Thursday, July 22, 2010
Arts Advocacy as a Double-Edged Sword
Guest Blogger Jane Remer: Arts Advocacy as a Double-Edged Sword
In today's entry for her recurring guest blog, titled CliffNotes, Jane Remer tackles arts education advocacy. Never one to mince words, Jane gives us all lots to think about.
As I have said for years, the arts education community is not a true "field," as it is riddled with great diversity of philosophy, purpose, method, content and ways of accountability. Arguing or advocating for financial and other support can be a tricky business because different "camps" make different claims, and it is often difficult to know what "outcomes" arts groups are campaigning for. As I see it, there are three major (often overlapping) positions when it comes to persuading, begging and bragging for financial support and recognition:
• The Human Intelligence and Development approach - Teaching and Learning, "we believe the arts are essential to every child's cognitive, affective, social and physical growth and belong in the core of the curriculum alongside math, literacy, science, and social studies," folk,
• The Moral Imperative approach - Enrichment and Exposure, "we believe every child deserves regular exposure to all the arts to enrich the quality of their lives and the culture of their communities, ... and to build future audiences," folk, and
• The Utilitarian Cake and Eat It approach - "Arts Integration, "we believe the arts are important vehicles and provide pathways for learning other subjects, skills, and concepts and should be woven into the curriculum to help teach math, literature, science, etc. folk. (Note: this definition is often tempered in writing with the caveat that the art form will receive equal treatment and attention, but in classroom actuality, time runs out and the study, skills and understanding of the art forms are more often than not forgotten or neglected.)
In today's entry for her recurring guest blog, titled CliffNotes, Jane Remer tackles arts education advocacy. Never one to mince words, Jane gives us all lots to think about.
As I have said for years, the arts education community is not a true "field," as it is riddled with great diversity of philosophy, purpose, method, content and ways of accountability. Arguing or advocating for financial and other support can be a tricky business because different "camps" make different claims, and it is often difficult to know what "outcomes" arts groups are campaigning for. As I see it, there are three major (often overlapping) positions when it comes to persuading, begging and bragging for financial support and recognition:
• The Human Intelligence and Development approach - Teaching and Learning, "we believe the arts are essential to every child's cognitive, affective, social and physical growth and belong in the core of the curriculum alongside math, literacy, science, and social studies," folk,
• The Moral Imperative approach - Enrichment and Exposure, "we believe every child deserves regular exposure to all the arts to enrich the quality of their lives and the culture of their communities, ... and to build future audiences," folk, and
• The Utilitarian Cake and Eat It approach - "Arts Integration, "we believe the arts are important vehicles and provide pathways for learning other subjects, skills, and concepts and should be woven into the curriculum to help teach math, literature, science, etc. folk. (Note: this definition is often tempered in writing with the caveat that the art form will receive equal treatment and attention, but in classroom actuality, time runs out and the study, skills and understanding of the art forms are more often than not forgotten or neglected.)
The Arts Effect
Why Schools With Arts Programs Do Better At Narrowing Achievement Gaps
By Sandra S. Ruppert
from Education Week
Most Americans agree with President Barack Obama’s assessment that a “complete and competitive education for the 21st century” means all students will need some form of education or training beyond high school. That’s why college and career readiness for all by 2020 is his administration’s top education goal.
Yet while we recognize that higher levels of educational attainment will open doors to a better life for students, we haven’t been able to keep an estimated 7,000 of them each day from heading quietly for the exits before they’ve had even a chance to earn a high school diploma.
Fewer than seven in 10 students in this country graduate from high school on time, according to the latest data available from the U.S. Department of Education. For students of color and those living in poverty or residing in large urban areas, the odds of on-time graduation are even slimmer. Barely half (51 percent) of African-American students successfully complete high school, while only 55 percent of Hispanics do.
For many of the 1.3 million young people who leave high school each year without a diploma, the path that eventually leads to this educational dead end begins in middle school. The National Assessment of Educational Progress—often referred to as “the nation’s report card”—provides a snapshot of student achievement in various subject areas at crucial transition points, including 8th grade. In June 2009, the results of the 2008 NAEP arts assessment in music and visual arts were released; it was the first NAEP arts assessment conducted since 1997.
Those 2008 results tell a disappointing, but incomplete, story of 8th grade student achievement in the arts. In music, for example, 8th graders had just a 50-50 chance on average of being able to identify the correct response on any of the multiple-choice questions. In visual arts, 8th graders on average were able to identify the correct answer only 42 percent of the time. As troubling as the overall lackluster performance were the significant disparities in achievement based on socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity, gender, and type and location of schools.
Does it really matter if the performance of 8th grade students on the NAEP arts assessments is mediocre at best, or that significant achievement gaps based on socioeconomics and other characteristics continue to persist? It matters only if we as a nation are truly serious about reaching the president’s goal of preparing all K-12 students by 2020 to succeed in school, work, and life.
Arts learning experiences play a vital role in developing students’ capacities for critical thinking, creativity, imagination, and innovation. These capacities are increasingly recognized as core skills and competencies all students need as part of a high-quality and complete 21st-century education. And, as a matter of social justice, we must be concerned when students are denied access to a high-quality education—one that includes learning in and through the arts—simply because of where they live or go to school.
Eighth grade is a crucial turning point for students as they prepare to make the transition from middle school to high school. By 9th grade, researchers can predict with a high degree of accuracy which students are most at risk of dropping out of school, based on three factors: absenteeism, behavioral problems, and course failure.
We know the arts can make a difference in the academic lives of 8th graders. A decade ago, the Arts Education Partnership published groundbreaking research that compared 8th graders who were highly involved in the arts with those who had little or no involvement, and found consistently better outcomes for the highly involved students: better grades, less likelihood of dropping out by grade 10, and more positive attitudes about school. The study also showed that the benefits of high levels of arts participation can make more of a difference for economically disadvantaged students.
Here are five strategies, drawn from the NAEP results, that can help arts education leaders, policymakers, and educators improve performance in the arts and narrow achievement gaps.
Ensure equal access to arts education. Not surprisingly, 8th graders who attend schools where visual arts instruction is offered at least once a week perform better than 8th graders who attend schools where the visual arts are not taught. The same is true for music education. Yet based on projections contained in the NAEP results, more than half a million 8th graders attend the 14 percent of schools where no visual arts classes are offered. More than 300,000 8th grade students attend the 8 percent of schools where no music classes are offered.
Raise levels of participation in arts coursetaking. Even in schools where the arts are offered, actual rates of student participation can be low. For example, one-third of schools estimate that no more than 20 percent of their students received any music instruction in 2008. Fewer than half of 8th graders reported taking a visual arts course in 2008.
Build interest in and demand for the arts in the early grades. Multiple factors can account for mediocre performance and low levels of participation in the arts, but one plausible explanation is that we are seeing the effects of the reduction or elimination of elementary school arts programs, which help build interest in and demand for arts courses in middle school. It may also be a contributing factor in 8th graders’ low self-assessments of their skills: Only 24 percent think they have a talent for visual arts, while just 36 percent think they do for music.
Focus on what works in improving student achievement in the arts. Based on the NAEP results, 8th graders perform at consistently higher levels when they attend schools where any of these conditions exist: (1) a state or district curriculum is in place; (2) classes are taught by a full-time or part-time arts specialist; and (3) classes are located in a designated and adequately equipped space.
Level the playing field to help close the arts education achievement gap. Minority students and those from low-income households have less access to instruction and are less likely to attend schools that have a state or district curriculum. They are less likely to receive instruction from a full-time or part-time arts specialist, or to take field trips or have visiting artists in their schools. Put simply, we provide students who are likely to benefit from arts instruction most with the least of everything.
NAEP’s next arts assessment is scheduled for 2016. The 8th graders who participate in it will be part of the high school graduating class of 2020—the first class in which we can measure whether we have met the ambitious goal of ensuring that all K-12 students are prepared to succeed in college and the workforce.
If we are to meet such a goal, we must take seriously our commitment to close achievement gaps and keep all students on the path to high school graduation and beyond. Arts learning opportunities—both as stand-alone classes and integrated with other subjects—must play an integral role in providing them with the complete education they need to succeed. Let’s hope we see the results of our efforts in 2016.
Sandra S. Ruppert is the director of the Arts Education Partnership, a national coalition of more than 100 arts, education, government, and philanthropic organizations advocating for an increased role for the arts in schools.
By Sandra S. Ruppert
from Education Week
Most Americans agree with President Barack Obama’s assessment that a “complete and competitive education for the 21st century” means all students will need some form of education or training beyond high school. That’s why college and career readiness for all by 2020 is his administration’s top education goal.
Yet while we recognize that higher levels of educational attainment will open doors to a better life for students, we haven’t been able to keep an estimated 7,000 of them each day from heading quietly for the exits before they’ve had even a chance to earn a high school diploma.
Fewer than seven in 10 students in this country graduate from high school on time, according to the latest data available from the U.S. Department of Education. For students of color and those living in poverty or residing in large urban areas, the odds of on-time graduation are even slimmer. Barely half (51 percent) of African-American students successfully complete high school, while only 55 percent of Hispanics do.
For many of the 1.3 million young people who leave high school each year without a diploma, the path that eventually leads to this educational dead end begins in middle school. The National Assessment of Educational Progress—often referred to as “the nation’s report card”—provides a snapshot of student achievement in various subject areas at crucial transition points, including 8th grade. In June 2009, the results of the 2008 NAEP arts assessment in music and visual arts were released; it was the first NAEP arts assessment conducted since 1997.
Those 2008 results tell a disappointing, but incomplete, story of 8th grade student achievement in the arts. In music, for example, 8th graders had just a 50-50 chance on average of being able to identify the correct response on any of the multiple-choice questions. In visual arts, 8th graders on average were able to identify the correct answer only 42 percent of the time. As troubling as the overall lackluster performance were the significant disparities in achievement based on socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity, gender, and type and location of schools.
Does it really matter if the performance of 8th grade students on the NAEP arts assessments is mediocre at best, or that significant achievement gaps based on socioeconomics and other characteristics continue to persist? It matters only if we as a nation are truly serious about reaching the president’s goal of preparing all K-12 students by 2020 to succeed in school, work, and life.
Arts learning experiences play a vital role in developing students’ capacities for critical thinking, creativity, imagination, and innovation. These capacities are increasingly recognized as core skills and competencies all students need as part of a high-quality and complete 21st-century education. And, as a matter of social justice, we must be concerned when students are denied access to a high-quality education—one that includes learning in and through the arts—simply because of where they live or go to school.
Eighth grade is a crucial turning point for students as they prepare to make the transition from middle school to high school. By 9th grade, researchers can predict with a high degree of accuracy which students are most at risk of dropping out of school, based on three factors: absenteeism, behavioral problems, and course failure.
We know the arts can make a difference in the academic lives of 8th graders. A decade ago, the Arts Education Partnership published groundbreaking research that compared 8th graders who were highly involved in the arts with those who had little or no involvement, and found consistently better outcomes for the highly involved students: better grades, less likelihood of dropping out by grade 10, and more positive attitudes about school. The study also showed that the benefits of high levels of arts participation can make more of a difference for economically disadvantaged students.
Here are five strategies, drawn from the NAEP results, that can help arts education leaders, policymakers, and educators improve performance in the arts and narrow achievement gaps.
Ensure equal access to arts education. Not surprisingly, 8th graders who attend schools where visual arts instruction is offered at least once a week perform better than 8th graders who attend schools where the visual arts are not taught. The same is true for music education. Yet based on projections contained in the NAEP results, more than half a million 8th graders attend the 14 percent of schools where no visual arts classes are offered. More than 300,000 8th grade students attend the 8 percent of schools where no music classes are offered.
Raise levels of participation in arts coursetaking. Even in schools where the arts are offered, actual rates of student participation can be low. For example, one-third of schools estimate that no more than 20 percent of their students received any music instruction in 2008. Fewer than half of 8th graders reported taking a visual arts course in 2008.
Build interest in and demand for the arts in the early grades. Multiple factors can account for mediocre performance and low levels of participation in the arts, but one plausible explanation is that we are seeing the effects of the reduction or elimination of elementary school arts programs, which help build interest in and demand for arts courses in middle school. It may also be a contributing factor in 8th graders’ low self-assessments of their skills: Only 24 percent think they have a talent for visual arts, while just 36 percent think they do for music.
Focus on what works in improving student achievement in the arts. Based on the NAEP results, 8th graders perform at consistently higher levels when they attend schools where any of these conditions exist: (1) a state or district curriculum is in place; (2) classes are taught by a full-time or part-time arts specialist; and (3) classes are located in a designated and adequately equipped space.
Level the playing field to help close the arts education achievement gap. Minority students and those from low-income households have less access to instruction and are less likely to attend schools that have a state or district curriculum. They are less likely to receive instruction from a full-time or part-time arts specialist, or to take field trips or have visiting artists in their schools. Put simply, we provide students who are likely to benefit from arts instruction most with the least of everything.
NAEP’s next arts assessment is scheduled for 2016. The 8th graders who participate in it will be part of the high school graduating class of 2020—the first class in which we can measure whether we have met the ambitious goal of ensuring that all K-12 students are prepared to succeed in college and the workforce.
If we are to meet such a goal, we must take seriously our commitment to close achievement gaps and keep all students on the path to high school graduation and beyond. Arts learning opportunities—both as stand-alone classes and integrated with other subjects—must play an integral role in providing them with the complete education they need to succeed. Let’s hope we see the results of our efforts in 2016.
Sandra S. Ruppert is the director of the Arts Education Partnership, a national coalition of more than 100 arts, education, government, and philanthropic organizations advocating for an increased role for the arts in schools.
Iowa Alliance for the Arts Publishes Survey
21st Century Arts Skills Map Released at Capitol Hill Meeting
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills released the Skills Map for the Arts at a Capitol Hill briefing on July 15. The map, outlining thirteen skills, outcomes, and lesson examples at grades four, eight, and twelve in the four arts areas (theatre, music, dance, and visual arts), was created by the leading arts education professional organizations. The Educational Theatre Association collaborated with the American Alliance for Theatre & Education to create the map’s twelve theatre examples. Executive Director Michael Peitz and EdTA Director of Educational Policy James Palmarini attended the briefing. EdTA member and map writer Dale Schmid spoke on behalf of theatre’s role in the process and 2010 EdTA Arts Advocacy Day Essay Competition winner Elliah Heifetz was one of four students to speak on how arts education had impacted their lives.
To see the unveiled map CLICK HERE. To view the index on the Partnership for 21st Century Skills CLICK HERE.
Other participating organizations were the National Art Education Association, MENC: The National Association for Music Education, the National Dance Association, and the National Dance Education Organization.
EdTA Executive Director Michael Peitz, 2010 Arts Advocacy Day Essay winner Elliah Heifetz, and Upper Dublin High School theatre director Deborah Thompson at the 21st Century Partnership Arts Map briefing in Washington, D.C.
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is a national organization that advocates for twenty-first century readiness for every student. P21 and its member organizations stress the need for U. S. education to include “four Cs” (critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity) as part of teacher practice in order for the United States to continue to compete in a global economy.
Kathy Hurley, senior vice president of strategic partnerships for the education services and technology company Pearson and P21 executive board and strategic council chair, said, “I commend America’s leading arts education professional associations for joining forces to create a tool that illustrates how the four Cs can be fused with arts education. This new document, P21’s fifth core content map, provides practical examples that educators can model as they work to ensure 21st century readiness for every student.”
In the briefing, a map writer from each discipline addressed how one of the four Cs was illustrated in a map example. Schmid addressed the skill of creativity and its student outcomes in the following theatre example:
“Students write short original plays, cast them with classmates, workshop the scripts over a designated period, and present them in a staged reading. Through discussions with the audience, cast members, and teachers, they make decisions about what worked well in their plays and what did not, revise the scripts, and submit them to a student playwriting competition.”
In his remarks, Schmid noted a Newsweek article that said a recent IBM poll of 1,500 CEOs identified creativity as the number one “leadership competency” of the future, and that recent data on a highly regarded test measuring creativity suggests that American creativity skills are declining, particularly among children in kindergarten through sixth grade.
Heifetz, a rising senior at Upper Dublin High School in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, was accompanied by his theatre director, Deborah Thompson. Speaking of how his theatre experience has shaped his life, Heifetz said, “All my life, creativity has pushed me forward simply because of the way it makes my mind work. As I change skins from child to teenager and eventually to adult, I advance chiefly because the art that I am involved in now has taught me how.”
Peitz said the The 21st Century Skills Map for the Arts was a major step forward in confirming the arts as a core subject. “In its examples and outcomes, the arts map clearly illustrates how sound teaching practice in theatre, dance, visual arts, and music can nurture and promote the fundamental skills our students need to succeed in today’s world.
“We all know that the 4Cs of creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking, along with all the other skills cited in the framework, happen every day in our classrooms and on our stages,” said Peitz. “I hope business leaders, school administrators, legislators, and educators themselves will use the arts skills map to help support their efforts to promote curricular arts programs in our schools.” (Posted 7/19/2010
To see the unveiled map CLICK HERE. To view the index on the Partnership for 21st Century Skills CLICK HERE.
Other participating organizations were the National Art Education Association, MENC: The National Association for Music Education, the National Dance Association, and the National Dance Education Organization.
EdTA Executive Director Michael Peitz, 2010 Arts Advocacy Day Essay winner Elliah Heifetz, and Upper Dublin High School theatre director Deborah Thompson at the 21st Century Partnership Arts Map briefing in Washington, D.C.
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is a national organization that advocates for twenty-first century readiness for every student. P21 and its member organizations stress the need for U. S. education to include “four Cs” (critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity) as part of teacher practice in order for the United States to continue to compete in a global economy.
Kathy Hurley, senior vice president of strategic partnerships for the education services and technology company Pearson and P21 executive board and strategic council chair, said, “I commend America’s leading arts education professional associations for joining forces to create a tool that illustrates how the four Cs can be fused with arts education. This new document, P21’s fifth core content map, provides practical examples that educators can model as they work to ensure 21st century readiness for every student.”
In the briefing, a map writer from each discipline addressed how one of the four Cs was illustrated in a map example. Schmid addressed the skill of creativity and its student outcomes in the following theatre example:
“Students write short original plays, cast them with classmates, workshop the scripts over a designated period, and present them in a staged reading. Through discussions with the audience, cast members, and teachers, they make decisions about what worked well in their plays and what did not, revise the scripts, and submit them to a student playwriting competition.”
In his remarks, Schmid noted a Newsweek article that said a recent IBM poll of 1,500 CEOs identified creativity as the number one “leadership competency” of the future, and that recent data on a highly regarded test measuring creativity suggests that American creativity skills are declining, particularly among children in kindergarten through sixth grade.
Heifetz, a rising senior at Upper Dublin High School in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, was accompanied by his theatre director, Deborah Thompson. Speaking of how his theatre experience has shaped his life, Heifetz said, “All my life, creativity has pushed me forward simply because of the way it makes my mind work. As I change skins from child to teenager and eventually to adult, I advance chiefly because the art that I am involved in now has taught me how.”
Peitz said the The 21st Century Skills Map for the Arts was a major step forward in confirming the arts as a core subject. “In its examples and outcomes, the arts map clearly illustrates how sound teaching practice in theatre, dance, visual arts, and music can nurture and promote the fundamental skills our students need to succeed in today’s world.
“We all know that the 4Cs of creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking, along with all the other skills cited in the framework, happen every day in our classrooms and on our stages,” said Peitz. “I hope business leaders, school administrators, legislators, and educators themselves will use the arts skills map to help support their efforts to promote curricular arts programs in our schools.” (Posted 7/19/2010
256.11 Educational Standards & Arts Education
HERE ARE PORTIONS OF THE IOWA CODE AS IT RELATES TO ARTS EDUCATION
For access to the complete, non-truncated standard CLICK HERE
For access to SUBCHAPTER 1 and the complete glossary for education CLICK HERE
The state board shall adopt rules under chapter 17A and a procedure for accrediting all public and nonpublic schools in Iowa offering instruction at any or all levels from the prekindergarten level through grade twelve. The rules of the state board shall require that a multicultural, nonsexist approach is used by schools and school districts. The educational program shall be taught from a multicultural, nonsexist approach. Global perspectives shall be incorporated into all levels of the educational program.
The rules adopted by the state board pursuant to section 256.17, Code Supplement 1987, to establish new standards shall satisfy the requirements of this section to adopt rules to implement the educational program contained in this section.
The educational program shall be as follows:
...3. The following areas shall be taught in grades one through six: English-language arts, social studies, mathematics, science, health, human growth and development, physical education, traffic safety, music, and visual art. The health curriculum shall include the characteristics of communicable diseases including acquired immune deficiency syndrome. The state board as part of accreditation standards shall adopt curriculum definitions for implementing the elementary program.
4. The following shall be taught in grades seven and eight: English-language arts; social studies; mathematics; science; health; human growth and development, family, consumer, career, and technology education; physical education; music; and visual art. The health curriculum shall include the characteristics of sexually transmitted diseases and acquired immune deficiency syndrome. The state board as part of accreditation standards shall adopt curriculum definitions for implementing the program in grades seven and eight. However, this subsection shall not apply to the teaching of family, consumer, career, and technology education in nonpublic schools.
5. In grades nine through twelve, a unit of credit consists of a course or equivalent related components or partial units taught throughout the academic year. The minimum program to be offered and taught for grades nine through twelve is:
[Secondary Requirements]
...i. Three units in the fine arts which shall include at least two of the following: dance, music, theatre, and visual art.
For access to the complete, non-truncated standard CLICK HERE
For access to SUBCHAPTER 1 and the complete glossary for education CLICK HERE
The state board shall adopt rules under chapter 17A and a procedure for accrediting all public and nonpublic schools in Iowa offering instruction at any or all levels from the prekindergarten level through grade twelve. The rules of the state board shall require that a multicultural, nonsexist approach is used by schools and school districts. The educational program shall be taught from a multicultural, nonsexist approach. Global perspectives shall be incorporated into all levels of the educational program.
The rules adopted by the state board pursuant to section 256.17, Code Supplement 1987, to establish new standards shall satisfy the requirements of this section to adopt rules to implement the educational program contained in this section.
The educational program shall be as follows:
...3. The following areas shall be taught in grades one through six: English-language arts, social studies, mathematics, science, health, human growth and development, physical education, traffic safety, music, and visual art. The health curriculum shall include the characteristics of communicable diseases including acquired immune deficiency syndrome. The state board as part of accreditation standards shall adopt curriculum definitions for implementing the elementary program.
4. The following shall be taught in grades seven and eight: English-language arts; social studies; mathematics; science; health; human growth and development, family, consumer, career, and technology education; physical education; music; and visual art. The health curriculum shall include the characteristics of sexually transmitted diseases and acquired immune deficiency syndrome. The state board as part of accreditation standards shall adopt curriculum definitions for implementing the program in grades seven and eight. However, this subsection shall not apply to the teaching of family, consumer, career, and technology education in nonpublic schools.
5. In grades nine through twelve, a unit of credit consists of a course or equivalent related components or partial units taught throughout the academic year. The minimum program to be offered and taught for grades nine through twelve is:
[Secondary Requirements]
...i. Three units in the fine arts which shall include at least two of the following: dance, music, theatre, and visual art.
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