Grants for Teachers & Scholarships

NEA Foundation: Learning & Leadership Grants NEA Learning & Leadership Grants support public school teachers, public education support professionals, and/or faculty and staff in public institutions of higher education for one of two purposes. Grants to individuals fund participation in high-quality professional development experiences such as summer institutes or action research; grants to groups fund collegial study, including study groups, action research, lesson study, or mentoring experiences for faculty or staff new to an assignment. Maximum award: $5,000. Eligibility: public school teachers grades K–12; public school education support professionals; or faculty and staff at public higher education institutions. Deadline: February 1, 2013.
http://www.neafoundation.org/programs/Learning&Leadership_Guidelines.htm

 NEA: Student Achievement Grants The NEA Foundation Student Achievement Grants provide funds to improve the academic achievement of students by engaging in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students' habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection. Maximum award: $5,000. Eligibility: practicing U.S. public school teachers, public school education support professionals, or faculty or staff at public higher education institutions. Deadline: February 1, 2013. http://www.neafoundation.org/programs/StudentAchievement_Guidelines.htm

Small Potatoes Video: art and music

IAAE Boards Meeting

The Scheman Center on the Iowa State Campus Saturday November 17th in Room 80 will be the site of IAAE Board Meetings.  The Executive Board will meet at 10 and the Advisory Board will follow at 11. Both boards will be discussing our Strategic Plan and implementation. See IAAE Goals 2012...

Election Results in Iowa

From our Lobbiest Cal Hultman:
The only change in the Congressional delegation is Rep Latham defeated Rep. Boswell.  The Iowa House will remain in GOP control but down from 60-40 to 54-46 with some close races on both sides and that number may change after official canvas next week,but it is unlikely to change control.  The Senate was democrat controlled at 26-24 and again with some very tight races the Democrats have 26 and GOP 23 with a vacancy in Sen Wards seat .  There will be a special election in Dec. for this seat and it leans GOP.  All judges were retained.

Nominate Your School Board for State and National Recognition

To nominate your local school board for The Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network and National School Boars Association Award, complete the online nomination form by December 3, 2012. 

The award program involves one school board per state that comprises the maximum national pool of nominees. Final selection is made by a national panel of arts educators and arts administrators including representatives of the KCAAEN and NSBA. The national award is presented every year at the annual national conference of the NSBA.

Talk to Your Congressman

In less than two weeks, Congress will be back in Washington, DC, making decisions that will impact students, educators, and public education for decades to come.  Policymakers will face some tough questions in the coming weeks.  We must make sure they are ready to rise to the challenge and make the correct choices.

Here is a link to a clever video ad that will resonate with Iowa Arts Educators. Will Congress choose kids over CEOs, or will they continue to give tax breaks to the wealthiest while slashing programs that serve vulnerable children?  Will they stop putting the burden for deficit reduction on the shoulders of kids, or will they continue to let corporations get away without paying their fair share? 

Now is the time to make our voices heard.  Don’t let them make the wrong choices!

Celebrate Arts in Education Week Sept. 9-15

In May of 2011, Congress declared Sept. 9-15 National Arts in Education Week. For some resources concerning that proclamation, go to the NAEA page.
Please share your celebrations (text and photos) with our webmistress and they will be posted on the IAAE site.

Education Reform Town Hall Meetings

The Governor and Lt. Governor announced that they will hold 14 education town hall meetings "continuing the discussion and soliciting feedback from Iowans on education reform policies, as part of preparation for the 2013 legislative session." 

Be the voice of your arts students at a meeting near you!


Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2012 
10:30 a.m. Pocahontas County Education Reform Town Hall 
Pocahontas High School – Vocal Music Room 
205 Second Avenue NW 
Pocahontas, IA 

5:30 p.m. Kossuth County Education Reform Town Hall 
Algona High School – Theatre 
600 S. Hale 
Algona, IA 

Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2012 
8:30 a.m. Hancock County Education Reform Town Hall 
Garner-Hayfield High School – Auditorium 
605 Lyon St. 
Garner, IA 

10:15 a.m. Wright County Education Reform Town Hall 
Belmond-Klemme Junior-Senior High School – Luick Auditorium 
411 10th Avenue NE 
Belmond, IA 

Noon Humboldt County Education Reform Town Hall 
Humboldt High School – Auditorium 
1500 Wildcat Road 
Humboldt, IA 

2:00 p.m. Hamilton County Education Reform Town Hall 
City Hall
400 Second St. 
Webster City, IA 

Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012 5:30 p.m. Cedar County Education Reform Town Hall 
Tipton Middle School – Gymnasium 
725 West 7th St 
Tipton, IA 

Friday, Aug. 24, 2012 
8 a.m. Jones County Education Reform Town Hall 
Lawrence Community Center 
600 E. Main St. 
Anamosa, IA 

9:30 a.m. Jackson County Education Reform Town Hall 
Maquoketa High School – Gymnasium 
600 Washington St. 
Maquoketa, IA 

1:30 p.m. Delaware County Education Reform Town Hall 
West Delaware High School – Auditorium 
605 New St. 
Manchester, IA 

Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012 
10 a.m. Wapello County Education Reform Town Hall 
Ottumwa High School – Auditorium 
501 E. 2nd St 
Ottumwa, IA 

1 p.m. Muscatine County Education Reform Town Hall 
Muscatine Community School Administration Center 
2900 Mulberry Ave. 
Muscatine, IA 

5 p.m. Polk County Education Reform Town Hall 
Stilwell Junior High – Auditorium 
1601 Vine St. 
West Des Moines, IA 

Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012 
4 p.m. Pottawattamie County Education Reform Town Hall 
Abraham Lincoln High School – Auditorium 
1205 Bonham Ave. 
Council Bluffs, IA 

Meet Sen. Dick Durbin

Arts Alliance Illinois

Did you miss Arts Alliance Illinois 2012 Members' Meeting & Reception with Senator Dick Durbin?

Catch it here on CAN TV 21 Sunday, August 19 at 5 p.m. on 21

Leadership Conference 2012

The IAAE/ Department of Education Leadership Conference 2012 was two days with the most wonderful young teachers from all disciplines and areas of Iowa.  The conference gave these emerging leaders the opportunity to involve themselves in dialog and activities. The event brought their talent for leadership to the surface, revealing the potential they have for future involvement  in their regional and state-wide disciplined-based education organizations. The young leaders in education saw the potential and placed their names forward for involvement.

Much thanks to the outstanding contribution by Leon Kuehner, IAAE; Rosanne Malek, Iowa Department of Education; Dawn Martinez Oropeza, Iowa Arts Council; and David Law, IAAE, for their wisdom and challenges all during the two days. IAAE was proud to be a sponsor of this valuable experience for emerging educational leaders.

And our thanks to Larry Brandstetter, Conference Coordinator.

Read comments by some of those young leaders...

Arts Advocacy by Luther Student

Nicole Billips is the maker of this piece about the importance of art in the classroom. A Luther College student, Nicole produced the stop-action video for her Diverse and Exceptional Learner Course. Check it out and share it: http://youtu.be/4YvYu_-78t8

Two Opportunities for your Students with Disabilities

Sustaining / Creating A National Juried Exhibition for Emerging Artists with Disabilities, ages 16-25 Deadline: July 8, 2012 Sustaining / Creating asks emerging artists to showcase work that illuminates innovative viewpoints on sustainability and contemporary creativity. Beyond its scientific definition, sustainability references notions of responsibility and stewardship of our natural world in all facets of human interaction–from the environmental to the cultural. Sustainability indicates the capacity to endure. Fifteen artists will be selected for an exhibition at the Smithsonian and will share $60,000 in cash awards. Entry deadline is July 8. Enter today!

Yo Soy…Je Suis…I am… International Art Program for Children with Disabilities, ages 5-18 Deadline: July 15, 2012 This program presents a unique opportunity for student-artists with disabilities from around the world to display their artwork side-by-side in an online exhibition. A selection of artwork from the online entries will be chosen for a live exhibition at the United States Department of Education in Washington D.C. Children with disabilities, ages 5-18, are encouraged to create a self-portrait that illustrates who they are and who they will be. Self-portraits allow artistic freedom for children with disabilities to celebrate the unique qualities they have to share with the world. Entry deadline is July 15, 2012. Enter today!

From Americans for the Arts

White House Committee Selects DM Findley Elementary School for Prestigious Arts Initiative

Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker to work in school as part of new program

Turnaround Arts will work in eight elementary and middle “turnaround schools” across the country—public schools in the lowest-achieving five percent of their state that are receiving School Improvement Grants through the U.S. Department of Education. An external evaluation will measure the impact and effectiveness of using rigorous and integrated arts education together with other educational reform efforts in high-poverty, low-performing schools.

“We are so proud of Findley for being selected for this program, adding arts to the recipe of success for our students,” said Governor Branstad. “The PCAH initiative will be an invaluable resource for Principal Owen and the good work she and her team are doing at their school.”


As part of the program, the President’s Committee and its partners will provide training and resources to Findley and the other participating schools, including an Aspen Institute summer leadership program, in-school professional development, partnerships with community arts education and cultural organizations, art supplies and musical instruments and community engagement events. Presidentially-appointed artists on the Committee, Chuck Close, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kerry Washington, Forest Whitaker, Yo-Yo Ma, Damian Woetzel and Alfre Woodard, will “adopt” one of the selected schools for the length of the program, working with the schools and communities and highlighting their successes. 


Three studies released this month by the Council on Foreign Relations, the Department of Education and theNational Endowment for the Arts emphasized the importance of access to arts education, citing better grades, increased creativity, higher rates of college enrollment and graduation as well as higher aspirations and civic engagement. Research shows that when students participate in the arts they are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, have higher GPAs and SAT scores and show significantly higher levels of mathematics proficiency by grade 12. They are also more likely to be engaged and cooperative with teachers and peers and are more self-confident and better able to express their ideas. These benefits are particularly pronounced in high-poverty, low-performing schools.

Read More...

Iowa View: Our budgets must remember arts, arts education

"...One has to wonder whether our elected leaders are willing to pass budgets that actually support and advance the arts and art education. [Two recent] studies conclude that as a nation, we have a long way to go in terms of arts accessibility and education."
Des Moines Register Letters to the Editor column, Written by SUKU RADIA, President of bankers Trust. Read more...

Report Finds Arts Education Availability Remains High

According to Education Week (4/12, Robelen), a National Center on Education Statistics report found that "over the past decade, the availability of music and visual-arts instruction-on average-has changed little, and remains high, when compared with a decade ago." Jared Coopersmith, a project officer at the NCES, said, "Generally, what we really found is there is no consistent trend of decline in arts education in public schools." However, "the data offer a complicated-and sometimes conflicting-narrative of the changes in arts access in public schools, with some ups, some downs, and some maintenance of the status quo." Additionally, "disparities persist in access to arts education for impoverished students." Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in prepared remarks, "The good news is that the last decade has not generally produced a dramatic narrowing of the curriculum in the arts," adding, "But there is considerable bad news in today's report, too-and especially for disadvantaged students."

Marching Band Goal

This change of the guard in Norway includes Thriller and perhaps can inspire an Iowa marching band choreographer...
Watch the video...

Disabled Students Getting Intervention Early

The PBS News Hour is doing a series on American education. If you missed this segment about a school that successfully engages learning disabled students early, take a look. The techniques, including music, technology, and full inclusion with appropriate assistance are probably being done in your school already.  Engaging Students with Learning Disabilities Early On

Iowa Arts Education Month Proclamation 2012

Share the Proclamation of March 2012 as Iowa Arts Education Month with your students, school board, administrators, PTA, and friends. Governor Terry Branstad signed the Proclamation last week in the presence of several Arts supporters. Members of the IAAE Executive and Advisory Boards were on hand.
Celebrate!

Fine Arts and the Iowa Core: February 2012

“This proposal also would work to expand the Iowa Core into other areas that have been neglected for too long, such as music and other fine arts, foreign languages, entrepreneurial education, physical education, applied arts, and character education. “

This statement from the Brandstad-Reynolds “Administrative Recommendations for World-Class Schools” is the culmination of several years of dedicated work by many fine arts educators from the state of Iowa. The following article by IAAE Board Member Leon Kuehner will give a brief history of the fine arts involvement of the Iowa Core process. Read More...

STEM to STEAM

If you received the IAAE newsletter this week, you have links to several videos and articles about the initiative to add the Arts to the Science/Technology/Engineering/Mathematics education initiative. If not, visit our Advocacy page...

Architecture by Children

The Architecture By Children Drawing Contest theme for this year is Historic Iowa Architecture, and encourages students to draw an historic Iowa building that is meaningful to them.  Historic buildings are typically 50 years old or more.

Two statewide winners (one from each age group; K-3 and 4-6) will each receive a cash prize of $100.  Two regional winners (one from each age group) will receive a cash prize of $50 each.  To see what region you belong to, please click here.

Entries must be received by April 13, 2012 and must be on an official entry form, available along with printable posters on the Iowa Architectural Foundation website.

“Snapshot Iowa,” a Photography Contest for 7th – 12th graders

The second annual “Snapshot Iowa,” a photography contest for 7th – 12th graders, has been announced.  This program is sponsored by the Architecture in the Schools Committee of the Iowa Architectural Foundation, and is open to all Iowa students in these grades. 

Download a flyer for your use which explains dates, rules and prizes for this contest.  One $100 cash prize will be awarded to each of two categories: 7th – 9th Grade and 10th – 12th Grade.  The committee reserves the right to award Honorable Mention recipients as well.

The Iowa Architectural Foundation [IAF] is the only non-profit organization in the state to promote awareness and appreciation of architecture and design.  As a part of the IAF, the Architecture in Schools Committee strives to create programs for Iowa students to instill in them an appreciation of good design.  Visit their website at www.iowaarchfoundation.org to learn more about the programs available to teachers and the public.