The Mississippi Alliance for Arts Education presents:

Arts Front and Center Forum

MSU Riley Center, Meridian, MS 

March 23, 2007

Purpose:

To assemble a diverse audience of education leaders and citizens who value the role of the arts in education. Participants will be equipped to respond to arts education issues in Mississippi’s K-12 schools.

Goal:

To challenge forum participants to use research findings and forum topics as a platform for professional and personal decisions that will improve students’ access to arts education and will increase the quality and quantity of existing arts programs in Mississippi’s K-12 schools.

The Arts Front and Center Forum is partially funded by a grant from the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network. The publication, Mapping the Future of Arts Education, was produced with funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission and the Wallace Foundation.

Outcomes:

The MAAE wishes to extend the outcomes of the forum by offering presenter's Power Point slides and participant's recommendations to web site visitors. The opening general session of the forum began with a showcase of programs in Mississippi that highlight best practices in education and arts education.

The Arts Front and Center breakout sessions focused on the new publication, Mapping the Future of Arts Education. The recommendations contained in the document guided discussions facilitated by MAAE board members. Participants were challenged to study the recommendations and seek ways to implement them at the local level. The publication is available in Adobe Acrobat pdf format by clicking the title below. To obtain printed copies of the publication, contact MAAE Executive Director, Lola Norris Lola.Norris@USM.edu

Meridian High School Redesign, Cheryl Thomas, click here
 

Understanding by Design:
The Impact on Arts in Education, Penny Wallin, click here

Greenville Arts Partnership, Kathryn C. Lewis, click here

Mapping the Future of Arts Education brochure, click here

Notes/Recommendations, breakout sessions, click here

Visual artworks that appear in the slide show and in the side bar of this page were exhibited during the Arts Front and Center Forum. School districts contributing student artworks include: Lauderdale County School District, Madison County School District, Meridian Public School District, and Pearl School District. The MAAE wishes to thank the visual art teachers who selected and exhibited the student artworks and MAAE board members, Gloria Johnson and Sharon Pratt, who coordinated the art exhibit at the forum. A choral music performance was provided by the Meridian High School Lamplighters under the direction of Penny McLemore. The MAAE is grateful for these contributions provided by our K-12 school partners and their students.

Resources for Further Study or Research
Arts and Education Publications

The resources cited below represent recent thinking in education and arts education. Study of these articles and publications influenced the purpose, goals, and agenda of the Arts Front and Center Forum and the development of the publication, Mapping the Future of Arts Education.

Critical Evidence, How the Arts Benefit Student Achievement, written by Sandra Ruppert, contains fact-based, non-technical language documenting the most current and compelling research on the value of arts learning experiences. Published by the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies in collaboration with the Arts Education Partnership. February 2006   http://www.nasaa-arts.org  

To view the document in PDF format go to:
http://www.nasaa-arts.org/publications/critical-evidence.shtml

Governor’s Commission on the Arts in Education: Findings and Recommendations, published by the Education Commission of the States. July 2006  www.ecs.org

To view the document in PDF format go to:
https://www.ecs.org/html/issue.asp?issueid=211

Third Space: When Learning Matters, is a book that tells the riveting story of the profound changes in the lives of kids, teachers, and parents in ten economically disadvantaged communities, including Pierce Street School in Tupelo Mississippi. They place their bets on the arts as a way to create great schools. Published by the Arts Education Partnership. November 2005

A toolkit and several web-based articles may be found at:
http://www.aep-arts.org/resources/toolkits/thirdspace/read.htm

Arts Scan Policy Database, provides analysis of policies (in statute or code) related to the arts in education for every state. The database is maintained and updated by the Education Commission of the States. http://www.ecs.org

On the site, select from profiles, comparisons or individual state reports.
http://www.ecs.org/html/educationIssues/ArtsinEducation/ArtscanDB_intro.asp

Cross Training, an article by Grace Rubenstein about a high school that emphasizes training in the arts along with other school subjects. October 2006   www.edutopia.org

To view the PDF document and/or view a video about the school:
http://www.edutopia.org/magazine/ed1article.php?id=Art_1645&issue=oct_06

From Anecdote to Evidence: Assessing the Status and Condition of Arts Education at the State Level, a policy brief of the Arts Education Partnership, by Sandra S. Ruppert and Andrew L. Nelson. November 2006  

To view the pocument in PDF format go to:
http://www.aep-arts.org/publications/info.htm?publication_id=24

Critical Link is the free quarterly on-line newsletter of the Arts Education Partnership. It features articles and resources on emerging issues related to arts education

To subscribe go to: http://www.aep-arts.org/aboutus/cl.htm

From Cradle to Career: Connecting American Education from Birth through Adulthood, National Summary. A special supplement to Education Week’s Quality Counts 2007 report. See also, Mississippi Report, a special state-focused supplement to Education Week’s Quality Counts 2007. January 2007

Purchase the report from Education Week magazine:  www.edweek.org 

Miles to Go – Mississippi, published by the Southern Education Foundation, Atlanta, GA. This document includes recommendations for policy makers, school leaders and education advocates. November 2006   www.southerneducation.org

To view the document in PDF format go to:
http://www.southerneducation.org/showpublications.asp

Tough Choices or Tough Times: the report of the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, published by the National Center on Education and the Economy. December 2006   www.skillscommission.org

Executive summary: http://www.skillscommission.org/pdf/exec_sum/ToughChoices_EXECSUM.pdf

Setting a Public Agenda for Higher Education in the States: Lessons Learned from the National Collaborative for Higher Education Policy, by Gordon K. Davies, published by The National Collaborative for Higher Education Policy: The Education Commission of the States, The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, December 2006.

To view the document in PDF format go to:
www.highereducation.org/reports/public_agenda/public_agenda.pdf

High Quality Professional Development: An Investigation of the Supports for and Barriers to Professional Development in Arts Education, by Vicki R. Lind, University of California, Los Angeles, published in the International Journal of Education and the Arts Volume 8, No. 2, February 13, 2007

To access the journal, go to:  http://ijea.asu.edu
Search the list of articles by volume and issue: Volume 8, No. 2 

A New Day for Learning, a report from Time/Warner’s Learning, and After-School Taskforce, convened and funded by the C. S. Mott Foundation. January 2007

To view the document in PDF format go to:
www.edutopia.org/anewdayforlearning