Archives for March 2009

Fair enough, the State of California is in a financial meltdown that predates the national economic decline, and yup, it's nothing new.What's new is the extent of the troubled economy and the types of things that are on the chopping block. The state that made headlines for creating a $100 million plus categorical, per-capita fund for arts education; that's gone, basically, as … [Read more...] about Cuts to the Arts at LAUSD

Okay, I have a goal of losing 20 pounds. Really. I've got about six pound to go. Having that target is extremely helpful. Ask my scale, it's gotten a workout.Along comes Goals Gone Wild: The Systematic Side Effects of Over Prescribing Goal Setting,  a new paper published in the the Harvard Business School's Working Knowledge  that has the chutzpah to question the … [Read more...] about Questioning the Primacy of Goal Setting

Eric Booth was kind enough to forward me this survey from the San Diego School District. It is both visionary and innovative (the edu-term of the moment) and at the same time a bit old school.Essentially the San Diego School Unified School District, as it contemplates cuts to the budget, has decided to survey parents and others in the community to understand better what cuts to … [Read more...] about What Do Parents Want? A View from San Diego Unified School District

My friend Schuyler Chapin died last Saturday. Perhaps you didn't know him. Perhaps you didn't know much beyond his tenure as New York City Commissioner of Cultural Affairs or saw him interviewed in a documentary about Leonard Bernstein. Maybe you read one of the obituaries.All the aphorisms about Schuyler are true: the end of an era; he broke the mold; a true gentleman; lived a … [Read more...] about Remembering Schuyler Chapin

I was at a conference once, where Michelle Cahill, Vice President and Program Director of The Carnegie Corporation, and former Deputy Chancellor of the New York City Public Schools cautioned the arts education audience that their work must answer the question of how it is increasing graduation rates. It was a blunt hortatory and an interesting moment. A good question for all … [Read more...] about Obama’s Vision for Education