Blog Posts for Arts Education Network

Thank you to the many people who have been blog contributors to, and readers of ArtsBlog over the years. ArtsBlog has long been a space where we uplifted stories from the field that demonstrated how the arts strengthen our communities socially, educationally, and economically; where trends and issues and controversies were called out; and advocacy tools were provided to help you make the case for more arts funding and favorable arts policies.

As part of Americans for the Arts’ recent Strategic Realignment Process, we were asked to evaluate our storytelling communications platforms and evolve the way we share content. As a result, we launched the Designing Our Destiny portal to explore new ways of telling stories and sharing information, one that is consistent with our longtime practice of, “No numbers without a story, and no stories without a number.”

As we put our energy into developing this platform and reevaluate our communications strategies, we have put ArtsBlog on hold. That is, you can read past blog posts, but we are not posting new ones. You can look to the Designing Our Destiny portal and our news items feed on the Americans for the Arts website for stories you would have seen in ArtsBlog in the past.

ArtsBlog will remain online through this year as we determine the best way to archive this valuable resource and the knowledge you’ve shared here.

As ever, we are grateful for your participation in ArtsBlog and thank you for your work in advancing the arts. It is important, and you are important for doing it.


Ms. Una McAlinden

Five Fundamentals to Creating a District Arts Plan

Posted by Ms. Una McAlinden, May 21, 2015 2 comments


Ms. Una McAlinden

Although each of us can probably recall a time when success could be defined as not losing (too much) ground, we all want to feel like our efforts have been worth the commitment and have made a lasting difference in some way.

During my ten years at ArtsEd Washington, we saw these rewards when we worked with school principals implementing the Principals Arts Leadership program to help them be effective instructional leaders for the arts. This program confirmed the importance of the principals’ role in the day-to-day provision of arts learning and also illuminated for us how difficult that role is to sustain without the context of a supportive school district publicly committed to the arts.

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Jennifer Oliver

The Artist at the Center

Posted by Jennifer Oliver, Sep 02, 2015 0 comments


Jennifer Oliver

This year’s Americans for the Arts (AFTA) conference, held in Chicago, proved to be a great success with almost 1,500 people in attendance.  For me, the conference began when Theaster Gates took the stage and spoke about empowering the voices inside communities through art.  I have so many thoughts from this lecture, but what stays with me now is the role of Theaster as a mentor, as a leader.  I was awe-struck by his dedication to serving his community and his presence and availability to us, his audience. 

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Ms. Janet T. Langsam

Words... Words... Wonderful Words

Posted by Ms. Janet T. Langsam, Sep 18, 2015 0 comments


Ms. Janet T. Langsam

To me, words are quite wonderful. Some are even paintings in the sense that you look at the words and get an immediate visual. So the sadness and unintended consequences conveyed by the words "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) are quite visceral to me. Initiating a movement away from the negative ramifications of NCLB on student achievement, Congress is now transforming this legislation, which had caused an emphasis on testing and an imperative to teach to the test.  This, in turn, lessened time for process-oriented subjects like the arts. Happily, the legislation is well on its way to transforming NCLB into the inspirational "Every Child Achieves" Act, which focuses on a more holistic approach to a comprehensive education for all students.  To me, that holds the promise of meaningful change in our schools and positive academic outcomes for students.

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Ms. Carol Bogash

Transforming Lives Through Music – Even Among Seniors!

Posted by Ms. Carol Bogash, Nov 24, 2015 0 comments


Ms. Carol Bogash

“The Academy has strongly shaped my present life and my plans. I am retiring next week and I will immediately become a full-time violin major at college.”  BSO Academy Violinist, 65 years old

A senior myself, I am acutely aware of the importance of music in helping me to stay sharp, to be successful in my full-time job as Vice President of Education and Community Engagement at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and to physically handle the demands of work and family.  That is why I am passionate about the BSO Academy, a suite of educational programs enabling older amateur musicians to play side-by-side with the pros. 

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Ms. Bridget E. Woodbury

Where Are They Now? Revisiting Early Winners of the Michael Newton, American Express Emerging Leaders, and Arts Education Awards

Posted by Ms. Bridget E. Woodbury, Mar 10, 2016 1 comment


Ms. Bridget E. Woodbury

As the March 13th deadline approaches for the 2016 Annual Awards, we were curious about the careers and lives of some of our very first recipients. As you read about these past winners, remember you can nominate someone (or yourself!) to join their ranks.

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Scott Shuler

Arts Teachers Respond to New Evaluation Systems

Posted by Scott Shuler, Sep 12, 2013 1 comment


Scott Shuler

Scott Shuler Scott Shuler

Arts teachers across the country are currently scrambling to cope with new teacher evaluation systems. Teacher support and evaluation systems have long been recognized as important means for improving teaching and learning, but states are increasingly requiring local districts to link evaluation to student growth, assign numeric ratings, and ratchet up consequences, such as using ratings to determine salary increases or job security. The U.S. Department of Education has encouraged these developments by making the implementation of new educator evaluation systems a precondition for waiving onerous NCLB requirements and sanctions.

Although quality teacher supervision and support systems are essential to ensure teacher growth, many emerging teacher evaluation systems pose serious challenges for arts educators, as well as issues of fairness.

Among those challenges is the expectation that arts teachers measure student growth, often without the support of arts-expert supervisors or district-wide teams to develop appropriate measurement tools. Another is the expectation that a majority of students or even all students be assessed and monitored, in spite of the fact that some arts teachers are responsible for more than 1,000 students and see those students for very limited time.

One fairness issue arises when states or individual schools use school-wide scores on tests in non-arts areas to determine arts teachers’ evaluations. Another issue is the lack of arts-specific professional development to support teachers as they adapt to new, often complex systems. Yet another issue is the fact that most arts teachers are observed and evaluated by administrators who lack training or expertise in an art form.

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