The "Belle Époque" quest for a modern beauty (an 'art nouveau') extended into France's system of free primary schooling, established in the 1880s by the Third Republic to educate the popular masses. Design reformers' belief in the underlying unity of the fine and applied arts, and their growing emphasis on the importance of individual…

The Creative Learning Initiative (CLI), a collective impact partnership among the Austin Independent School District (AISD), the city of Austin, and MINDPOP (an arts partnership dedicated to expanding creative learning in Austin and representing over 50 arts and cultural agencies), created arts-rich schools at a rate that exceeded the benchmark…

Over the last several years, Tennessee has rapidly expanded the use of student growth portfolio models for the purpose of teacher evaluation. Participation, both in the number of districts and teachers, has increased steadily since portfolios were first introduced during the 2011-12 school year, and we expect that participation will continue to…

Activities of Very Special Arts, an international organization dedicated to enriching the lives of children, youth, and adults with disabilities, are described. Ways parents can encourage their school to participate in a Very Special Arts program are suggested. (MT)

Numerous books are available to engage readers of all ages in creative productions. Listed are books of art and craft projects, books about art, and books about music and dance, all briefly reviewed. (MT)

This study was conducted in a large urban school district. Fifty-nine elementary schools, designated as Fine Arts Schools by the district, were organized as a Fine Arts School Network. The school district partnered with an external arts organization to deliver research-based, consistent and collaborative professional development to art, music,…

Twelve elementary children talented in music and 12 talented in fine arts were matched with controls and given tests of personality, intelligence, verbal fluency, and an interest questionnaire. Despite little difference in general intelligence or reported development for the two groups, differences were found in self-confidence and home…

A focus on school reform within the field of elementary education has brought an arts-integrated approach to teaching and learning to the forefront. This is not a new approach, as integrating what many call "hands-on activities" in the classroom is quite common. The difference lies in the quality and depth of the approach to teaching and learning,…

Surveyed students in two Des Moines elementary schools: one magnet school emphasizing fine arts and one regular elementary school. Compared the two groups to determine differences in their attitudes toward the arts and to examine the value of arts education as a vehicle for racial integration. (Author/GC)

Suggests possibilities for using illustrations from art and music in science instruction so that school curricula becomes less fragmented. (AL)

Recounts the career of a designer of children's toys, gadgets, learning tools, and pop-up books. (TB)

Argues that the absence of the arts in testing programs contributes to their marginalization. Considers the role of imaginative potential in determining what is important in schools. Considers what the arts have to do with literacy, that is, with the standard conceptions of reading and writing. Discusses transforming brains to minds, the arts as…

A U.S. educator recounts a visit to an elementary school in China specializing in fine arts education and a secondary school specializing in foreign languages. Also discussed are the Chinese gifted education system including student selection, curriculum, teaching methods, and educational philosophy. (DB)

The purpose of this article is to describe a teaching strategy to help elementary students understand the complexities of historical decisions by actively engaging them in learning activities involving the arts. For journal availability see SO 504 433. (Author)