Changed:REPA 2 Public Input Meeting: May 23

I today from reliable sources the REPA 2 Public Input meeting is on May 23rd at the IDOE's Riley Room.
As soon as I know where public comments can be sent via email, I will post it.

REPA 2: Time to Take Action

Public comment for REPA 2 is coming up. 
Wednesday, April 25th, is the date for public input at the Indiana Department of Education in the Riley Room in Indianapolis. Stay tuned for more info.

What are your thoughts? Should fine arts teachers, music teachers or any teacher for that matter be allowed in the classroom without university knowledge of methods, pedagogy, practicum experience or psychology of learning?

Would you trust your child's health to a medical doctor who had some knowledge of the human body and disease, limited experience with patients and lacked comprehensive training in the field of medicine?

Here is a link to the IMEA's excellent analysis of REPA 2.

A link for public comment will be forthcoming as soon as the IDOE posts it. Note that there is not much publicity for this issue nor will there be much lead time to make a public comment once the link is posted.

Learning should be a fascinating adventure.....

Excellent distillation of how transformational change can be affected through arts learning and aesthetic experience.
Many thanks to my friend Bryan Renholdt of the University of Kentucky Fine Arts Education Dept.

Fine Arts Learning in the Land of Independent Schools.......

 Why is it, the finest independent private schools in the land have rich experiential learning opportunities for their students? Why do many students in public education and children of poverty have to endure impoverished fine arts learning experiences in the schools they attend? What do the folks who send their children to the top independent schools in the country know about experiential learning that other parents do not, or are not willing to put up with? If you are sick of the inequities in public education and want to know where to begin to affect educational change at the national and state level, email me at campak14@yahoo.com .

 

No one can predict where an individual child may go in a dynamic school system when an understanding teacher, using all the resources of the community, awakens his imagination and interest and thus releases his emotional drive.

Clara Belle Baker

Children who need fine arts experiences the most, arent recieving those experiences.....

This just in from my friend Robert Valiant.

You can read the report here: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012014.pdf 

 Despite the rhetoric of Secretary Arne Duncan who is relieved that fine arts education has not been significantly cut further since his appointment as Secretary of U.S. Education, learning in the arts across the K-12 spectrum has been continuously marginalized since the implementation of NCLB.

I have some problems with this DOE report. The study covers only a two year period and it does not utilize the input of fine arts educators in the field.

Bob Sabol's report is one that is most important especially when one considers he received input from over 3400 art educators 84% of whom provided detailed info stating that NCLB has had a negative impact on student learning in the visual arts.

"You hear students say, `I found out who I was because I was able to explore my identity in the visual arts,'" said Bob Sabol, president of the National Art Education Association. "It validates who they are as individuals."

Education systems that value creative learning experience...

I've written about this before, and I am writing about it again.

There are education systems around the world supported by their governments that recognize and value creativity as a means to economic, social and individual well being.

While American school systems are cutting fine arts learning opportunities and have become more narrowed, lock step and rigid in order to comply with federal and state standardized testing mandates, education systems in the European Commonwealth are actively encouraging a curricular balance between prescription and freedom; encouraging teachers to develop creative approaches to pedagogy and striking a balance between students' interests and those of educational policy makers agendas.

My sincerest thanks goes to all of the AEAI Art Educators lead by Bev Straub who made this years Youth Art Month exhibition at the State Capitol a wonderful event.

NAEA has begun to publish their white papers specific to advocacy. You can access them here.