Symposia and Events

Arts: The Creative Core
Wednesday, May 25, 2011 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM (Eastern Time)
Gardner Auditorium, Massachusetts State House
24 Beacon Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02133

Congratulations to our 17 Champions of Arts Education award winners for 2011 (see below)!

On May 25, 2011, at the MA State House's Gardner Auditorium, Arts|Learning hosted a day-long celebration of the arts in education through its 25th Annual Champion of Arts Education Awards plus Arts: The Creative Core conversations about the role of the arts in education.

OUR PROGRAM INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING:

Arts Education Assessment presented by Scott Shuler, Arts Education specialist in the Connecticut State Department of Education and President of MENC: The National Association of Music Education, and Rebecca Fay Squire, music teacher at the Saugatuck Elementary School, Westport, CT. 
The presenters shared information about their ground-breaking Connecticut optional statewide arts assessments for grades 2, 5, and 8 that have been developed over the past three years.

Panel Discussion with Paul Reville, MA Secretary of Education, Anita Walker, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, MA Representative and House Education Committee Chair Alice Peisch, and Martha McKenna, Provost of Lesley University.  The panel discussed the implications of the pioneering arts assessment work in Connecticut from the previous session.  Scott Shuler's presentation posited questions regarding arts
education policy in Massachusetts schools, including the following:

• Could such an optional arts assessment here in Massachusetts be one tool that would help schools indicate levels of creativity and innovation offered to students that will eventually be required through the Creative Challenge Index?
• Should MA school districts be offered a similar optional tool to assess effectiveness in arts education in their districts?
• Should several states band together to have a common arts education assessment instrument, thus saving considerable resources of time and money?
• Would offering a local option to implement such an arts assessment help to elevate the importance of a sequential arts education in districts across the Commonwealth?
• Based upon the presentation prior to the panel, does it seem conceivable that these assessments align with the MA Arts Curriculum Framework, and if so, would they be usable in our state?
• Would the MA Department of ESE have an interest in piloting these assessments in some MA districts?

Creating the Roadmap Part I:  The Arts and Common Core Learning Standards, 21st-Century Skills, MassCore, CT Arts Assessments, and the Creative Challenge Index with Lurline Muñoz-Bennett, MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and Arts|Learning Team Members.

What is Literacy in the Arts?  Can Massachusetts develop literacy standards in the arts in alignment with the national Common Core Literacy Standards?  Discussion and brainstorming session regarding arts education and the newly adopted national “core” standards, the Creative Challenge Index, MassCore graduation requirements, 21st-Century Skills, and the Connecticut arts assessments. 
•    1:45 to 2:05.  Introduction and Overview
•    2:05 to 2:30.  Attendees divided into 4 or 5 break-out groups, each group was assigned to discuss one of these five topics and make policy recommendations for consideration by the MA Legislature, the MA Cultural Council, and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Creating the Roadmap Part II:  The Arts and...
Groups convened together and each group gave a 5-minute summary
report on their discussion and possible policy recommendations.

Our Outstanding Champions of Arts Education Award Winners
•    Legislative Leadership Award:  MA State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, Boston
•    Legislative Leadership Award:  MA State Representative Sarah Peake, Provincetown
•    A|L Arts in Education Award:  Ambassador Swanee Hunt, Hunt Alternatives, Cambridge
•    Corporate Support of Arts Education:  Target Corporation
•    Outstanding Arts Collaborative in Theatre:  Enchanted Circle Theatre, Holyoke
•    Outstanding Arts Collaborative in Visual Arts:  RAISE, Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown
•    Outstanding Parent Arts Advocate:  Nancy Dougherty, Friends of Performing Arts, Dover-Sherborn School District
•    Irene Buck Service to Arts Education:  Stephanie Perrin, Head emeritus, Walnut Hill School, Natick
•    Media Support of Arts Education:  Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield
•    School of Excellence 2010 National Winner, Kennedy Center:  Boston Arts Academy
•    School of Excellence 2011 State Winner:  Worcester Arts Magnet School, Worcester
•    School of Excellence 2011 State Winner:  Neighborhood House Charter School, Dorchester
•    Special Recognition—Good Neighbor:  Trinity Methodist Church, Springfield
•    Outstanding Student Advocate:  Richard Dinsmore, Bunker Hill Community College
•    Distinguished Arts Educator in Dance:  Nancy Moses, Bridgewater State University
•    Distinguished Arts Educator in Dance:  Rita O’Shea, O’Shea-Chaplin Academy of Irish Dance, Melrose
•    Distinguished Arts Educator in Visual Arts:  Martha Kempe, Mather School, Dorchester
•    Excellence in School Adminsitration:  Jeanne M. Bonneau, Principal, Normandin Middle School, New Bedford