"The Classroom Is the Most Amazing Place in New York City"

Bronx High School of Performance and Stagecraft students discuss Obama's March 18 speech on race and reconciliation in the U.S.

The class wrote their own "Yes We Can" speeches.

Says one freshman, Anna:

People say that South Bronx kids will never amount to anything--but I say, Yes we can.

People think that those in our community can't live without the abusive boyfriends or husbands--yes we can.

People say that the color of our skin can prevent us from getting far in life. Are you trying to tell me that I can't get far in life? Well, sorry to disappoint you because, I can.

Teens think that they have gone so deep into gangs that they can't get out, but we need to help them say--Yes We Can.

Yes we can change our community.

Yes we can improve our society.

Yes we can.

Another student, Nelson:

Yes I can fight my fears.

Yes I can be a leader for those who need to be led.

Yes I can release my pain in a positive way.

Yes I can be more dependable.

Yes I can be more responsible.

Yes I can make all this happen even though I have all this on my shoulders, I can move forward in this world no matter what happens.

Yes I can.

Here's an interesting blog post on Queerty linking Obama's speech to Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed--that the struggle to break free from oppression is a collective one.

Americans for the Arts 2008 Annual Convention

Americans for the Arts is holding their 2008 Annual Convention in Philadelphia, June 20-22. This year's theme will be about providing quality arts education and access to it. Sessions will focus on NCLB, research on urban systems and quality of arts education, and special seminars for teaching artists, among others.

Closing the Achievement Gap - Freakonomics Discussion

Freakonomics features a discussion on closing the achievement gap. Caroline Hoxby, Daniel Hurley, Richard J. Murnane, and Andrew Rotherham comment on the solution.

Of course, as Caroline Hoxby comments, we need to focus on teachers. Recruiting great teachers, making places where these great teachers will want to work and continue to work, and rewarding teachers for their work.

I like what Daniel Hurley, director of state relations and policy analysis at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, says about enhancing visibility of the problem. This is a huge issue, we need to bring this education crisis- a civil rights issue - the the forefront of our politics.

To close the achievement gap, we need to close the gaps in our schools--by desegregating them. Richard J. Murnane, professor of education and society at Harvard comments on focusing on the reversal of Supreme Court decisions that have maintained the segregation of American schools. Jonathan Kozol's Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America is a great read that talks about the need for a movement to desegregate our schools.

At the same time, we need to acknowledge that improving our education system is not going to be easy. We're not going to improve achievement, increase graduation rates, and encourage students to go on to higher education by simply testing them twice as much, or by simply doubling the salaries of our teachers.

We've got to realize that these are complicated issues. We must create schools that are student-focused, putting transformation and problem-posing at the center of education rather than continuing the banking model that is so widely unquestioned and accepted. We now focus on student "achievement." What if we changed this to "continued curiousity" or "knowledge seeking" or "meaning making." We can't be afraid for our students to ask questions about the injustices and gaps that exists, for them to get angry, and for them to make changes. This is how real change will happen- that is how we will close the gap.

New M.A. in Applied Theatre Program at CUNY

CUNY has introduced a new M.A. program in Applied Theatre, accepting students for Fall 2008 (Applications due April 21). The Applied Theatre program focuses on applying theatre as a social and educational tool in various communities and settings. CUNY works predominantly with artists and leaders from the Creative Arts Team. A new competitor to the NYU Educational Theatre Program's Applied Theatre track.

I took an excellent Theatre of the Oppressed course with Chris Vine, Artistic & Education Director of CAT.

The Creative Arts Team emerged at NYU in the 1970s and was housed as a part of the Gallatin School of Individualized Study. In 2004, the Team transitioned into a partnership with CUNY. Since then many NYU Ed Theatre students have taken M.A. courses through the CUNY CAT team--particularly on the subject of Theatre of the Oppressed. It appears as though this will no longer be an option for NYU students.

Education is Ethical - AZ Principal Takes a Stance on Immigration

Proving that educators do have responsibilities outside of the classroom. Arizona principal Yvonne Watterson of GateWay Early College High School took action when she saw students dropping out of school due to a new illegal immigration law.

NY Times quotes one student from the school:

"I don’t wake up every day to steal purses,” said Noemi Ariza, a 17-year-old student at GateWay. “I wake up to try my hardest to succeed. And for people to despise me, to tell me I have no right to be here, to look at me like a murderer — it’s so dehumanizing. All I’m trying to do is make something of myself."

Exploring Home

Still on the topic of using the arts to explore the concept of "home."

NYU Tisch student Bobby Sukrachand's photography explores the lives of a homeless community in Jackson Heights, Queens. The exhibit is on display on the Eighth Floor Gallery of 721 Broadway until March 15.

On Tuesday, I attended a class about an educational theatre teaching program in Gulu, Uganda in conjunction with Invisible Children. Coincidentally the focus of the activity was on the creation of an "I am From" poem.

Participants write down thoughts that describe:

• Items found in your home:
• Items found in your neighborhood:
• Names of relatives:
• A particular saying that you are fond of:
• Names of food and dishes that you enjoy or remind you of family gathers:
• Someone you admire:
• A smell that you enjoy or reminds you of home:
• A place that you would call your getaway:

Participants then place "I am from" before the words they have written. Students can modify what they have written or choose not to modify it at all. In the end, the poems can be simple and beautiful. Here is mine:

I am from wine, friends, and books.

I am from coffee shops, families, and schools.

I am from my Mom, Debbie, and my Dad, Brother, and Grandpa--all named
George. My Grandma and Grandpa Woodsey and Grammy and Pop Pop Hetzer.

I am from "Liz, it'll be ok."

I am from homemade chicken divan casserole.

I am from my mom--she has the biggest heart of anyone I know.

I am from freshly cut grass and pine trees.

I am from my relaxed small town in the 'burgh.

Art Makes All Things Better: Tolerance.org

Guest artists in Tucson, AZ work with refugee students in an ESL classroom to use photography to explore the concept of "home."

Kimi Eisele talks not only about the success of the program, but also about the challenges of funding--particularly in the face of No Child Left Behind which has shifted focus away from the arts in order to keep up with standards. Eisele poses- "The irony is that arts programming may be exactly what such schools most need to improve student achievement."

Reminds me of Augusto Boal's description of Peru's 1973 government campaign for literacy - Operacion Alfabetizacion Integral - to wipe out illiteracy within the country over four years. The variety of languages has often posed hurdles to addressing this problem - but ALFIN took the approach that "the illiterate are not people who are unable to express themselves; they are simply people unable to express themselves in a particular language" (Theatre of the Oppressed, 2006, 121).

The educators at ALFIN used photography with the literacy education participants-- asking questions in the language Spanish and seeking answers in the language of photography. Participants would be asked Where do you live? in Spanish and asked to respond using photography.

Boal summarizes one man's photographic answer:

"One day a man, in answer to the same question, took a picture of a child's face. Of couse everyone thought that the man had made a mistake and repeated the question to him: 'You didn't understand; what we want is that you show us where you live...

"Here is my answer. Here is where I live."

"But it's a child..."

"Look at his face: there is blood on it. This child, as all the others who live here, have their lives threatened by the rats that infest the whole bank of the river Rimac....A few days ago, when you asked me where I lived, the rats had come while the child was sleeping and had eaten part of his nose. This is why there's so much blood on his face. Look at the picture; it is my answer. I live in a place where things like this still happen." (Theatre of the Oppressed, 2007, 124)

NYC Schools Don't Meet Arts Standards

Less than 5% of NYC schools are meeting state arts standards.

Elementary students are supposed to be exposed to dance, music, theatre, and visual arts education each year. City schools are not required to report their arts programming to the state, though the announced in July that schools will receive a report card on the arts.

Wondering if a lack of certified teachers in the arts--particularly dance and theatre--contributes to this problem. I think we should have alternative routes or programs for teaching artists and artists to become teachers. As far as I know, organizations like Teach for America and NYC Teaching Fellows don't recruit teachers to the arts or don't define the arts as a high-need subject area or eligible subject area. Why not?

Yet, the Shubert Teaching Fellows program within the NYC Department of Education recruits certified teachers within the system (who are not certified in theater) to become theater teachers. The site claims "there is a need for licensed theater teachers." Why not broaden this to outside artists and show a commitment to recruiting highly qualified individuals to arts education?

Not sure the arts will ever receive its due focus while we continue to focus on banking models of education and positivist approaches to learning. How can we make a shift?

$125,000 Salaries for Teachers

A new charter school, The Equity Project (TEP), to open in Washington Heights this fall is offering $125,000 salaries fo its teachers. NY Times reports.

Teachers will take on extra responsibilities with regard to attendance, discipline, and after-school programming. The principal's salary will be $90,000. There will only be two social workers employed by the school.

I can't disagree about upping the teacher salary. I think it will be really interesting to see the ramifications of this and whether this is a sustainable model for a school.

A couple "challenges" that stood out to me:

• In addition to the "core" subject areas (not that I agree that they are the "cores"), the school will offer Latin as its only language and Music as the only arts course. Visual arts will be integrated into ESL and Social Studies. Not sure I agree with this. Though it looks like some after school programming could include exposure to other "electives."
• The school is only accepting teacher applicants who score in the 90th percentile on the GRE, GMAT, or LSAT. What is this saying?
• I don't see much about the educational philosophy on the website. What are the pedagogical beliefs? Yes, teacher quality is important. But how do you define that? High standardized test scores?

The Responsibility of Love

Just discovered this quote today on Villanova University's "Augustine Day-by-Day."

"The responsibility of love is that we bear one another's burdens."

We're often afraid to boil things down to words like "love" or "compassion." We say it isn't seem "rational" or "smart" to make decisions to "sacrifice" even small things for others--like paying more taxes to maintain social programming or making the choice to really integrate public schools.

What isn't rational is to say "It's not my problem." Responsibility isn't about self-entitlement or what I deserve--it is about love, and the fact that our liberation is bound to that of others.

Performing the World Conference

The All Stars Project's Performing the World Conference is set to take place on October, 2-5 2008. They are accepting proposals for this year's theme:"Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow," focusing on history and process--both of participants' personal histories and that of performance in the world.

The All Stars Project is an organization that focuses on youth development and community performance. I've done some work with them in the past and think they have some good things going on. The conference will be co-sponsored by The East Side Institute for Group and Short Term Psychotherapy.

Being Cool In the Cafeteria

Some students in San Francisco schools choose not to take advantage of their subsidized lunches. Why? The stigma that is attached with it. "Only 37 percent of eligible high school students citywide take advantage of the subsidized meal program." See more here.