Arts Education

After Years Crouching, Arts Ed Raising Its Hand Again

February 21, 2013 by Steve

From Anne Midgette for The Washington Post:

Savoy Elementary is one of eight in the country earmarked by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities as a “turnaround” school — one in dire need of help. For three years, each of the eight is “adopted” by a well-known artist (in Savoy’s case, the actress Kerry Washington) and receives a tremendous funding boost to institute arts programs ($14.7 million for the eight). This is based on a new belief — after years of emphasis on standardized testing — in the power of the arts.

February 13, 2013 by Steve

This hearing, held on February 8, 2013, focused on ESEA State Flexibility Waivers. Senators had the opportunity to discuss the issue with U.S. Department of Education Secretary Duncan as well as state commissioners, academics, and advocates.

The webcast of the hearing can be found here.

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February 13, 2013 by Steve

On Thursday, February 14, the Department of Education will host a live webinar titled “Strengthening Arts Education Through i3 and Promise Neighborhoods Programs.” Presenters are Elson Nash of Promise Neighborhoods and Kelly Terpak of Investing in Innovation (i3), as well as Doug Herbert from the Department of Education's Office of Innovation & Improvement who will be moderating.

Top K-12 Senator Tom Harkin to Retire

January 29, 2013 by Steve

From Alyson Klein at Education Week:

Harkin, who was a key author of the education portions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is a big fan of special education. (In fact, his late brother was a special education student.) He's also a major champion of federal funding for school facilities and told reporters that he was "not a happy camper" when money for school construction was taken out of the stimulus law.

So what does this mean for education legislation—including No Child Left Behind reauthorization? Well, this session of Congress will be Harkin's last chance ever to put his stamp on a rewrite of the law, something he's listed as a priority. Harkin has already made a start, working with Sen. Michael B. Enzi, then the Senate education committee's top Republican on a bipartisan revamp of the law back in 2011. The legislation got the support of three of the panel's GOP members, but never made it to the floor of the Senate. Presumably, having started that work, it seems Harkin would want to try and finish the job, especially since his home state of Iowa didn't get a waiver to get out from under the mandates of the current NCLB law.

January 22, 2013 by Steve

By Lyndsey Layton, for The Washington Post:

January 14, 2013 by Steve

AEFC responds to US Department of Education call for comments on their proposed priorities, requirements, definitions and selection criteria for the Investing in Innovation Fund (i3).

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View the document (155 Kb)

January 11, 2013 by Steve

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Summary of "What's Next for School Systems" (263 Kb)

Much discussion about the Common Core State Standards has emphasized the desirability of the enterprise or the minutiae of “implementation.” At this AEI event, held on January 10, 2013, prominent superintendents and leading thinkers instead focus more broadly on what it will take for school systems to adopt the Common Core effectively.

2013 Fiscal Cliff Agreement Overview

January 3, 2013 by Steve

This memorandum provides an overview of the deal reached on the so called “fiscal cliff” issues. The legislation passed by Congress and expected to be signed by the President delays the sequester for two months, extends expiring tax cuts for a large majority of taxpayers and for certain education-related purposes, permanently prevents the Alternative Minimum Tax from applying to additional taxpayers, and provides a one-year delay in lower fees for Medicare providers (the so-called doc-fix). This legislation did not extend the existing Federal debt limit.

November 21, 2012 by Steve

The Arts Education Funders Coalitions requests consideration regarding arts education from Secretary Duncan and the Office of Management and Budget in preparing the 2014 department of education budget.