessary to take all the kids. I don’t know of another
public school in the district or in the area that has all of its
kids at the concert every year; most take only one or two grades,
if they participate at all.)

Before they go to the concert, our music teacher gives the kids the elementary-school equivalent of a pre-concert lecture–which is to say, it takes place over a few
weeks and isn’t a lecture, but they come away with much of the same
information.

My daughter has also played violin since she was 4,
and her public school has a fabulous strings program that she’s
been in since kindergarten, also thanks to our fabulous and amazing
music teacher (who, it might be noted, belongs to the union and
runs the entire strings program during her free periods).

Our school is also blessed with amazing parents, and several of them
attend each and every orchestra rehearsal to help the kids tune
their instruments and set up music and stands. And in the spirit of
full disclosure, my daughter has a musicologist for a mother.

Do I think most second-grade students could define this term? Probably
not, especially with so many schools cutting music and arts
programs. Unfortunately, putting terms like this on a test will
likely have the effect of extending vocabulary lessons and cutting
into time that would otherwise be used for music or art or
P.E.

Categories Arts Education, Colorado, Testing
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