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arts education

  • AEP’s ArtScan

    Mike Lawson | March 25, 2014

    Arts Education Partnership debuts new tool to shed light on state arts policies

    The Arts Education Partnership has just debuted ArtScan, a searchable database of the latest state policies supporting education in and through the arts from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

    This resource not only includes policy language excerpted directly from each state’s education policies, but also information on state-level surveys of arts education and a set of descriptive education indicators (from the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics’ Digest of Education Statistics: 2012).

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  • From the Trenches: Déjà Vu All Over Again

    Mike Lawson | March 17, 2014

    New music/arts standards will drive education for the next decade… or longer

    In March of 1994, 20 years ago this month, two of the most historically important efforts to advance music and arts education came to fruition:

    1. The codifying of the arts as a core subject with the passage and signing of the Goals 2000 Educate America Act (the Clinton Administration’s name for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that governs all of public education in this country) and,

    2. The release of the National Standards for Arts Education.

    These two events, culminating simultaneously, set the stage for the future growth, and defense of, music and arts education.

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  • New Music Ed Policy Roundtable Issues Response to SOTU Address

    SBO Staff | February 27, 2013The Music Education Policy Roundtable – an association formed last June that counts among its members NAfME, ACDA, Chorus America, NAMM, Quadrant Arts Education Research, and a host of other music education advocacy and trade groups – has released a response to President Obama’s Recent State of the Union Address, Read More...
  • Quadrant Arts Education Research Joins Music Education Policy Roundtable

    SBO Staff | January 21, 2013National Association for Music Education recently welcomed Quadrant Arts Education Research as an official member of The Music Education Policy Roundtable. Read More...
  • Change for#149; Music Education?

    SBO Staff | January 23, 2009“Everybody had access to Music, and everybody had access to Art. And the reason is because people understood, even though they hadn’t done the scientific research back then, that children who learn music do better in math. Kids’ whose imaginations are sparked by the Arts are more engaged in school… so these things aren’t extras, […] Read More...
  • Dear Mr. President

    SBO Staff | January 23, 2009The Honorable Barack ObamaPresident of the United States of America1600 Pennsylvania AvenueWashington, D.C. Dear President Obama, How’s it going? Have you found all the light switches in your new digs? Is it hard to sneak into the kitchen for a midnight snack with all the Secret Service folks around? How about that dog for the […] Read More...
  • Change for… Music Education?

    Mike Lawson | December 11, 2008

    "Everybody had access to Music, and everybody had access to Art. And the reason is because people understood, even though they hadn't done the scientific research back then, that children who learn music do better in math. Kids' whose imaginations are sparked by the Arts are more engaged in school... so these things aren't extras, but they are part of a well-rounded education. Part of the reason why many schools have been eliminating or diminishing arts programs is because of No Child Left Behind... as school districts felt pressured to teach to the test." Although these are words that we have heard ourselves saying over and over to each other for the past eight years, the above quote is from our new President-elect, Barack Obama, made during a recent speech made in Wallingford, Pennsylvania. Not only does he believe in the importance of music education, but he also indicated that we need to increase funding for arts and music not only in schools, but outside of schools as well. Clips of this speech can be seen on YouTube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN2Zy_68RcY).

    In a statement delivered after the results of the election became official, Robert L. Lynch, the CEO of Americans for the Arts, reflected on the words of President-elect Obama: "His commitment to arts and arts education on the campaign trail is just a preview of what his administration can accomplish. Obama demonstrates the leadership and vision to advance the arts in America through investing in more arts education in public schools, advocating for increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, promoting cultural diplomacy, and supporting artists rights."

    The incoming administration offers a significant change in direction from the Bush years, when the arts suffered for a variety of reasons under the No Child Left Behind plan. One specific postive move Obama has already made was the appointment of Bill Ivey as the head of the transition team for Arts and Culture. Ivey served as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts from 1998 through 2001 and is the director of the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy at Vanderbilt University. An article on Vanderbilt's Web site states that, "Ivey is familiar with leading cultural agencies during difficult times. Ivey was appointed to the National Endowment for the Arts at a time when the arts were not allotted much importance by politicians, according to Metro Councilman Ronnie Steine, an advocate of the arts who has served on many Nashville boards."

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  • Testing and Gas Prices and Wall Street…Oh My!

    SBO Staff | November 18, 2008Eight years ago, I wrote an article called “The Perfect Storm” about the impact of the dot.com collapse in the stock market and the pending implementation of NCLB. Five years ago, I revisited this article with the second installment, entitled “The View from the Eye of the Perfect Storm,” where I further delved into the […] Read More...
  • Tools of the Trade

    SBO Staff | September 16, 2008Time to get ready for the new school year, which means planning your programs, selecting your music, getting your lesson plans arranged, reviewing your student roster and vocal range and… planning your advocacy activities! What, you didn’t think about that last one? I thought so! No time to focus on advocacy? Well if you do […] Read More...
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