As more and more New Yorkers turn to digital books, Wikipedia and other online tools for information and entertainment, there is a growing sense that the age of the public library is over. But, in reality, New York City's public libraries are more essential than ever. Far from becoming obsolete, the city's three public library systems--Brooklyn,…

Arts education has been a low priority in the nation's public schools for more than 30 years. In some communities, a countermovement to this dwindling presence of arts education in the schools has developed in the form of initiatives aimed at coordinating schools, cultural institutions, community-based organizations, foundations, and/or…

Debates typically invoke an image of individuals arguing over the merits of opposing viewpoints. However, the term has a softer, more deliberative sense that connotes reflection, discussion, and consideration. The 2009 WebWise conference, titled "Digital Debates," was conducted in this spirit, with panelists and attendees engaged in…

Museums and cultural institutions have long provided a crucial resource for students and teachers in science classes. Many of those institutions consider working with schools to be a core part of their missions. This article describes Urban Advantage, one of the largest and most coordinated programs in the country which goes further than many…

Purposes of transforming the former Nike-Ajax missile base into a living historical homestead environmental center, resembling an 1800 Long Island village, were to build a homestead environmental center and develop materials, using homestead and pioneer skills, that could be used for education and recreation programs for the schools and community.…

The Nassau Educational Resource Center is a multimedia, multi-area curriculum and instructional materials center, with an educational communications training component. The catalog contains listings of the professional resources made available at the Center in the area of multi-ethnic studies by the Racial Ethnic Action Project (REAP). REAP,…

A demonstration project, called the Cultural Voucher Program, was implemented through support from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education of The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The project enabled cultural institutions to reach a new public, develop new educational programs specifically suited to the needs of new…

A demonstration project, called the New York City Cultural Voucher Program, was implemented through support from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. The project was designed to expand the kinds of audiences that use cultural institutions and expand the range of services that…