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Monday, December 22, 2014

Art Charters v. Traditional No Art Schools

Art Charters v. Traditional No Art Schools:



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Art Charters v. Traditional No Art Schools

Why are the arts removed from traditional public schools while at the same time charter schools are given carte blanche to create art schools? The New York Timeshas an article about Voice Charter School where students sing and “outperform” their peers….
Academically, students at Voice did significantly better than the city average on New York State math exams last year, with 70 percent of its students passing, compared with 39 percent citywide. Their English performance was less impressive, but with 39 percent passing, it still beat the citywide average of 30 percent.
Aren’t Americans tired of such comparisons? I am also tired of children being used as pawns in the effort to privatize public schools.
For years there has been an intentional drive to remove the arts from traditional public schools, especially in poor areas. In all public schools there is a decline of the arts and an emphasis on math and English/language arts. High-stakes testing and Common Core leave traditional public schools blending the arts if students are lucky. But blending the arts into other subjects is not the same as exposure to a variety of art programs—painting, singing, drama, and even dance. And a visiting artisan once in a while is not the same as a credentialed art teacher who consistently lets students explore the arts.
Voice Charter School also sounds a bit pushy with the singing. I will explain in a minute.
While many traditional public schools have lost their art programs, the Obama administration subscribes to “I need proof that the arts matter” with a program called Turnaround ARTS which zeroes in on only eight select traditional public schools with Art Charters v. Traditional No Art Schools:

Here’s who got the biggest Gates Foundation education grants for 2014 - The Washington Post

Here’s who got the biggest Gates Foundation education grants for 2014 - The Washington Post:

Here’s who got the biggest Gates Foundation education grants for 2014




 Bill Gates is famous for many things, including spending hundreds of millions of dollars to develop, promote and defend the Common Core State Standards. In 2014, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded millions more for the Core, plus other issues in the education world.

Along with the Common Core, the big winners in terms of issue were charter schools — especially in Washington state (where Gates helps finance a campaign to win voter approval of charters) — and online and technology-based learning initiatives.
In terms of dollars spent, Gates is the leading billionaire/millionaire who has poured money into school “reform” in recent years. Such philanthropy has raised questions about whether American democracy is well-served by wealthy people who pour so much money into their pet projects — regardless of whether they are known to be useful in education — that public policy and public funding follow in their wake.
Here are  15 of the biggest education-related grants listed on the Gates Foundation’s Web site for 2014:
New Venture Fund
Date: May 2014
Purpose: to support the successful implementation of the Common Core State Standards and related assessments through comprehensive and targeted communications and advocacy in key states and the District of Columbia
Amount: $10,300,300
Term: 13
Topic: Global Policy & Advocacy, College-Ready
Regions Served: GLOBAL|NORTH AMERICA
Program: United States
Grantee Location: Washington, District of Columbia
Grantee Website: http://www.newventurefund.org
[The New Venture Fund received another grant in January worth $2,266,215, plus at least two more during the year worth $601,637]
Education Trust Inc.
Date: March 2014
Purpose: for general operating support
Amount: $8,000,000 
Term: 36
Topic: Global Policy & Advocacy
Regions Served: GLOBAL|NORTH AMERICA
Program: United States
Grantee Location: Washington, District of Columbia
Grantee Website: http://www.edtrust.org
[The Education Trust is an organization that supports charter schools and Here’s who got the biggest Gates Foundation education grants for 2014 - The Washington Post: