[Members] Fwd: Arts Education Newsletter

[Rick Dapprich, Editor]

Arts Education Newsletter
Issue No. 4 	A publication of the Michigan Youth Arts Leadership  
Roundtable 	October 2009
In this issue
MYA and Michigan Creates!
The expansion of efforts to create a broad coalition to influence arts  
education policy in the state

MCACA Coming Together
NASAA recap; The Kennedy Center's Any Given Child initiative; The  
Perpich Center for Arts Education; Michigan Humanities Council's  
2009-2010 Poetry Out Loud program
MDE Lessons of Effective Instruction
New videos posted on the MDE website showcase lessons in visual arts  
and music

ArtServe's Art & Cultural Groups
Regional meetings in October to discuss 2010 elections and regional  
arts tie-ins

National News
Art Education Blog-a-Thon; Gates Foundation grants to states
	
Michigan Youth Arts logoMichigan Creates!
School is back in session but throughout Michigan, thousands of  
students are not receiving equal access to arts education, or any arts  
education at all.  As the organizations that comprise the Michigan  
Youth Arts Association met in August of this year, they created a  
unifying arts education policy agenda across disciplines. This agenda  
is in the midst of action planning and will launch in January of 2010  
with endorsements from the statewide arts education organizations.

As we strengthen this coalition, we invite other arts education  
organizations and businesses to provide input and be a part of this  
process that will move arts education forward and ensure the education  
of the whole child in Michigan.  Please contact Kim Dabbs , Executive  
Director of Michigan Youth Arts, if you are interested in being part  
of this larger dialog of Arts Education in our state.  Together, we  
can ensure quality arts education for all students in Michigan.
	

MCACAMichigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs
Coming Together

In early September I traveled to Fargo, ND, for the National Assembly  
of State Art Agencies (NASAA) Professional Development Institute for  
state art education managers. This close group of peers meets annually  
to freshen up on the latest teaching artist practices, research  
findings, funding initiatives and much more. However, the mood at this  
year's PDI was noticeably dour. Many - if not most - states have  
undergone double-digit percentage cuts to their arts budgets, and a  
few - including Michigan - have come close to elimination. By the time  
this newsletter reaches your inbox, state government should have  
reached a decision about MCACA's FY 2010 budget and the same, perhaps  
even tougher fight begins for FY 2011 funding. Legislators and the  
governor's office need to continue hearing from teachers, parents,  
school boards and community leaders, as we head into this important  
election year.

On a positive note, I learned about some exciting national  
developments. Check out the Kennedy Center's new initiative, Any Given  
Child , (202) 416-8806. Kennedy Center staff members would work with  
community leaders and school administrators in a Community Team to  
develop a long-range plan for arts education that is tailor-made for  
their school district. I would be happy to help bring potential  
partners together and facilitate applying for this program.

Also check out website resources of the Perpich Center for Arts  
Education , one of the main presenters/hosts of the PDI.  The Perpich  
Center is a model organization that brings the three key players  
(schools, community arts organizations and teaching artists) together  
to strengthen effective, comprehensive arts education in Minnesota.

Back home, the 2009-2010 Poetry Out Loud program applications are now  
available from the Michigan Humanities Council (deadline November 16,  
2009). This is an exciting national poetry recitation competition for  
high school students. By encouraging youth to learn about great poetry  
through memorization and performance, students can master public  
speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary  
heritage. Applications are also being accepted for the MHC's Arts &  
Humanities Touring Program to bring teaching artists and performers to  
your school or community.


Carolyn Damstra
damstrac at michigan.gov
(517) 241-3968 	
Michigan Department of EducationMichigan Department of Education posts  
Lessons of Effective Instruction Videos for Professional Development

The Curriculum and Instruction Unit in the Office of Educational  
Improvement and Innovation has posted a series of videotaped Lessons  
of Effective Instruction and related documents to the Michigan  
Department of Education website.

The Lessons of Effective Instruction were developed by and feature  
Michigan teachers engaged with teaching and learning in their own  
elementary, middle and high school classrooms. These lessons were  
designed for use by teachers, schools, or districts, individually or  
in groups, to model, problem-solve, and spark reflection and  
professional learning. Each lesson is accompanied by a PDF document  
with questions that will generate reflection and discussion.

The lessons incorporate Fred Newmann's widely accepted Standards for  
Teaching and Learning (higher-order thinking, deep knowledge,  
substantive conversation, and connections to the world beyond the  
classroom) and meet Standards, Benchmarks, and Grade Level/Course  
Content Expectations and Guidelines.

The videotaped lessons include two high school arts lessons (music and  
visual arts) that are aligned to the Visual, Performing, and Applied  
Arts Credit Guidelines. Additional arts lessons in outline form will  
be posted in the coming months.

To access these lessons and bookmark them for future use, visit the  
MDE website . 	
Artserve LogoArts & Cultural Groups Gearing Up for 2010 Election
October Statewide Meetings to Analyze Regional Issues

ArtServe Michigan will be conducting four regional meetings around the  
state next month in October.  All four meetings will focus on the  
upcoming 2010 elections while analyzing the regional issues which are  
currently most affecting the state's arts and cultural sector during  
these trying economic times.

Michigan's 2010 election year is sure to change the face of the  
state's political landscape dramatically.  With term limits preventing  
Governor Granholm, Attorney General Cox, Secretary of State Land and  
many other legislative leaders from running for a third term, groups  
across Michigan like the state's arts and cultural sector, have an  
unprecedented opportunity to reintroduce themselves and their  
priorities to a fresh new crop of leaders that will be elected into  
office next year.

ArtServe Michigan plans to utilize next month's round of regional  
meetings to share important information regarding relevant public  
policy initiatives, upcoming professional development opportunities  
and other news related to Michigan's arts and cultural communities. In- 
depth discussions with constituents and community stakeholders will be  
facilitated at the regional meetings, focusing on the critical issues  
affecting the state's battered arts and cultural organizations and  
programs including leadership, resources and advocacy.

Governor Granholm will be developing her 2010-11 budget this fall and  
will likely try to zero out the state's arts and cultural program  
funding once again as she did earlier this year in her state budget  
recommendations.  After proposing a $6.1 million cut to the state's  
arts budget, Governor Granholm recently issued Executive Order No.  
2009-36 abolishing the State Department of History, Arts and  
Libraries, placing the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs  
(MCACA) within the Michigan Strategic Fund under the Michigan Economic  
Development Corporation (MEDC).  ArtServe Michigan believes that this  
recent move of MCACA into MEDC, along with the Governor's $6.1 million  
budget slash, are short-sighted gains that significantly hurt  
Michigan's future path to success and economic recovery.

Mike Latvis, ArtServe Michigan's Director of Public Policy, will be on  
site at many of next month's regional meetings to lead the discussions  
in person. Latvis plans to take the outcomes from these regional  
meeting discussions and produce four analysis documents which will  
provide a "bird's eye view" of the most important issues facing  
Michigan's arts and cultural communities, along with strategies to  
support the thousands of concerned citizens across the state who are  
ready to take coordinated action on behalf of arts, culture, arts  
education and creativity in Michigan.

To register for the regional meeting closest to you, use our  online  
registration form . For more information on ArtServe's regional  
meetings, contact Simon Perazza, ArtServe Michigan's Director of  
Constituent Relations, by email at  simon at artservemichigan.org  or by  
phone at (517) 980-1839.

ArtServe Michigan's October Regional Meeting Dates and Locations
Thursday Oct. 15th, 1-4PM, Midland Center for the Arts , Midland, MI

Tuesday Oct. 20th, 1-4PM, Marquette Arts and Culture Office ,  
Marquette, MI

Tuesday Oct. 27th, 9AM-12PM, Arts Council of Greater Grand Rapids ,  
Grand Rapids, MI

Wednesday Oct. 28th, 1-4PM, Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center ,  
Birmingham, MI 	
National News

National Arts Education BLOG-A-THON
Last week, 30 arts education experts from around the country blogged  
daily on Americans for the Arts' new arts education blog and webpage .

The authors discussed steps each reader can take to ensure the  
children in their family, schools or community have access to a great  
arts education.

Bloggers included members of the Arts Education Council of Americans  
for the Arts; Lucia Brawley, activist, actress, and writer for the  
Huffington Post; emerging leaders Jenna Lee and Kim Willey, both of  
Washington, DC; Mike Blakeslee from MENC; state advocacy leaders;  
state department of education staff; teaching artists; local program  
experts; and, other folks from all over the country. Read below for  
the full list.

There's still an opportunity to weigh in with comments, offer your own  
opinions and present yourself as an expert for readers around the  
country.

Arts Education Salon Bloggers, September 21-25, 2009
Arnold Aprill, Lucia Brawley, Donna Collins, Rob Davidson, Gary  
DeVault, Maureen Dwyer, David Flatley, Merryl Goldberg, Lisa Hoitsma,  
Sandra Jackson-Dumont, Anne Katz, Jenna Lee, Jessica Mele, Marcia  
Neel, MacEwen Patterson, Laura Reeder, Patti Saraniero, Victoria  
Saunders, Andrea Temkin, Steven Tennen, Lynn Tuttle, Kim Wille

Gates Foundation Offers Help to States That Meet Reform Criteria
As reported by the California Alliance for Arts Education
Education Week reports that The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which  
provided funding to help 15 states prepare Race to the Top  
applications, is now offering assistance to the remaining states, if  
they meet education reform criteria that mirror those of the Obama  
administration.

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