GIA Blog

(6-25-10) Measures to boost the performance of principals, superintendents and other education leaders were enacted in at least 23 states during the 2009 legislative season, according to the report, Strong Leaders Strong Schools: 2009 School Leadership Laws, an annual look at how state lawmakers are responding to the need for stronger school leaders. One important spur to the 43 new laws came from the federal government’s Race to the Top program, which established a contest among states for grants from a $4.35 billion fund for improving education.

(6-25-10) The Wallace Foundation announced this week a $9 million initiative to provide disadvantaged urban students with more time for high-quality learning—both through improved summer learning opportunities, and through extending the school day and school year.

The initiative will involve three strategies:

• Building awareness among educators and policymakers of the value of adding more time for high-quality learning, including identifying what is already known, and what policies are needed to make progress;

(6-25-10) When compared with non-media participants, Americans who participate in the arts through technology and electronic media – using the Internet, television, radio, computers, and handheld devices – are nearly three times more likely to attend live arts events; attend twice as many live arts events; and attend a greater variety of genres of live arts events, according to a new report released today by the National Endowment for the Arts.

(6-24-10) Further to the June 18 GIA News post "BP Will Continue Funding London Arts Organizations," John Vidal reports on a series of artist-organized protests in a blog entry for guardian.co.uk.

(6-24-10) This morning on KUOW's Weekday:

When schools face budget crunches, arts programs often find themselves on the chopping block. But as the sluggish economy continues to tighten school purse strings, many scientists and educators are emphasizing the tangible benefits of bringing creativity to the classroom. New brain research shows that teaching art can make it easier for students to learn other subjects, like math and science. Some arts advocates say we shouldn't need such ulterior motives — they say art is an end in and of itself. We'll hear both points of view, and we'll find out why Microsoft is interested in bringing creativity into the classroom (here's a hint: it has something to do with the workforce of tomorrow.)

(6-23-10) In a blog post on The Los Angeles Times website, Howard Blume reports that Los Angeles Unified School District officials are expected to restore $5 million to elementary arts programs that were cut in half as part of efforts to balance next year’s budget. With the increase, the budget is still one-third less than the current funding level, however.

(6-23-10) From a June 15 Pew Charitable Trusts press release:

The Pew Charitable Trusts today announced $3,846,000 in unrestricted general operating support to eight Philadelphia-area arts and culture organizations. Pew provides the grants under its Philadelphia Cultural Leadership Program (PCLP), which annually rewards organizations in the five-county region that demonstrate excellence in operations, fiscal management and programming....

Read more about the grant program and recipients here.

(6-21-10) Arena Stage in Washington DC, is hiring playwrights as employees, with salaries and health benefits -- and even access to office supplies. The venture is part of a major change at Arena, which is preparing to open a $125 million three-theater campus in the fall and to try to rebrand itself as a national center for American theater.

Read More

(6-18-10) Should BP's arts and other philanthropic programs be reconsidered in light of its post-Deepwater Horizon drop in market value (45 percent) and the $20 billion fund the company is establishing to pay damages to spill victims? For now, the answer is no.

(6-18-10) Warren Buffett and Bill Gates called Wednesday on their billionaire peers to give away half of their wealth.

The pronouncement by Messrs. Buffett and Gates stems from a series of dinners the two men held over the past year to discuss the effects of the recession on philanthropy with some of the nation's richest people, including New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, investor Ronald O. Perelman and David Rockefeller, his family's patriarch.