The MFA is the new MBA…
In his recent book, A Whole New Mind, author & researcher Daniel H. Pink, former speechwriter for VP Al Gore, explains why creativity will be crucial to success in the emergent workforce and economy.
―Thanks to an array of forces —globalization that is shipping white-collar work overseas, and powerful technologies that are eliminating certain kinds of work altogether—we are entering a new [creative era].‖
Daniel H. Pink, A Whole New Mind
"Right on the money. . . If Daniel Pink is correct about the 21st-century workforce, then all those college majors that cause parents to grimace (art history? philosophy?) will gain newfound acceptance."
US News and World Report
The power behind the U.S. economy is its ―creative class‖-- scientists, artists, engineers, technologists, and designers, to name a few. The creative sector accounts for nearly half of American wage income, but the U.S. is suddenly in danger of losing its edge.
Richard Florida, Harvard Business Review, Feb. 2004.
In Education Week’s Quality Counts 2008, Colorado received a grade of D for its educational transitions and alignment – that is the way the states school districts put together academic and other programs to ensure a smooth transition from K-12 education into the workforce.
www.edweek.org/media/ew/qc/2008/18shr.co.h27.pdf
How do we ensure that arts remain a significant and vital part of education so that we are adequately preparing students for the future?
An Integrated Approach to Arts Education…
―We cannot fulfill our current economic objective by just doing better what we used to do; we have to educate differently.‖
-Ken Robinson, Art Education’s place in a Knowledge-Based, Global Economy
―The arts are a major repository of human values, beliefs, aspirations, occupations, and achievement. As such, arts learning has an inherent bond with enduring ideas. This natural connection can be fostered by an integrated curriculum approach.‖
-Marilyn G. Stewart and Sydney R. Walker, Rethinking the Curriculum in Art.
BEYOND THE BASICS
"The research shows arts integrated learning goes well beyond the basics and test scores. Students become better thinkers, develop higher order skills, and deepen their inclination to learn,"
Robin C. Redmond, associate director of the Center for Arts Policy, Columbia College, Chicago
Offering a fully arts integrated curriculum, the Denver School of the Arts earned the JF Kennedy Center ―School of Excellence‖ award, one of 5 in the nation, in 2004
Teachers at the Denver School do not ―teach to the test‖ yet…
Overall Academic Performance on State Assessments for grades 6-12 is EXCELLENT!
www.dsa.dpsk12.org
Huff Elementary School in Elgin, Illinois was facing possible closure due to low performance on state assessments. Two years after restructuring their curriculum to center on the arts & technology, the percentage of students who met state standards in Reading increased by 8% and in Math increased by 33%
Data for the years 2005-2007, Visual Imagery as Artful Evidence, SchoolArts, Oct. 2007
―Of all the effects on cognition, visual arts seem to be strongest when used as a tool for academic learning…Art classes are an important feature in any curriculum, but the greatest payback comes from integrating visual arts into the curriculum… A majority of your learners are visual.‖
-Eric Jensen, Arts with the Brain in Mind
In August 2008, Adams 12 Five Star Schools will open a unique school with a focus on the creative arts. The newly named Studio School will feature an integrated approach to the arts as music, visual art, dance, theatre, and literary arts are infused with language arts, math, science and social studies. Featuring a culturally rich learning environment, instruction will capitalize on the latest research linking academic success with the integration of arts concepts and hands-on experiences.
www.artsmagnet.adams12.org
―We recognize that we are calling on schools to change dramatically even as they face difficult economic challenges and a vigorous discussion of student achievement and assessments. However, while current budget constraints will eventually subside, the longterm need for 21st century learning will not.‖
Letter to America’s Education Leaders, The Board of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills
Adequate Funding?
School Spending Statistics:
Colorado ranks 8th in the country for per capita income & our taxes are amongst the lowest in the nation, yet we spend over $1,000 less per pupil annually than the national average. Various calculations rank Colorado between 37th and 49th in investment in public education.
National Center for Education Statistics http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2007/expenditures/tables.asp
An analysis by the Colorado School Finance Project forecasts that we will need an additional $2.9 billion annually to adequately invest in our public schools. That’s just for academics, not for maintaining or building facilities.
www.believeinabettercolorado.org
With a widening gap in school funding, the question facing our school districts each year is
―What to cut?‖
Colorado’s tax scenario and recent economic conditions engender fierce competition for insufficient public dollars
www.greateducation.org www.believeinabettercolorado.org/basics/index.html
―My son's middle school eliminated foreign language this year partially as a result of cuts. There was a huge parent outcry, and Spanish will be offered next year. But the parents have been warned that there may be a cut in music and band depending upon enrollment, and there will be cuts in gym, and perhaps other courses as well. Schools should not be making these choices. There should be enough money so that schools can offer a a varied curriculum and students can take the courses that they want to.‖
Comment posted by Jane F., Feb. 28, 2008
www.greateducation.org
In 2011, both Amendment 23 and Referendum C (voter approved 5-year break from TABOR) will expire…
In less than two more school years, what will the state of education funding, and consequently arts education, in Colorado be?
The answer is up to us: parents, teachers, administrators.
Please use the resources provided in, and with, this presentation to get involved.
Today.
―The arts must…contribute forcefully to the education of the public.‖
~ Jaques Louis Davis, 1793
Gratitude and acknowledgement to the Colorado Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts for financial support of this presentation.