They tell you not to sweat the “small stuff; it’s all small stuff.”
You tell me: is this small or large? One sentence in today’s New York Times editorial on the selection of David Steiner as the new NYS Commissioner of Education:
“And as a former director of arts education at the National Endowment for the Arts, he is also well suited to deal with what is widely seen as a lack of arts education in the public schools.”
What I see here, is that among the many pressing needs for education in New York State, according to The New York Times editorial, arts education is on the map. And not only that, the Times called it right–it is a “widely seen lack of arts education…”
I would like to think that such small things are indicators of some sort of rewriting of the map of public education in New York. Having more and better data on arts education in the New York City public schools (thanks to the NYCDOE), coupled with people and organizations willing to sustain the getting out of the word on need, is certainly helping the cause.
Is it the solution? Of course not, silly. It’s one of the key pieces of the puzzle. Without a clear understanding of the need, and sustained work to build the number of people who both understand the need, value its importance, and have the tools and support to act upon such information and value, well, you don’t stand much of a chance.