Last month the American Teacher Magazine, which has a circulation of over one million, had a cover story on arts education. They have followed-up on the cover story, with a series of pieces submitted by educators from across the country, about the value of arts education.Click here to read the March/April edition of the American Teacher and its follow-up story on arts … [Read more...] about American Teacher Magazine on Arts Education: Part Two
NYCDOE
The School District Arts Czar: Mistaking the Piece for the Puzzle
I was talking recently with a friend and colleague who expressed disappointment over how things turned out with the appointment of the arts education czar in her local school district. She spoke about how much effort went into advocating with district leadership for the creation of the position, how enormously high the hopes were for success, and how different the relationship … [Read more...] about The School District Arts Czar: Mistaking the Piece for the Puzzle
The True Nature of Mayoral Control Strikes Hard for 19 School Communities
Sometimes people lose track of what mayoral control means, particularly the pure form that we have in New York City. In New York City, it means that the mayor controls the schools and can do whatever he wants, for he appoints the majority of the the local school board (the Panel for Educational Policy) and can remove his appointees at anytime for any reason whatsoever.The vote … [Read more...] about The True Nature of Mayoral Control Strikes Hard for 19 School Communities
Reflections on the Possible Closing of My High School: Beach Channel High School
It makes for a really great chest-beating sound-bite: "we just closed another low performing school!" It's all the rage in New York City, at the USDOE, and at many other urban school districts: School Turnaround. And, although the term denotes a number of possible strategies, it almost always connotes the closing of a school. And, you may ask what happens to the building after … [Read more...] about Reflections on the Possible Closing of My High School: Beach Channel High School
The Sweet Spot for Schools and Cultural Organzations
I once had a colleague complain to me about the disparities in quality among those organizations providing services to schools. Some programs were great; others were terrible. Some artists where thoughtfully developed and supported to work in schools; others were simply booked into the gig. Some organizations spent a great deal of time on reflective practice; others did … [Read more...] about The Sweet Spot for Schools and Cultural Organzations