The budget for the State of New York has a big hole in it, this year and next. Governor David Patterson has proposed major cuts, some call it amputations, to the NYSCA budget.A cut of $2.6 million occurred just a short time ago. Now the Governor has proposed an additional cut of $7 million. All totaled, this is a near 20 percent cut, reducing the NYSCA budget to $39 million, … [Read more...] about The Bleeding Edge: 20 Percent Mid-Year Cuts to the New York State Council on the Arts
To Go Where No Public School Teacher Has Gone Before: No Tenure
Michelle Rhee, DC Schools Chancellor, has unveiled non-tenure track pilot program for teachers in the DC public school system. With the help of private foundations, Rhee will offer this non-tenure track for teachers, in exchange for significantly increased pay.Teacher tenure: it's the boogie-man of school administrators and free marketeers. But you know, it's like anything … [Read more...] about To Go Where No Public School Teacher Has Gone Before: No Tenure
News Flash: Gates Foundation Announces New Focus in Education
I bet this will be my most viewed blog.The big news here is that Gates, as many people already knew, will be moving away from its focus on the creation of small schools. It will be interesting to see what happens to the small school movement, particularly those districts that are in the middle or early stages of development. Here is an excerpt from Liz Green's piece from Gotham … [Read more...] about News Flash: Gates Foundation Announces New Focus in Education
The New Math: NCLB plus Big Budget Cuts equals??
My colleague said to me that "the arts are a core subject in NCLB and that alerting policy makers of this can have a powerful positive affect."It's true, NCLB does include arts education as one of the 10 core subjects.In reality that's a policy fantasy. "Follow the money," said another colleague. Or, "the only accountability is financial accountability," said a senior education … [Read more...] about The New Math: NCLB plus Big Budget Cuts equals??
My Soundtrack for this Obama/American moment
I thought about it yesterday, what music did I want to listen to, as I was sitting on the train thinking about the election. This morning, I turned to Aaron Copland and his Appalachian Spring, created in 1944 for Martha Graham, with an original set by Noguchi.It seemed just right for the moment. Our composer from Brooklyn, a gay man who was a true progressive democrat, who … [Read more...] about My Soundtrack for this Obama/American moment