Administration Dispatching Celebrities To Push Arts Curriculum

Coverage of the Administration's having chosen eight School Improvement Grant schools to receive a special boost to their arts curriculum continues today. The Washington Times (4/24, Wolfgang) reports, "Carrie Bradshaw might not be a role model at the elementary school, but the Obama administration hopes Sarah Jessica Parker can be. As part of its Turnaround Arts initiative announced Monday, the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities will dispatch Miss Parker and such other stars as Forest Whitaker and Kerry Washington to eight elementary and middle schools across the nation, where they will advocate for more theater, dance and other arts courses." The Times quotes Education Secretary Arne Duncan saying, "Arts and music education are absolutely critical to providing all students with a world-class, well-rounded education, and nowhere are they more essential than in low-performing schools." The Times explains that a number of private-sector partners, such as Crayola and the Aspen Institute, will contribute to the effort.

 

Erik Robelen writes at the Education Week (4/24) "Curriculum Matters" blog that the "academically troubled" schools "will get a big dose of arts education support to help them turn around-not to mention access to a little star power from the likes of Yo-Yo Ma and Sarah Jessica Parker-under a new public-private partnership announced today by a White House advisory panel. The effort aims not only to assist the struggling schools but also to serve as a test bed for the idea that high-quality, integrated arts education can play a valuable role in motivating students, improving school climate, and improving academic achievement across disciplines."

 

Robin Pogrebin writes at the New York Times (4/24) "ArtsBeat" blog that the program, dubbed Turnaround Arts, "aims to improve academic performance and increase student engagement through the arts. It was developed by the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities in cooperation with the Education Department and the White House Domestic Policy Council."