Arts Education Network News Spring 2008

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In this Issue:

· We're Planning for the Future

 

· Technical Assistance
o TAP Expands in the Coming Year
o
Common Ground 2008 and 2009

· Funding
o SAP-Level Funding Changes
o Featured SAP Project:"Building a Culture of High Expectations"

·Resources
o Featured Website
o
Media Buzz

· Opportunities
o
TA Training/Internship through Community Word Project
o Epic Theater Citizen Artist Conference

· News from Our Office
o
Three New Members Join PAE Board

 


High Expectations

Students at Automotive HS in Brooklyn work with Epic Theatre Ensemble.

High Expectations


We're Planning for the Future – and You Can Help Us!
Big ideas are blooming as the season for planning begins. At PAE, two critical themes for the year ahead include:

- Standards Reform: The Regents for the NYS Department of Education are conducting a review of their learning standards and the arts are “at the table”. This week they completed their regional work sessions on English Language Arts (ELA) and English as a Second Language (ESL)/English Language Learners (ELL). Many representatives from the arts in education community were in attendance at these meetings, yet, they almost did not have to show up. The administrators, teachers, higher education leaders, and students spoke frequently and passionately about the place for the arts in each standard. In case you did not attend, all of the big questions and critical information can be found at: http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/standardsreview/ .

- 21st Century Citizenship: With a grant from the Kauffman Foundation, we have been researching “Hyphenated Artists” the entrepreneurial nature of artists and what the arts bring to our students as we prepare them for the next generation of citizenship. In support of this endeavor, we have been reviewing our own Technical Assistance offerings and our plans for CommonGround in 2009. We have also been referring to the vision that is being shared through the Imagine Nation initiative http://www.theimaginenation.net/ and through the Partnership for 21st Century Skills http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/ .

Research, Research, Research: As we all become survey savvy (thanks to easy-to-operate software) there is also micro-research surfacing to help us with our arts-driven lives. (Thank you, Gail Burnaford and the Arts Education Partnership – you can download Gail’s Literature Review at:
http://www.aep-arts.org/resources/integration2.htm )

If you have been engaged in arts-in-education partnerships, PAE invites you to participate in an anecdotal survey as we reshape our Technical Assistance Program. Please follow this link to respond:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=zHR3cPOy0T4Ci0q4mO5Smg_3d_3d

If you'd like to give it a little thought beforehand, here are the main survey questions; they have been passed along to us via Anne Rhodes and Eric Booth:

  1. What are five claims that you can make about your work?
  2. What is one larger claim that you can make as a result of these five claims?
  3. What has changed in your arts or education practice over the past five years? Over the past 10 or more years?  

We hope that all of your big ideas are poised for promise this year.

Laura Reeder, Executive Director

 

Technical Assistance

TAP Expands in the Coming Year

We are looking forward to a greatly enlarged capacity to provide Technical Assistance to NYS Arts in Education practitioners in the 2008-09. Our funding is increasing September 1 and therefore the field’s ability to take advantage of expertise that will support their AIE work will be greatly enhanced. TAP funds will be available for hiring AIE consultants, for attendance at workshops or conferences and for the creation of partnership team retreats. Basically, it will support whatever your partnership needs to improve and/or expand your practice.

Deadlines for TAP in the coming academic year 2008-09 will be September 15, November 17, January 15, March 16 and May 18.  Depending upon availability of funds, we may consider a June 2009 deadline as well. 

The 2008-09 TAP application and guidelines will be posted on the PAE website by July 31, 2008.

A look at TAP this past year:
With the support of the Snow Foundation, NYSCA and the contributions to the CommonGround Scholarship fund, 35 scholarships were awarded to help cover the registration fees, hotel and travel expenses for CommonGround 08 participants.

The General TAP fund has funded 18 of the 32 projects we received applications for so far this year. The last 2007-08 cycle deadline of June 1 is still under consideration. $33,875 has been put into the field to support 10 Strategic Foundation Building Retreats, 6 professional development grants and 2 scholarships to workshops. You can find out more about the TAP funding recipients for this year at: http://www.arts4ed.org/funding/TAP/TAP_08_summary.shtml

CommonGround 2008 and 2009
Pictures from CommonGround 2008 are up on our website! There are a few people whose names escaped us – if you see yourself or a friend up there uncredited (or, heaven forbid, mis-credited), please let us know.

You can also download materials from many of the workshops – go to the CommonGround main page and click on the name of the workshop facilitator. You'll find documents, PowerPoints, archived webinars, and more.

And – mark your calendars for next year – CommonGround 2009 will be March 25 – 27 in Albany. We're looking forward to it already!

Funding
SAP-Level Funding Changes
Funding through the NYSCA/PAE School Arts Partnerships (SAP) Program is no longer available. Beginning July 1, 2008, the funds that were awarded to PAE by NYSCA to support the SAP grants will be used to expand the Technical Assistance Program (TAP). PAE will continue to manage the distribution of TAP funds.

If you are seeking support for a “starter” partnership between a school and a cultural organization or teaching artist, please consult your school’s designated Local Capacity Building site. If you are seeking support for a more advanced partnership between a school and a cultural organization, please consult the guidelines for the Empire State Partnerships (ESP) grants, which are available through the Arts in Education Program at NYSCA.  Projects that formerly would have qualified for SAP-level funding can be submitted for consideration to NYSCA Arts in Education program.

Feel free to call Sue at PAE at (315) 234-9911 or NYSCA AIE staff at (212) 741-5256 or 5257 if you have any questions.


Featured SAP Project: "Building a Culture of High Expectations" at Automotive High School with Epic Theatre
From November 2007 to January 2008, Epic Theatre Ensemble worked with three 10th grade English classes at Automotive High School.  After seeing Epic’s professional company perform Antigone, Epic Teaching Artists Godfrey L. Simmons Jr. and Brandt Adams partnered with classroom teachers Mike Sill and Haseeb Khawaja on a major playwriting and performance residency.  On January 16,  all three classes performed their own adaptations of Antigone for their parents, teachers and peers. Here are extracts of some of Mr. Sill’s comments on his students’ work with Epic.

“O. had been recently suspended, and had missed a few days of rehearsal. D., a very high-achieving student, saw him walk in (late) on the day of the performance, and walked straight towards him. I figured D. would take O. to task.  Instead I found him being supportive and helpful.  He walked O. through the scenes they had together, allowing him to perform beautifully as well. It was one of the more pleasant moments of this whole experience.”

“In the two months before EPIC came into my classroom, R. was rarely in class. As soon as the project began, R’s attendance improved.  She took on a leadership role in the classroom, and it was clear early on that she would have a starring role in our production.”

“D. was without a doubt, my most difficult student this fall. He remained lethargic through about two weeks of working with EPIC. Then one day, during an improvisation activity, D. volunteered. I chuckle to think about the looks that were exchanged between the teaching artists and me when we saw D’s talent unleashed. It seemed as though he had shrugged off a great burden. I daresay he showed signs of genius. He began working to write the book as well. The change was monumental.”

“E. is painfully shy, and he has extreme difficulty interacting with peers and adults. E. volunteered for the role of the general. I remember one of the teaching artists asking him if he was sure. He wasn’t. He said yes anyway. He threw himself into writing his role with great devotion.  He labored over every word, reaching often for his tattered dictionary. Soon he was beaming at the praise he garnered from his peers. On the day of the performance, his voice boomed to the back row. Just today, as we reflected, he spoke out in class discussion without being called on.  It was the first time. I almost cried.” 

Resources
Featured Website
DonorsChoose has created a website that links teachers with individuals who want to make a charitable contribution to students’ learning, but want to make their own decisions about where the money will go. Teachers submit project proposals for learning materials or experiences their students need. Concerned individuals browse through the projects on offer and fund the student projects of their choice in whole or in part. Donors get feedback on how the project went via photos, a teacher letter, and students’ thank-you notes. Donations are tax deductible. Everybody’s happy! Find out more at: http://www.donorschoose.org/homepage/main.html

Media Buzz
"Not on the Test"
Got the NCLB-testing-curriculum blues? Watch this video by Tom Chapin – you’ll laugh, you’ll cry. . . http://www.notonthetest.com/

Opportunities
TA Training/Internship through Community Word Project
Teaching Artist Training and Internship Program 2008-09
Application due: September 15, 2008
Contact: Keith Kaminski, Program Coordinator, 212~962~3820 or by
email
Community Word Project in New York City offers two levels of training; one for beginning and new teaching artists, and another for those that have at least two years experience working with underserved youth in the public school environment.
The application is due by 10:00 am on September 15, 2008 and can be downloaded directly from CWP's website using CWP TATIP Program Overview and Applications. Early applications are encouraged. Applicants will be notified of acceptance before September 26. Please contact CWP with any questions about the application or TATIP.

Epic Theatre Citizen Artist Conference
June 13th- 15th, 2008
Registration Deadline: June 9
Register at: http://epictheatreensemble.org/education/citizen/index.php
Contact: Email Darci Fulcher
Our conference will be an enriching, interactive experience where members of the arts-in-education community will immerse themselves in Epic's methodology and techniques which place theatre at the center of civic dialogue. Please note that the $30 fee is waived for participants traveling to NYC from out of town for the conference. The conference includes interactive workshops that use theatrical techniques to explore power, status, empathy, perspective and ethics; consultation with Epic's Lead Teaching Artists on how to integrate Citizen Artistry into your work; a complementary ticket to Epic's Off-Broadway production of Palace of the End by Judith Thompson; student performances; and a curriculum guide.

News
Three New Members Join PAE Board
PAE is pleased to welcome three new members to its Board of Directors.

June Choi is a member of the staff for the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in New York City, where she works primarily on the New York State Music Fund. She was formerly Executive Director of the Asian American Arts Alliance, where she rapidly grew the organization into a nationally prominent arts service organization. Her independent consulting practice specifically focused on change issues, organizational effectiveness, and philanthropy.

Mark Ciaralli is a Certified Public Accountant and Supervisor with Green & Seifter, Certified Public Accountants in Syracuse. A graduate of LeMoyne College, he has a special interest in school and not-for-profit accounting and auditing. Mr. Ciaralli will be assuming the duties of Board Treasurer.

Tim Frateschi is an attorney with Harris Beach PLLC in the Public Finance and Economic Development Practice Group. During the 1990’s he served as Chief of Staff for State Senator John A. DeFrancisco. He has previously served on the board of, among others, Literacy Volunteers of Greater Syracuse and the Education Information Centers. He received his law degree from Syracuse University.

We at PAE are grateful for the opportunity to work with a board that demonstrates such a high level of commitment and enthusiasm.

_____________________________________


Our staff is always available to help you!

www.arts4ed.org or 315-234-9911

Executive Director: Laura Reeder
Administrative Assistant: Maureen Foster
Director of Strategic Development: Fran Hradil
CNY Community Coordinator: Georgia Popoff

Funding Coordinator: Sue Stonecash
Development Associate : Kristin Swift
Network Coordinator: Connie Walters
(Click on a name to email.)


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