CommonGround
Dimensions
-
Wikipedia lists over 15 references
to the use of “common ground” in
the world.
-
President Bush uses it to describe
future relations with Democratic
leaders, as in “I'm confident
that we can find common ground
in our efforts to serve our fellow
citizens and to move our country
forward.”
- Americans for the Arts
began using the term last year
when they commenced pre-conference
arts-in-education activities.
-
OF COURSE…New York State
has been developing CommonGround for
more than twenty years to strengthen
the education of our children through
the exchange of arts and education
ideals.
Join
us this year on
March 28,
29, 30th at the Rochester
Hyatt-Regency as we explore three
critical dimensions and ask:
“How
does arts in education in NYS engage
and empower our next generation?” Our
policy sessions, workshops, panels,
keynotes, and social gatherings
will tackle this question (as we
do in the arts) with MORE questions!
We will pursue:
CORE
KNOWLEDGE: How does the field
of NYS AIE work?
- Where does one go to
for resources?
- How do individuals advance & grow?
- Which elements of the
field are still confusing?
CURRICULUM
and ASSESSMENT: How do we design
deep and relevant opportunities
for students and adults for
sustainable curriculum design?
- What can we walk away with
to use immediately and in the
near future?
- How does my practice relate
to that of others in the AIE
field?
- Which of my skills /challenges
could I share next year in this
forum?
EDUCATION
REFORM: How can education policy
and practice transform our
global community?
- How do we look beyond
the school, district, state to
reform and reformers?
- What has been tried?
What does success look like?
When can something be tried in
a new context?
- What are the current “larger” issues
and buzzwords that we must be
aware of?
Join us again as we transform
learning through the collegial
dimensions ALWAYS found at our
CommonGround!
Laura Reeder
, Executive Director
Technical
Assistance
CommonGround 2007
Registration is now open for CommonGround
2007 - AIE- 3D: The Arts
in Three Dimensions, being held March
28-30. You can see a complete schedule
of workshops, find the link
for special
conference hotel rates at the Rochester
Hyatt-Regency, and register
online.
We’re very excited about
our keynotes – Arnold
Aprill of Chicago Arts Partnerships
in Education, Tara
M. Brown from the Minority
and Urban Education Unit at the
University of Maryland, and a performance
by Mt.
Morris Middle School’s Strong
as Steel, with composer Glenn
McClure.
Perhaps you’re not able
to make it to CommonGround this
year (so sad!) – you can
still be a presence in Rochester.
You can help someone else attend
CommonGround by contributing to
the Scholarship
Fund, which supplements the
existing TAP funds through donations
from the field. You can donate
to the fund in $10 increments.
Whether or not you’re in
Rochester, you can take advantage
of the conference program to let
the field know about your organization.
Ad rates and more info are at our website – deadline
for ad copy is February
28th.
As usual, there will be
display
tables available in the conference-level
lobby, complete with electricity
and wireless internet, for a high-visibility
way to connect with the community.
TAP Grants
Technical Assistance Program grants
are awarded five times a year.
The next deadline is March 1, 2007.
Technical Assistance Program grants provide
support for projects that develop, enhance, and/or evaluate arts education
programs benefiting children
pre-K to 12th grade. The grant is for projects that involve planning, professional
development, evaluation and sustainability. Awards
range from $100 to $1,000. NYS
schools, school districts, and
non-profit cultural organizations,
and NYS teaching artists are
eligible to apply. TAP is not meant to support artist residency
activities.
If you would like more information
about these grants, visit our website, or email
Sue
Stonecash
.
Resources
Website of the Month
Chicago
Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE)
is a national leader in action
research, championing inquiry-based
documentation of arts-in-ed projects
and their impact on student achievement,
student cognition, and teaching
artists. CAPE develops innovative
research strategies to investigate
the "living laboratory" of
practice, helping teachers and
artists reflect critically on
their teaching practice, develop
and pursue paths of inquiry within
the classroom, and engage actively
in their own professional development.
The website is loaded with info
about research in progress, past
projects, links to other research
and resources, and thought-provoking
articles and interviews. http://www.capeweb.org/
Online
Teacher Resource from U.S. Dept.
of Ed
The
U.S. Department of Education’s
newly remodeled and updated Federal
Resources for Education Excellence (FREE)
website now provides richer,
more expansive resources to teachers
and students alike. There are
over 1500 resources to take advantage
of at FREE, ranging from primary
historical documents, lesson
plans, science visualizations,
math simulations and online challenges,
paintings, photos, mapping tools,
and more. This easily accessible
information is provided by federal
organizations and agencies such
as the Library of Congress, National
Archives, NEH, National Gallery
of Art, National Park Service,
Smithsonian, NSF, and NASA. http://www.free.ed.gov
Opportunities
Call
For Youth-Made Films
Americans
for the Arts will be hosting
its next Annual Convention in
Las Vegas on June 1,
2 & 3. The Convention
will bring together a stellar
collection of talent, intellect
and dynamism.
During one evening, Americans
for the Arts will host a movie-night
of youth made films that vary in
style, content, and age of filmmaker.
We’d like to invite you to
submit youth-made films or to share
this call with any one of your
colleagues.
Sample of Criteria and Submission
Guidelines:
· Films must be made by
people 21 years old or younger;
Films of youth art activities
or about arts education are not
sought at this time;
· Films must be less than
one hour in length;
· Subject matter is not
important; effectiveness of the
piece is most important;
· Films must be received
by Friday, February 23,
2007.
Full submission guidelines are
available in PDF at http://www.AmericansForTheArts.org/ArtsEducation/YouthFilms.
ATA
Seeks Nominations for Two Arts
in Ed Awards
The Association
of Teaching Artists (ATA)
is soliciting nominations for
The Teaching Artist Distinguished
Service to The Arts In Education
Field Award and The Golden Administrator
Award that will be presented
at the ATA reception at the CommonGround
Conference in Rochester
on Thursday, March 29.
The Teaching Artist Distinguished
Service to The Arts In Education
Field Award, initiated by ATA in
2002, is the first in the nation
to honor a Teaching Artist for
lifetime achievement in the Arts
In Education field. It honors an
individual Teaching Artist who
not only pioneered the Arts In
Education Field, but who also continues
to define the best of what it means
to be a Teaching Artist. Previous
recipients include Richard Lewis,
Barbara Fisher and Richard Spiegel,
Margot Faught, Sherry Robbins,
and Susan
Thomasson.
The Golden Administrator Award
was designed to encourage and to
support excellence in the Arts
In Education field. Initiated by
ATA in 2003, it recognizes an education
professional whose talent, dedication,
and administrative skills actively
strengthen and support the role
of Teaching Artists and Arts in
Education.
Nominations may include administrators
in school districts or B.O.C.E.S.,
cultural organizations such as
museums and arts councils, or organizations
whose primary mission is Arts in
Education. Previous recipients
include Arlene Jordan, Susan Lesser,
Cass Clarke, and David
Silver.
Nominations are being accepted
until March 10.
Please submit a supporting statement
for your nominee outlining why
your nominee deserves the award
to submit@teachingartists.com.
Please include complete contact
information.
