Arts in Schools
Gainesville is lucky to have within its district a "Whole Schools Initiative" school. The "Whole Schools Initiative" is a model program that was begun in Mississippi. It's goal is to bring arts back to the classroom. Duval Elementary School in Gainesville is the only one outside of Mississippi participating in this program. Which I found very impressive. When grading began in Florida, Duval was graded an "F" school. The teachers and community rallied around the school and started teaching various culture and art classes against the authority of the school board. Within one year the school turned itself around and became an "A" school. Through the assistance of the WSI grant program it is able to get additional funding to support the arts in school model. They are now the crown jewel in the Alachua County School Board District. They are flaunted in front of the Governor's wife and other dignitaries, as well as, other school districts who wish to implement a similar model in their schools.
http://www.mswholeschools.org/
Two issues are very eveident by this story:
One: Schools are publicly funded entities. However, they are still in need of outside financial assistance for programs like the one listed above.
Two: Arts and culture are systematically being slashed from schools across the country. Programs like Duval's are proving that arts and culture make better and more well rounded students.
http://www.mswholeschools.org/
Two issues are very eveident by this story:
One: Schools are publicly funded entities. However, they are still in need of outside financial assistance for programs like the one listed above.
Two: Arts and culture are systematically being slashed from schools across the country. Programs like Duval's are proving that arts and culture make better and more well rounded students.
posted by Anonymous @ 9:35 PM
2 Comments:
At 4:06 PM, October 09, 2006,
Richard said…
And, remember... in Florida, we're not allowed to give F's... we give E's since they're not as harsh or traumatizing as F's.
Can't you just picture it... "Johnny, you have to study more! You got an E!"
"But, mommy, I did better than the school. It got an F!"
At 4:29 PM, October 09, 2006,
Paul Jonas said…
I figured E stood for "Exactly wrong"...
I, too am glad to see that and believe that it shows what can happen on two fronts:
The first, is that it adds an extremely important and different way of thinking than how to pencil in circles on a scan-tron (I don't know if the FCAT is scan-tron or not, but you get the point). One of the most important things that I believe about the arts is, that at its core, art of any form is a way of taking the usual, common, prescribed way of thinking about something and turning it on its head; read thinking outside the box; read a different way of understanding. Which leads to creativity (think of any story you've ever heard about Einstein).
Secondly, had the community not rallied, nor had the need to rally, I don't think Duval Elementary would have been the success it was. It forced the community around it to invest itself in the school and the resulting WSI grant speaks to the power of self-investment in the community. I wonder what would have happened had it just received the grant without the community backing.
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