July 8, 2008
LANSING - Michigan students will be the ultimate beneficiaries of a renewed focus on arts and creativity in the state's schools. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has announced that Michigan is one of five multidisciplinary "dream teams" to receive NEA support to participate in the second Education Leaders Institute (ELI), to be held July 15-17, 2008, in Chicago.
Michigan's ELI Team is led by Dr. Sally Vaughn, the Michigan Department of Education's Deputy Superintendent/Chief Academic Officer. The Michigan team will build on the state's Michigan Merit Curriculum that includes a one-credit minimum graduation requirement for all students in the visual, performing, and applied arts focused on the complete artistic/creative process.
"Research continues to confirm the importance of the arts and creativity in engaging diverse learners in powerful ways and developing skills that prepare students for the 21st century's creative economy," Dr. Vaughn said.
The Michigan Team invited to participate in ELI is comprised of:
- Dr. Sally Vaughn, Michigan Department of Education
- John Bracey, Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs, the state agency that administers arts and cultural grants appropriations, sets arts and cultural goals, establishes/facilitates communication networks, and expands and develops funding resources for arts and cultural activities.
- Cindy Ornstein, ArtServe Michigan, the state's key arts advocacy agency and Kennedy Center Alliance partner
- Bob Harris, Michigan Education Association, representing more than 157,000 teachers, faculty, and education support staff throughout the state
- Steve Hamp, Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan, represents more than 400 diverse arts and cultural groups in Michigan's seven-county region of Southeastern Michigan (Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne counties)
- Ana Cardona, Consultant for Arts Education, Michigan Department of Education
The ELI teams were selected by a panel convened by the Arts Endowment in partnership with the Illinois Arts Council. Other teams selected to participate along with Michigan in the July 2008 Education Leaders Institute are Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Rhode Island.
The Michigan Team will gather July 14-17, 2008, at the University of Chicago's Gleacher Center to discuss how better alignment of Michigan's K-12 education system with the state's network of cultural institutions might improve support to local school districts in arts/creativity curriculum development, student services, and professional development.
The Michigan Team's agreement to consider fundamental changes to how arts, creativity, culture, and education in Michigan come together for the benefit of all students represents a major commitment from the state's key arts and culture leaders, each of whom represents thousands of constituents in classrooms, studios, museums, businesses, and universities throughout the state. Achieving better alignment within the region's current budget constraints is one of the creative challenges the team will tackle.
State teams participating in ELI will jointly discuss promising practices and arts education challenges on topics such as assessment, leadership in arts education, curriculum development, and access to arts learning. National speakers and experts attending the event will support state teams, providing information and resources. As participants exchange ideas, innovative partnerships emerge, coupled with renewed commitment to arts education at the school-district level.
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