Okay, maybe it's really the second round, as the first could be viewed as the education portion of the stimulus package.I've read a lot about Arne Duncan being a basketball player, but hadn't heard much about him liking to mix it up.Yesterday Duncan spoke at a press conference in Maryland where he outlined what will be required of states in order to receive the second round of … [Read more...] about Education Secretary Lands Near Knockout Blow in First Round
Crisis in Kindergarten: Why Children Need to Play in School
I was once asked by a charter school operator to assist them in finding some arts teachers. They showed me their instructional schedule for their all-day kindergarten and first grade classes, and I was floored, absolutely floored by the amount of time spent on drilling and test prep for reading and math.I mean, this is kindergarten. A five year old being drilled for hours on … [Read more...] about Crisis in Kindergarten: Why Children Need to Play in School
Arts and The GAO Report: Does the Media Play the Telephone Game?
A few weeks ago I wrote about a new report from the Government Accounting Office (GAO) concerning the effects of NCLB on arts instruction (see narrowing of curriculum). Not a great deal of attention has been paid to this study, beyond a piece in the Dallas Morning News and two recent blogs: Eduwonk, and Education Week. Additionally, Michael Sikes of the Arts Education … [Read more...] about Arts and The GAO Report: Does the Media Play the Telephone Game?
People You Should Know: Harry Partch
So, he's been dead for 35 years, but still, have you heard of him?I was watching a bit of President Obama's press conference last night and a question was asked concerning families who are living in tents. This was fairly common in New York City and other urban areas, I presume, in the rough and tumble late 70's through mid 80's, but I hadn't heard mention of it yet as a … [Read more...] about People You Should Know: Harry Partch
New Report: Music Study Improves Early Literacy
Okay, we've been here before. Nevertheless, a new study has been published in the journal Psychology of Music: The Effect of Piano Study on the Vocabularly and Verbal Sequencing of Primary Grade Students by Joseph M. Piro and Camilo Ortiz. (You can only view the abstract without a subscription.)Using a quasi-experimental research model, the study chose two schools in the same … [Read more...] about New Report: Music Study Improves Early Literacy