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Posted in Briefs on October 1, 2009 | No CommentsCommon Standards Drafted for ‘College-Ready’ English, Math
The Common Core State Standards Initiative has released its official draft of English language arts and mathematics standards for “college and career readiness.” AACTE issued a statement in support of the effort and encouraging members to respond during this month’s review period. “This is a major step forward in improving education in the United States,” said AACTE President/CEO Sharon P. Robinson. “I urge you to review and comment on the draft standards. Teacher preparation programs across the country will ultimately be challenged to prepare... Read More
Posted in Briefs on October 1, 2009 | No CommentsNCATE Clinic Planned for AACTE’s 2010 Conference
As AACTE members know, preparing for accreditation is a critical component in quality assurance for education programs. Yet constraints on travel budgets sometimes force deans and faculty to choose between two important sources of professional support: AACTE’s Annual Meeting & Exhibits and the semiannual Accreditation, Accountability, and Quality Conference sponsored by AACTE and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). This winter, however, institutions will benefit from a new arrangement: Both activities will be offered together,... Read More
Posted in Briefs on October 1, 2009 | No CommentsPresident’s Briefing
Networking Our Community Amidst the turbulence of contentious debates about domestic policy issues, an economy just coming out of a downward spiral, and university officials constantly adjusting to lower revenue projections, AACTE member institutions are implementing creative strategies to connect with PK-12 practitioners to improve... Read More
Posted in Briefs on October 1, 2009 | No CommentsFederal Update
Congress returned from its summer recess to a full agenda in September. Over the recess, many members of Congress held town hall meetings and were met with extreme frustration from constituents over Washington’s handling of health-care reform and the economy – the two topics now holding top priority on lawmakers’ agenda. Additionally, Congress needs... Read More
Posted in Briefs on October 1, 2009 | No CommentsPEDSinfo
Number of Students Enrolled in Education, by Level, Status of Enrollment, and State-Fall 2007 Download PDF Read More →
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Posted in Briefs on October 1, 2009 | No CommentsNew in Teacher Education (PAID ADVERTISEMENT)
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Posted in Briefs on October 1, 2009 | No CommentsEducation Alliance Issues ‘Turnaround’ Principles
In response to the U.S. Department of Education’s push to dramatically renew the nation’s lowest-performing schools, the Learning First Alliance (LFA) has issued principles for tracking such “turnaround” efforts. Principles for Measuring the Performance of Turnaround Schools outlines how education agencies and communities can determine whether turnaround efforts are leading to both swift improvement and sustained change in struggling schools. The principles offer a framework to help federal, state, and local education stakeholders align turnaround efforts with a vision... Read More
Posted in Briefs on October 1, 2009 | No CommentsReport: ‘Time to Act’ on Adolescent Literacy
A new series of reports from the Carnegie Corporation of New York outlines an agenda for addressing adolescent literacy on a variety of fronts. Reflecting years of research, Time to Act: An Agenda for Advancing Adolescent Literacy for College and Career Success is the capstone report of Carnegie Council for Advancing Adolescent Literacy, chaired by Catherine Snow of Harvard University (MA). “The truth is that good early literacy instruction does not inoculate students against struggle or failure later on,” the report’s executive summary warns. “Luckily,... Read More
Posted in Briefs on October 1, 2009 | No CommentsState Directions
California, Kansas Move to Streamline Collection of Education Data California and Kansas are among the states pushing to improve their education-data systems in the era of Race to the Top. To meet federal funding requirements and to better understand the effectiveness of their teachers, states are streamlining or launching new data-collection... Read More
Posted in Briefs on October 1, 2009 | No CommentsAround the Association
Larnell Flannagan leaves Clayton State University (GA) to become dean of the School of Education and Professional Studies at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. Viola E. Florez leaves the University of New Mexico to become secretary of New Mexico’s Higher Education Department. Wendy Paterson leaves Buffalo State College to become dean of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education at St. John Fisher College (NY). Barbara Simmons, former dean of the College of Education at New Mexico State University, has died. Read More →
Professor Emeritus -- Dr. Tom Seymour from West Fargo, North Dakota -- Professor, Minot State University, MSU Faculty Regents Award (2015) -- PAST Peer Reviewer (Higher Learning Commission - Chicago); - Author and Presenter Board of Directors, SRT Communications, Inc and Minot City Alderman - Ward 5 (2010-June, 2016) PAST - Editor-in-Chief (North Dakota State Senator (2002-2010) 2017-Cass County Electric Cooperative- Board of Directors
Monday, October 5, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
North Dakota Center's of Excellence Program by Dennis of the Grand Forks Herald
OUR OPINION: N.D. centers need, should welcome a state assessment
By: Tom Dennis, Grand Forks Herald
Don’t write off North Dakota’s Centers of Excellence program just yet.
Last week, an audit asked whether the program — which is administered by the Department of Commerce — was being adequately assessed. At the time of the audit, it wasn’t, the report declared.
This unsettling finding brought North Dakotans up short and is getting Commerce’s full attention.
But the audit looked only at how well the centers were being assessed. It didn’t examine whether the centers are being successful.
That’s the more important question. And now that stronger assessment tools have been put into place, partly as a result of the audit, taxpayers shouldn’t have to wait long to learn the answer.
Based on Grand Forks’ experience and some other indicators, North Dakotans likely will be pleased with the results.
The Centers of Excellence program is meant to partner campuses with businesses. The state gives grants to selected college and university research efforts. The grants are conditioned on the researchers getting $2 in private-sector or federal money for every $1 in state spending.
“These hubs of research and technology provide a nucleus for new business growth,” the centers’ 2008 Annual Report states. “The model is new to North Dakota, but the first Centers of Excellence program originated more than 50 years ago in California and spawned the world-famous cluster of technology research, innovation and business concentration known as the Silicon Valley.”
The first operational center got its grant in 2005. Oversight was lax for the first two years, in part because there were only a few centers and in part because responsibility hadn’t been fully spelled out, said Shane Goettle, Commerce Department commissioner, in a Herald interview.
The Commerce Department asked the Legislature for authority to monitor the centers and got that authority in mid-2007. The state auditor’s office, in turn, arrived to check up on the assessments in late 2008, 18 months and 11 new centers later.
The Commerce Department had conducted assessments during that time, but not quickly or thoroughly enough, the auditors declared.
Goettle has accepted the audit’s findings and implemented those recommendations that weren’t already being put into place.
That said, one of those earlier assessments deserves a mention, even though the auditors found a math error and some other problems in it.
That assessment is a study of the centers’ statewide economic impact in 2007. Larry Leistritz, professor in the department of agribusiness and applied economics at North Dakota State University, and two other researchers conducted the study.
The study’s conclusion about the Centers of Excellence Program stands: “Although the program is still in its early stages, and most centers are in early stages of development, the economic effects of the program to date are encouraging, the searchers reported.
“With a direct economic impact of $59 million and total impact of $169 million in 2007, the program’s contribution to the North Dakota economy already is substantial.” And as the centers ‘become fully established and partner facilities are developed, the program’s economic contribution can be expected to increase considerably.”
Fresh numbers and other data from the state’s 20-plus Centers of Excellence were due at the Commerce Department on Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. Analysts now will conduct the more thorough assessments that the auditors called for.
Grand Forks residents could be forgiven for expecting good results. Centers of Excellence here include the National Center for Hydrogen Technology, the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center and the Center for Innovation, all at UND.
The centers rank among Grand Forks’ most dynamic workplaces. They’ve created jobs by the dozens and are points of civic pride, winning grants that have matched the state’s contribution by factors of 3 or more to 1.
Around the country, Centers of Excellence-style partnerships have helped bring jobs and growth to the Research Triangle in North Carolina, the Route 128 area in Boston and other academic and high-tech centers. The partnerships need rigorous assessment exactly as the state auditor’s report prescribed. But they’ve worked effectively in other places and show every sign of doing the same here.
By: Tom Dennis, Grand Forks Herald
Don’t write off North Dakota’s Centers of Excellence program just yet.
Last week, an audit asked whether the program — which is administered by the Department of Commerce — was being adequately assessed. At the time of the audit, it wasn’t, the report declared.
This unsettling finding brought North Dakotans up short and is getting Commerce’s full attention.
But the audit looked only at how well the centers were being assessed. It didn’t examine whether the centers are being successful.
That’s the more important question. And now that stronger assessment tools have been put into place, partly as a result of the audit, taxpayers shouldn’t have to wait long to learn the answer.
Based on Grand Forks’ experience and some other indicators, North Dakotans likely will be pleased with the results.
The Centers of Excellence program is meant to partner campuses with businesses. The state gives grants to selected college and university research efforts. The grants are conditioned on the researchers getting $2 in private-sector or federal money for every $1 in state spending.
“These hubs of research and technology provide a nucleus for new business growth,” the centers’ 2008 Annual Report states. “The model is new to North Dakota, but the first Centers of Excellence program originated more than 50 years ago in California and spawned the world-famous cluster of technology research, innovation and business concentration known as the Silicon Valley.”
The first operational center got its grant in 2005. Oversight was lax for the first two years, in part because there were only a few centers and in part because responsibility hadn’t been fully spelled out, said Shane Goettle, Commerce Department commissioner, in a Herald interview.
The Commerce Department asked the Legislature for authority to monitor the centers and got that authority in mid-2007. The state auditor’s office, in turn, arrived to check up on the assessments in late 2008, 18 months and 11 new centers later.
The Commerce Department had conducted assessments during that time, but not quickly or thoroughly enough, the auditors declared.
Goettle has accepted the audit’s findings and implemented those recommendations that weren’t already being put into place.
That said, one of those earlier assessments deserves a mention, even though the auditors found a math error and some other problems in it.
That assessment is a study of the centers’ statewide economic impact in 2007. Larry Leistritz, professor in the department of agribusiness and applied economics at North Dakota State University, and two other researchers conducted the study.
The study’s conclusion about the Centers of Excellence Program stands: “Although the program is still in its early stages, and most centers are in early stages of development, the economic effects of the program to date are encouraging, the searchers reported.
“With a direct economic impact of $59 million and total impact of $169 million in 2007, the program’s contribution to the North Dakota economy already is substantial.” And as the centers ‘become fully established and partner facilities are developed, the program’s economic contribution can be expected to increase considerably.”
Fresh numbers and other data from the state’s 20-plus Centers of Excellence were due at the Commerce Department on Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. Analysts now will conduct the more thorough assessments that the auditors called for.
Grand Forks residents could be forgiven for expecting good results. Centers of Excellence here include the National Center for Hydrogen Technology, the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center and the Center for Innovation, all at UND.
The centers rank among Grand Forks’ most dynamic workplaces. They’ve created jobs by the dozens and are points of civic pride, winning grants that have matched the state’s contribution by factors of 3 or more to 1.
Around the country, Centers of Excellence-style partnerships have helped bring jobs and growth to the Research Triangle in North Carolina, the Route 128 area in Boston and other academic and high-tech centers. The partnerships need rigorous assessment exactly as the state auditor’s report prescribed. But they’ve worked effectively in other places and show every sign of doing the same here.
Is Kaylea and the Conservator Dead ???
Is Conservatism Brain-Dead?
Washington Post
By Steven F. Hayward
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Over his decades as a columnist, lecturer, TV host and debater, William F. Buckley Jr. lost his cool in public only once -- when he threatened to sock Gore Vidal "in your goddamn face" on the third night of their joint appearances on ABC during the ill-fated 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Three nights on a television set with Vidal might drive anyone mad, yet Buckley also tangled with the roughest players on the left, from Jesse Jackson to William Kunstler, with unfailing composure.
But suppose that instead of his formal addresses and his weekly "Firing Line" show on PBS, Buckley had hosted a talk radio show 15 hours a week for 20 years, or hosted a nightly hour-long cable news show, sliced into six-minute segments. One can imagine him archly sniffing: "You can't possibly immanentize the eschaton in six minutes!" But one can also imagine him overexposed, spread thin chasing the issue of the moment and perhaps losing his temper now and then -- in short, less the man of style and ideas who inspired two generations of conservative thinkers and more just a populist shock jock with a funny prep-school accent.
During the glory days of the conservative movement, from its ascent in the 1960s and '70s to its success in Ronald Reagan's era, there was a balance between the intellectuals, such as Buckley and Milton Friedman, and the activists, such as Phyllis Schlafly and Paul Weyrich, the leader of the New Right. The conservative political movement, for all its infighting, has always drawn deeply from the conservative intellectual movement, and this mix of populism and elitism troubled neither side.
Today, however, the conservative movement has been thrown off balance, with the populists dominating and the intellectuals retreating and struggling to come up with new ideas. The leading conservative figures of our time are now drawn from mass media, from talk radio and cable news. We've traded in Buckley for Beck, Kristol for Coulter, and conservatism has been reduced to sound bites.
President Obama has done conservatives a great favor, delivering CPR to the movement with his program of government gigantism, but this resuscitation should not be confused with a return to political or intellectual health. The brain waves of the American right continue to be erratic, when they are not flat-lining.
Consider the "tea party" phenomenon. Though authentic and laudatory, it is unfocused, lacking the connection to a concrete ideology that characterized the tax revolt of the 1970s, which was joined at the hip with insurgent supply-side economics. Meanwhile, the "birthers" have become the "grassy knollers" of the right; their obsession with Obama's origins is reviving frivolous paranoia as the face of conservatism. (Does anyone really think that if evidence existed of Obama's putative foreign birth, Hillary Rodham Clinton wouldn't have found it 18 months ago?)
The best-selling conservative books these days tend to be red-meat titles such as Michelle Malkin's "Culture of Corruption," Glenn Beck's new "Arguing with Idiots" and all of Ann Coulter's well-calculated provocations that the left falls for like Pavlov's dogs. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with these books. Politics is not conducted by Socratic seminar, and Henry Adams's dictum that politics is the systematic organization of hatreds should remind us that partisan passions are an essential and necessary function of democratic life. The right has always produced, and always will produce, potboilers.
Conspicuously missing, however, are the intellectual works. The bestseller list used to be crowded with the likes of Friedman's "Free to Choose," George Gilder's "Wealth and Poverty," Paul Johnson's "Modern Times," Allan Bloom's "The Closing of the American Mind," Charles Murray's "Losing Ground" and "The Bell Curve," and Francis Fukuyama's "The End of History and the Last Man." There are still conservative intellectuals attempting to produce important work, but some publishers have been cutting back on serious conservative titles because they don't sell. (I have my own entry in the list: a two-volume political history titled "The Age of Reagan." But I never expected the books to sell well; at 750 pages each, you can hurt yourself picking them up.)
About the only recent successful title that harkens back to the older intellectual style is Jonah Goldberg's "Liberal Fascism," which argues that modern liberalism has much more in common with European fascism than conservatism has ever had. But because it deployed the incendiary f-word, the book was perceived as a mood-of-the-moment populist work, even though I predict that it will have a long shelf life as a serious work. Had Goldberg called the book "Aspects of Illiberal Policymaking: 1914 to the Present," it might have been received differently by its critics. And sold about 200 copies.
Of course, it's hard to say whether conservative intellectuals are simply out of interesting ideas or if the reading public simply finds their ideas boring. Both possibilities (and they are not mutually exclusive) should prompt some self-criticism on the right. Conservatism has prospered most when its attacks on liberalism have combined serious alternative ideas with populist enthusiasm. When the ideas are absent, the movement has nothing to offer -- except opposition. That doesn't work for long in American politics.
The late Irving Kristol, who appeared on TV about as often as a solar eclipse, spoke to this point when he remarked that even though Sen. Joe McCarthy may have been a "vulgar demagogue," at least the public understood that he was anti-Communist. "They know no such thing," Kristol said, about liberals.
Yet it was not enough just to expose liberalism's weakness; it was also necessary to offer robust alternatives for both foreign and domestic policy, ideas that came to fruition in the Reagan years. Today, it is not clear that conservative thinkers have compelling alternatives to Obama's economic or foreign policy. At best, the right is badly divided over how to fix the economy and handle Iran and Afghanistan. So for the time being, the populists alone have the spotlight.
It's tempting to blame all this on the new media landscape. The populist conservative blockbusters of today have one thing in common: Most are written by media figures, either radio or TV hosts, or people who, like Coulter and Malkin, get lots of TV exposure. The built-in marketing advantage is obvious. The left thinks talk radio and Fox News are insidious forces, which shows that they are effective. (Just ask Van Jones and ACORN.) But some on the right think talk radio, especially, has dumbed down the movement, that there is plenty of sloganeering but not much thought, that the blend of entertainment and politics is too outre. John Derbyshire, author of a forthcoming book about conservatism's future, "We are Doomed," calls our present condition "Happy Meal Conservatism, cheap, childish and familiar."
The blend of entertainment and politics is not unique to the right (exhibit No. 1 on the left: "The Daily Show"). And it is perfectly possible to conduct talk radio at a high level of seriousness, and several talkers do well at matching the quality of their shows to their intellectual pedigree. Consider Hugh Hewitt (Michigan Law School), Michael Medved (Yale Law School), William Bennett (Harvard Law and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Texas) -- all three of these brainiacs have popular shows on the Salem Radio Network.
With others -- Michael Savage and "Mancow" come to mind -- the charge of dumbing down is much more accurate. Rush Limbaugh adheres to Winston Churchill's adage that you should grin when you fight, and in any case his keen sense of satire makes him deserving of comparison to Will Rogers, who, by the way, was a critic of progressivism. Others among the right's leading talkers, such as Sean Hannity, seem unremittingly angry and too reflexively partisan on behalf of the Republican Party rather than the conservative movement (they are not the same thing).
The case of Glenn Beck, Time magazine's "Mad Man," is more interesting. His on-air weepiness is unmanly, his flirtation with conspiracy theories a debilitating dead-end, and his judgments sometimes loopy (McCain worse than Obama?) or just plain counterproductive (such as his convoluted charge that Obama is a racist). Yet Beck's distinctiveness and his potential contribution to conservatism can be summed up with one name: R.J. Pestritto.
Pestritto is a young political scientist at Hillsdale College in Michigan whom Beck has had on his TV show several times, once for the entire hour discussing Woodrow Wilson and progressivism. He is among a handful of young conservative scholars, several of whom Beck has also featured, engaged in serious academic work critiquing the intellectual pedigree of modern liberalism. Their writing is often dense and difficult, but Beck not only reads it, he assigns it to his staff. "Beck asks me questions about Hegel, based on what he's read in my books," Pestritto told me. Pestritto is the kind of guest Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity would never think of booking.
Okay, so Beck may lack Buckley's urbanity, and his show will never be confused with "Firing Line." But he's on to something with his interest in serious analysis of liberalism's patrimony. The left is enraged with Beck's scandal-mongering over Van Jones and ACORN, but they have no idea that he poses a much bigger threat than that. If more conservative talkers took up the theme of challenging liberalism's bedrock assumptions the way Beck does from time to time, liberals would have to defend their problematic premises more often.
Beck and other conservatives can start by engaging the central argument of the most serious indictment of conservatism on the scene, Sam Tanenhaus's new book, "The Death of Conservatism." Tanenhaus's argument is mischievously defective; he thinks the problem with conservatism today is that it is not properly deferential to liberalism's relentless engine of change. In other words, it is an elegant restatement of G.K. Chesterton's quip that is it is the business of progressives to go on making mistakes, while it is the business of conservatives to prevent the mistakes from being corrected. That won't do. A conservative movement that accepted Tanenhaus's prescription would be consigning itself to be the actuary of liberalism.
But Tanenhaus is right to direct our attention to the imbalance between the right's thinkers and doers. The single largest defect of modern conservatism, in my mind, is its insufficient ability to challenge liberalism at the intellectual level, in particular over the meaning and nature of progress. In response to the left's belief in political solutions for everything, the right must do better than merely invoking "markets" and "liberty." Beck, for one, is revealing that despite the demands of filling hours of airtime every day, it is possible to engage in some real thought. He just might be helping restore the equilibrium between the elite and populist sides of conservatism.
shayward@aei.org
Steven F. Hayward is the F.K. Weyerhaeuser fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the author of "The Age of Reagan: The Conservative Counterrevolution, 1980-1989."
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) is an extremely influential, pro-business, conservative think tank founded in 1943 by Lewis H. Brown. It promotes the advancement of free enterprise capitalism[1], and succeeds in placing its people in influential governmental positions. It is the center base for many neo-conservatives.
Washington Post
By Steven F. Hayward
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Over his decades as a columnist, lecturer, TV host and debater, William F. Buckley Jr. lost his cool in public only once -- when he threatened to sock Gore Vidal "in your goddamn face" on the third night of their joint appearances on ABC during the ill-fated 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Three nights on a television set with Vidal might drive anyone mad, yet Buckley also tangled with the roughest players on the left, from Jesse Jackson to William Kunstler, with unfailing composure.
But suppose that instead of his formal addresses and his weekly "Firing Line" show on PBS, Buckley had hosted a talk radio show 15 hours a week for 20 years, or hosted a nightly hour-long cable news show, sliced into six-minute segments. One can imagine him archly sniffing: "You can't possibly immanentize the eschaton in six minutes!" But one can also imagine him overexposed, spread thin chasing the issue of the moment and perhaps losing his temper now and then -- in short, less the man of style and ideas who inspired two generations of conservative thinkers and more just a populist shock jock with a funny prep-school accent.
During the glory days of the conservative movement, from its ascent in the 1960s and '70s to its success in Ronald Reagan's era, there was a balance between the intellectuals, such as Buckley and Milton Friedman, and the activists, such as Phyllis Schlafly and Paul Weyrich, the leader of the New Right. The conservative political movement, for all its infighting, has always drawn deeply from the conservative intellectual movement, and this mix of populism and elitism troubled neither side.
Today, however, the conservative movement has been thrown off balance, with the populists dominating and the intellectuals retreating and struggling to come up with new ideas. The leading conservative figures of our time are now drawn from mass media, from talk radio and cable news. We've traded in Buckley for Beck, Kristol for Coulter, and conservatism has been reduced to sound bites.
President Obama has done conservatives a great favor, delivering CPR to the movement with his program of government gigantism, but this resuscitation should not be confused with a return to political or intellectual health. The brain waves of the American right continue to be erratic, when they are not flat-lining.
Consider the "tea party" phenomenon. Though authentic and laudatory, it is unfocused, lacking the connection to a concrete ideology that characterized the tax revolt of the 1970s, which was joined at the hip with insurgent supply-side economics. Meanwhile, the "birthers" have become the "grassy knollers" of the right; their obsession with Obama's origins is reviving frivolous paranoia as the face of conservatism. (Does anyone really think that if evidence existed of Obama's putative foreign birth, Hillary Rodham Clinton wouldn't have found it 18 months ago?)
The best-selling conservative books these days tend to be red-meat titles such as Michelle Malkin's "Culture of Corruption," Glenn Beck's new "Arguing with Idiots" and all of Ann Coulter's well-calculated provocations that the left falls for like Pavlov's dogs. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with these books. Politics is not conducted by Socratic seminar, and Henry Adams's dictum that politics is the systematic organization of hatreds should remind us that partisan passions are an essential and necessary function of democratic life. The right has always produced, and always will produce, potboilers.
Conspicuously missing, however, are the intellectual works. The bestseller list used to be crowded with the likes of Friedman's "Free to Choose," George Gilder's "Wealth and Poverty," Paul Johnson's "Modern Times," Allan Bloom's "The Closing of the American Mind," Charles Murray's "Losing Ground" and "The Bell Curve," and Francis Fukuyama's "The End of History and the Last Man." There are still conservative intellectuals attempting to produce important work, but some publishers have been cutting back on serious conservative titles because they don't sell. (I have my own entry in the list: a two-volume political history titled "The Age of Reagan." But I never expected the books to sell well; at 750 pages each, you can hurt yourself picking them up.)
About the only recent successful title that harkens back to the older intellectual style is Jonah Goldberg's "Liberal Fascism," which argues that modern liberalism has much more in common with European fascism than conservatism has ever had. But because it deployed the incendiary f-word, the book was perceived as a mood-of-the-moment populist work, even though I predict that it will have a long shelf life as a serious work. Had Goldberg called the book "Aspects of Illiberal Policymaking: 1914 to the Present," it might have been received differently by its critics. And sold about 200 copies.
Of course, it's hard to say whether conservative intellectuals are simply out of interesting ideas or if the reading public simply finds their ideas boring. Both possibilities (and they are not mutually exclusive) should prompt some self-criticism on the right. Conservatism has prospered most when its attacks on liberalism have combined serious alternative ideas with populist enthusiasm. When the ideas are absent, the movement has nothing to offer -- except opposition. That doesn't work for long in American politics.
The late Irving Kristol, who appeared on TV about as often as a solar eclipse, spoke to this point when he remarked that even though Sen. Joe McCarthy may have been a "vulgar demagogue," at least the public understood that he was anti-Communist. "They know no such thing," Kristol said, about liberals.
Yet it was not enough just to expose liberalism's weakness; it was also necessary to offer robust alternatives for both foreign and domestic policy, ideas that came to fruition in the Reagan years. Today, it is not clear that conservative thinkers have compelling alternatives to Obama's economic or foreign policy. At best, the right is badly divided over how to fix the economy and handle Iran and Afghanistan. So for the time being, the populists alone have the spotlight.
It's tempting to blame all this on the new media landscape. The populist conservative blockbusters of today have one thing in common: Most are written by media figures, either radio or TV hosts, or people who, like Coulter and Malkin, get lots of TV exposure. The built-in marketing advantage is obvious. The left thinks talk radio and Fox News are insidious forces, which shows that they are effective. (Just ask Van Jones and ACORN.) But some on the right think talk radio, especially, has dumbed down the movement, that there is plenty of sloganeering but not much thought, that the blend of entertainment and politics is too outre. John Derbyshire, author of a forthcoming book about conservatism's future, "We are Doomed," calls our present condition "Happy Meal Conservatism, cheap, childish and familiar."
The blend of entertainment and politics is not unique to the right (exhibit No. 1 on the left: "The Daily Show"). And it is perfectly possible to conduct talk radio at a high level of seriousness, and several talkers do well at matching the quality of their shows to their intellectual pedigree. Consider Hugh Hewitt (Michigan Law School), Michael Medved (Yale Law School), William Bennett (Harvard Law and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Texas) -- all three of these brainiacs have popular shows on the Salem Radio Network.
With others -- Michael Savage and "Mancow" come to mind -- the charge of dumbing down is much more accurate. Rush Limbaugh adheres to Winston Churchill's adage that you should grin when you fight, and in any case his keen sense of satire makes him deserving of comparison to Will Rogers, who, by the way, was a critic of progressivism. Others among the right's leading talkers, such as Sean Hannity, seem unremittingly angry and too reflexively partisan on behalf of the Republican Party rather than the conservative movement (they are not the same thing).
The case of Glenn Beck, Time magazine's "Mad Man," is more interesting. His on-air weepiness is unmanly, his flirtation with conspiracy theories a debilitating dead-end, and his judgments sometimes loopy (McCain worse than Obama?) or just plain counterproductive (such as his convoluted charge that Obama is a racist). Yet Beck's distinctiveness and his potential contribution to conservatism can be summed up with one name: R.J. Pestritto.
Pestritto is a young political scientist at Hillsdale College in Michigan whom Beck has had on his TV show several times, once for the entire hour discussing Woodrow Wilson and progressivism. He is among a handful of young conservative scholars, several of whom Beck has also featured, engaged in serious academic work critiquing the intellectual pedigree of modern liberalism. Their writing is often dense and difficult, but Beck not only reads it, he assigns it to his staff. "Beck asks me questions about Hegel, based on what he's read in my books," Pestritto told me. Pestritto is the kind of guest Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity would never think of booking.
Okay, so Beck may lack Buckley's urbanity, and his show will never be confused with "Firing Line." But he's on to something with his interest in serious analysis of liberalism's patrimony. The left is enraged with Beck's scandal-mongering over Van Jones and ACORN, but they have no idea that he poses a much bigger threat than that. If more conservative talkers took up the theme of challenging liberalism's bedrock assumptions the way Beck does from time to time, liberals would have to defend their problematic premises more often.
Beck and other conservatives can start by engaging the central argument of the most serious indictment of conservatism on the scene, Sam Tanenhaus's new book, "The Death of Conservatism." Tanenhaus's argument is mischievously defective; he thinks the problem with conservatism today is that it is not properly deferential to liberalism's relentless engine of change. In other words, it is an elegant restatement of G.K. Chesterton's quip that is it is the business of progressives to go on making mistakes, while it is the business of conservatives to prevent the mistakes from being corrected. That won't do. A conservative movement that accepted Tanenhaus's prescription would be consigning itself to be the actuary of liberalism.
But Tanenhaus is right to direct our attention to the imbalance between the right's thinkers and doers. The single largest defect of modern conservatism, in my mind, is its insufficient ability to challenge liberalism at the intellectual level, in particular over the meaning and nature of progress. In response to the left's belief in political solutions for everything, the right must do better than merely invoking "markets" and "liberty." Beck, for one, is revealing that despite the demands of filling hours of airtime every day, it is possible to engage in some real thought. He just might be helping restore the equilibrium between the elite and populist sides of conservatism.
shayward@aei.org
Steven F. Hayward is the F.K. Weyerhaeuser fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the author of "The Age of Reagan: The Conservative Counterrevolution, 1980-1989."
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) is an extremely influential, pro-business, conservative think tank founded in 1943 by Lewis H. Brown. It promotes the advancement of free enterprise capitalism[1], and succeeds in placing its people in influential governmental positions. It is the center base for many neo-conservatives.
North Dakota Legislative Workforce Committee in Wahpeton
NORTH DAKOTA LEGISLATIVE MANAGEMENT
Tentative Agenda
WORKFORCE COMMITTEE
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Red River Valley Room, Student Center, State College of Science
Wahpeton, North Dakota
9:00 a.m. Call to order
Roll call
Consideration of the minutes of the previous meeting
9:05 a.m. Comments by Chairman Tony S. Grindberg
9:15 a.m. Comments by Dr. John Richman, President, State College of Science, relating to
economic development
9:45 a.m. Presentation by Mr. Dan Hodgson, Southern Valley Innovation Center, regarding
technology-based entrepreneurship in southeast North Dakota
10:30 a.m. Break
10:45 a.m. Comments via teleconference by Mr. Gregory Deason, President, Association of
University Research Parks, and Director of the Purdue Research Park, regarding
certified research parks
12:00 noon Luncheon recess
1:00 p.m. Comments by Dr. Phillip Boudjouk, Vice President for Research, North Dakota State
University, and Dr. Barry Milavetz, Vice President for Research and Economic
Development, University of North Dakota, regarding North Dakota Experimental
Program to Stimulate Competitive Research and research activities at institutions of
higher education
2:00 p.m. Presentation by Mr. Shane C. Goettle, Commissioner, Department of Commerce,
regarding the performance audit of the Department of Commerce and the centers of
excellence
2:30 p.m. Presentation by Mr. Goettle regarding technology-based economic development efforts
of the Department of Commerce
3:15 p.m. Comments by interested individuals
3:30 p.m. Committee discussion and staff directives
4:00 p.m. Adjourn
Committee Members
Senators Tony S. Grindberg (Chairman), Tim Flakoll, Ray Holmberg, Karen K. Krebsbach, Dave
Nething, Larry J. Robinson, Mac Schneider, Tom Seymour, Ryan M. Taylor
Representatives Donald L. Clark, Eliot Glassheim, Nancy Johnson, Lee Kaldor, Lisa Meier, Corey
Mock, Lee Myxter, Michael R. Nathe, Ken Svedjan, Clark Williams
Tentative Agenda
WORKFORCE COMMITTEE
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Red River Valley Room, Student Center, State College of Science
Wahpeton, North Dakota
9:00 a.m. Call to order
Roll call
Consideration of the minutes of the previous meeting
9:05 a.m. Comments by Chairman Tony S. Grindberg
9:15 a.m. Comments by Dr. John Richman, President, State College of Science, relating to
economic development
9:45 a.m. Presentation by Mr. Dan Hodgson, Southern Valley Innovation Center, regarding
technology-based entrepreneurship in southeast North Dakota
10:30 a.m. Break
10:45 a.m. Comments via teleconference by Mr. Gregory Deason, President, Association of
University Research Parks, and Director of the Purdue Research Park, regarding
certified research parks
12:00 noon Luncheon recess
1:00 p.m. Comments by Dr. Phillip Boudjouk, Vice President for Research, North Dakota State
University, and Dr. Barry Milavetz, Vice President for Research and Economic
Development, University of North Dakota, regarding North Dakota Experimental
Program to Stimulate Competitive Research and research activities at institutions of
higher education
2:00 p.m. Presentation by Mr. Shane C. Goettle, Commissioner, Department of Commerce,
regarding the performance audit of the Department of Commerce and the centers of
excellence
2:30 p.m. Presentation by Mr. Goettle regarding technology-based economic development efforts
of the Department of Commerce
3:15 p.m. Comments by interested individuals
3:30 p.m. Committee discussion and staff directives
4:00 p.m. Adjourn
Committee Members
Senators Tony S. Grindberg (Chairman), Tim Flakoll, Ray Holmberg, Karen K. Krebsbach, Dave
Nething, Larry J. Robinson, Mac Schneider, Tom Seymour, Ryan M. Taylor
Representatives Donald L. Clark, Eliot Glassheim, Nancy Johnson, Lee Kaldor, Lisa Meier, Corey
Mock, Lee Myxter, Michael R. Nathe, Ken Svedjan, Clark Williams
Saturday, October 3, 2009
US Education Review
ED REVIEW
October 2, 2009
...a bi-weekly update on U.S. Department of Education activities relevant to the Intergovernmental and Corporate community and other stakeholders
______________________________________________________________________
ESEA REAUTHORIZATION
On September 24, before a packed audience of more than 200 education association representatives, Secretary Duncan called for the prompt rewriting of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), asserting “our kids can’t wait, and our future won’t wait.” The ESEA was most recently reauthorized in 2002, as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. “Today, I am calling on all of you to join with us to build a transformative education law that guarantees every child the education they want and need,” he said, “a law that recognizes and reinforces the proper role of the federal government -- to support and drive reform at the state and local level.” The Secretary credited NCLB for highlighting the achievement gap in schools and for focusing accountability on student outcomes. However, he also said that NCLB has significant flaws. “The biggest problem with NCLB is that it doesn’t encourage high learning standards,” he noted. “In fact, it inadvertently encourages states to lower them. The net effect is that we are lying to children and parents by telling students they are succeeding when they are not.” The Secretary wants the new version of the ESEA to advance assessments that better measure student learning and an accountability system that incorporates the academic growth of students. He also wants the new version to foster the development of existing teachers and other school leaders; recruit new, effective educators; and ensure the best educators are serving the children that are the furthest behind. “Our role in Washington is to support reform by encouraging bold, creative approaches to addressing under-performing schools, closing the achievement gap, strengthening the field of education, reducing the dropout rate, and boosting college access,” he stated. “All of this must lead to more students completing college.” FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/09/09242009.html.
This session was the first in a series of events where education stakeholders can offer input on the law. Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development Carmel Martin and Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Thelma Melendez will host the events at the Department’s headquarters (400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C.). The dates and times for upcoming events (subject to change) are as follows:
· Tuesday, October 13, 10:00-11:30 p.m.
· Wednesday, October 21, 2:00-3:30 p.m.
· Wednesday, November 4, 2:00-3:30 p.m.
· Friday, November 20, 1:00-2:30 p.m.
· Wednesday, December 2, 2:00-3:30 p.m.
The events are part of the Secretary’s “Listening and Learning” tour, which has already taken him to about 30 states. By the end of the year, the Secretary or a senior officer will have led an event in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several territories. FOR AN UP-TO-DATE EVENT SCHEDULE AND REGISTRATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/news/events/forum.html.
Stakeholders are also invited to submit comments to inform reauthorization to ESEA.Comments@ed.gov.
______________________________________________________________________
ELEVATING THE TEACHING PROFESSION
Among the priorities in his ESEA reauthorization speech, the Secretary called for stakeholders to “build a law that respects the honored, noble status of educators, who should be valued as skilled professionals -- rather than mere practitioners -- and compensated accordingly.” To advance the discussion, he will engage teachers in a national town hall meeting, during a “special edition” of the Department’s “Education News Parents Can Use” broadcast (October 20, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET). He will take comments and questions from teachers in a studio audience and via telephone, email, and video. To contribute to the discussion,
teachers and other viewers may:
· Call the show during the live broadcast, at 1-888-493-9382, between 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET;
· Submit comments, at http://www.edgovblogs.org/duncan/2009/09/town-hall-with-teachers-join-the-discussion/, by 6:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, October 14; or
· Submit original video comments, to http://www.dropio.com/ENPCU/, by Wednesday, October 14.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO www.ed.gov/edtv/.
Also: Through November 2, middle, secondary, and college students (ages 13 and older) are encouraged to submit videos describing the steps they will take to improve their education and the role education will play in fulfilling their dreams. Entries may be in the form of video blogs, public service announcements, music videos, or documentaries. The public will vote on their favorites, to determine the top 20 finalists. These 20 videos will be reviewed by a panel of judges, including Secretary Duncan. The panel will select three winners, each of whom will receive a $1,000 prize. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/iamwhatilearn/.
Also: Secretary Duncan and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius recently revealed Dr. John Clarke of New York as the winner of the 2009 H1N1 PSA Contest. More than 240 videos were submitted by the August deadline, after which a panel of experts narrowed the field to 10 finalists. Over two weeks, Americans voted for their favorite video. Dr. Clarke, the Medical Director for the Long Island Railroad, performed a unique rap on how to prevent the spread of the flu. He will receive a $2,500 prize. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/09/09222009.html.
______________________________________________________________________
COMMON CORE STANDARDS
The Secretary issued the following statement regarding the first public draft of college- and career-readiness standards in English/language arts and math as part of the Common Core State Standards Initiative led by the National Governors Association and the Council of the Chief State School Officers:
“I applaud the leadership of this coalition of [48] states and [three] territories in joining together to develop a common core of academic standards. The draft college- and career-ready standards that were released as part of those efforts are an important step forward, and it is now in the hands of the public to provide critical feedback to state leaders. There is no work more important than preparing our students to compete and succeed in a global economy, and it is to the credit of these states that this work is getting done.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.corestandards.org/.
______________________________________________________________________
PRACTICE GUIDE
A new practice guide from the What Works Clearinghouse, titled “Using Student Achievement Data to Support Instructional Decision-Making,” offers five recommendations to help educators effectively use data to monitor students’ academic progress and evaluate instructional practices. The guide suggests schools set a clear vision for school-wide data use, develop a data-driven culture, and make data part of an ongoing cycle of instructional improvement. The guide also suggests teaching students how to use their own data to set learning goals. What Works is an initiative of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/practiceguides/#dddm_pg.
Note: On October 8, in the first of a series, the What Works Clearinghouse will host a webinar concerning the recommendations of its “Helping Students Navigate the Path to College” practice guide (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/practiceguides/#hed_pg). During the webinar, authors of the guide and college readiness experts and practitioners will discuss preparing students for college and what current research suggests is most effective. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions of the authors, experts, and practitioners. TO REGISTER, PLEASE GO TO http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/.
______________________________________________________________________
ARRA RECIPIENT REPORTING
The Department has notified presidents and financial aid administrators at approximately 1,800 postsecondary education institutions that are subject to Section 1512 recipient reporting for the Federal Work-Study Program that they are required to register as users at http://www.federalreporting.gov/. In general, recipients of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds are subject to special reporting requirements. Guidance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) set a threshold of $25,000 for ARRA reporting, which means, in the case of the Federal Work-Study Program, only institutions receiving at least $25,000 in ARRA funding for the 2009-10 Award Year are subject to these reporting requirements. Note that the $25,000 threshold applies only to ARRA funds received and not to the total amount of Federal Work-Study Program funds received by an institution for the 2009-10 Award Year. Also note that no special reporting by institutions or states is required under the Federal Pell Grant Program. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/section-1512.html.
Note: The Department is conducting a web conference on strategic planning for ARRA funds, “Linking Title I and IDEA ARRA Funds to the Education Technology and Statewide Longitudinal Data System Grants,” on Monday, October 5, at 2:00 p.m. ET. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/web-conferences.html.
______________________________________________________________________
ODDS AND ENDS
· In this month’s issue of The Education Innovator (http://www.ed.gov/news/newsletters/innovator/2009/0924.html), Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement Jim Shelton discusses the key tenets of the new Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund and shares his perspective on the role of innovation in schools.
· On September 23, Secretary Duncan and the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships visited Manchester, New Hampshire, as part of the National Conversation on Fatherhood. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/09/09232009a.html.
· On September 25, the Secretary was in Chicago to honor six individuals as the first recipients of the Associated Colleges of Illinois-Arne Duncan Awards for Educational Equity. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.edgovblogs.org/duncan/2009/09/secretary-duncan-praises-colleges-and-educators-for-ensuring-educational-equity/.
· This week (September 29), former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Reverend Al Sharpton joined the Secretary in Philadelphia -- the first stop on their tour of several cities to expose challenges, highlight reforms, and rally support for greater transparency and accountability in all schools. Future stops include New Orleans on November 3 and Baltimore on November 13. Cities were chosen both for logistical reasons and for what they can show about school reform. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.edgovblogs.org/duncan/2009/10/al-sharpton-newt-gingrich-and-secretary-duncan-begin-education-tour-to-expose-challenges-and-highlight-reforms-in-philadelphia/.
· According to “High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the U.S.: 2007” (http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2009064), the latest in a series of reports from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) -- a part of IES -- 73% of high school freshmen, nationwide, graduated on time with their peers. However, this four-year graduation rate in 2006 varied widely across states -- from a low of 55.9% to a high of 87.5%. Another key finding: students living in low-income families were approximately 10 times more likely to drop out of high school, between 2006 and 2007, than students living in high-income families. (Note: Secretary Duncan’s statement on the report is available at http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/09/09232009.html.)
· Grant awards: $108.8 million in Early Reading First grants to 28 school districts and other public and private organizations in 18 states and the District of Columbia (http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/09/09222009a.html); $6.6 million in Striving Readers grants to eight states (http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/09/09292009.html), and $43 million for 28 five-year Teacher Quality Partnership grants to reform traditional university teacher preparation programs (http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/09/09302009.html). (Note: Secretary Duncan will participate in three teacher education events during the month of October.) Also, the Department just announced $21.8 billion in formula grants to support state-administered programs (http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/10/10012009.html).
______________________________________________________________________
QUOTE TO NOTE
“For too many of our children, the promise of an excellent education has never materialized. We remain complacent about education reform -- distracted by tired arguments and divided by the politics of the moment. We can’t let that happen. In this new century, and in this global economy, it is not only unacceptable to delay and defer needed reforms, it’s self-destructive. We can’t allow one more day to go by without advancing our education agenda. Our shared goals are clear: higher quality schools, improved student achievement, more students going to college, closing the achievement gap, and opportunities for children to learn and succeed.”
-- Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (9/24/09), on “Why We Can’t Wait” for ESEA Reauthorization
______________________________________________________________________
UPCOMING EVENTS
On a weekly basis, the Secretary's public schedule is posted online at http://www.ed.gov/news/events/calendars/secschedule.html.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) will release the 2009 Nation’s Report Card for Mathematics on October 14. The report card will present scores for fourth- and eighth-graders from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense schools. NAEP is administered by NCES. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/.
The 2009 Federal Student Aid (FSA) Conference in Nashville (December 1-4) is the premiere training and networking opportunity for financial aid professionals. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://fsaconferences.ed.gov/.
______________________________________________________________________
Please feel free to contact the Office of Communications and Outreach with any questions:
Director, Intergovernmental Affairs -- Stacey Jordan, (202) 401-0026, mailto:Stacey.Jordan@ed.gov
Program Analyst -- Adam Honeysett, (202) 401-3003, mailto:Adam.Honeysett@ed.gov
To be added or removed from distribution, or submit comments (we welcome your feedback!),
contact Adam Honeysett. Or, visit http://www.ed.gov/news/newsletters/edreview/.
This newsletter contains hypertext links to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the user’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. Furthermore, the inclusion of links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered, on these sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites.
October 2, 2009
...a bi-weekly update on U.S. Department of Education activities relevant to the Intergovernmental and Corporate community and other stakeholders
______________________________________________________________________
ESEA REAUTHORIZATION
On September 24, before a packed audience of more than 200 education association representatives, Secretary Duncan called for the prompt rewriting of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), asserting “our kids can’t wait, and our future won’t wait.” The ESEA was most recently reauthorized in 2002, as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. “Today, I am calling on all of you to join with us to build a transformative education law that guarantees every child the education they want and need,” he said, “a law that recognizes and reinforces the proper role of the federal government -- to support and drive reform at the state and local level.” The Secretary credited NCLB for highlighting the achievement gap in schools and for focusing accountability on student outcomes. However, he also said that NCLB has significant flaws. “The biggest problem with NCLB is that it doesn’t encourage high learning standards,” he noted. “In fact, it inadvertently encourages states to lower them. The net effect is that we are lying to children and parents by telling students they are succeeding when they are not.” The Secretary wants the new version of the ESEA to advance assessments that better measure student learning and an accountability system that incorporates the academic growth of students. He also wants the new version to foster the development of existing teachers and other school leaders; recruit new, effective educators; and ensure the best educators are serving the children that are the furthest behind. “Our role in Washington is to support reform by encouraging bold, creative approaches to addressing under-performing schools, closing the achievement gap, strengthening the field of education, reducing the dropout rate, and boosting college access,” he stated. “All of this must lead to more students completing college.” FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/09/09242009.html.
This session was the first in a series of events where education stakeholders can offer input on the law. Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development Carmel Martin and Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Thelma Melendez will host the events at the Department’s headquarters (400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C.). The dates and times for upcoming events (subject to change) are as follows:
· Tuesday, October 13, 10:00-11:30 p.m.
· Wednesday, October 21, 2:00-3:30 p.m.
· Wednesday, November 4, 2:00-3:30 p.m.
· Friday, November 20, 1:00-2:30 p.m.
· Wednesday, December 2, 2:00-3:30 p.m.
The events are part of the Secretary’s “Listening and Learning” tour, which has already taken him to about 30 states. By the end of the year, the Secretary or a senior officer will have led an event in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several territories. FOR AN UP-TO-DATE EVENT SCHEDULE AND REGISTRATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/news/events/forum.html.
Stakeholders are also invited to submit comments to inform reauthorization to ESEA.Comments@ed.gov.
______________________________________________________________________
ELEVATING THE TEACHING PROFESSION
Among the priorities in his ESEA reauthorization speech, the Secretary called for stakeholders to “build a law that respects the honored, noble status of educators, who should be valued as skilled professionals -- rather than mere practitioners -- and compensated accordingly.” To advance the discussion, he will engage teachers in a national town hall meeting, during a “special edition” of the Department’s “Education News Parents Can Use” broadcast (October 20, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET). He will take comments and questions from teachers in a studio audience and via telephone, email, and video. To contribute to the discussion,
teachers and other viewers may:
· Call the show during the live broadcast, at 1-888-493-9382, between 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET;
· Submit comments, at http://www.edgovblogs.org/duncan/2009/09/town-hall-with-teachers-join-the-discussion/, by 6:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, October 14; or
· Submit original video comments, to http://www.dropio.com/ENPCU/, by Wednesday, October 14.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO www.ed.gov/edtv/.
Also: Through November 2, middle, secondary, and college students (ages 13 and older) are encouraged to submit videos describing the steps they will take to improve their education and the role education will play in fulfilling their dreams. Entries may be in the form of video blogs, public service announcements, music videos, or documentaries. The public will vote on their favorites, to determine the top 20 finalists. These 20 videos will be reviewed by a panel of judges, including Secretary Duncan. The panel will select three winners, each of whom will receive a $1,000 prize. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/iamwhatilearn/.
Also: Secretary Duncan and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius recently revealed Dr. John Clarke of New York as the winner of the 2009 H1N1 PSA Contest. More than 240 videos were submitted by the August deadline, after which a panel of experts narrowed the field to 10 finalists. Over two weeks, Americans voted for their favorite video. Dr. Clarke, the Medical Director for the Long Island Railroad, performed a unique rap on how to prevent the spread of the flu. He will receive a $2,500 prize. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/09/09222009.html.
______________________________________________________________________
COMMON CORE STANDARDS
The Secretary issued the following statement regarding the first public draft of college- and career-readiness standards in English/language arts and math as part of the Common Core State Standards Initiative led by the National Governors Association and the Council of the Chief State School Officers:
“I applaud the leadership of this coalition of [48] states and [three] territories in joining together to develop a common core of academic standards. The draft college- and career-ready standards that were released as part of those efforts are an important step forward, and it is now in the hands of the public to provide critical feedback to state leaders. There is no work more important than preparing our students to compete and succeed in a global economy, and it is to the credit of these states that this work is getting done.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.corestandards.org/.
______________________________________________________________________
PRACTICE GUIDE
A new practice guide from the What Works Clearinghouse, titled “Using Student Achievement Data to Support Instructional Decision-Making,” offers five recommendations to help educators effectively use data to monitor students’ academic progress and evaluate instructional practices. The guide suggests schools set a clear vision for school-wide data use, develop a data-driven culture, and make data part of an ongoing cycle of instructional improvement. The guide also suggests teaching students how to use their own data to set learning goals. What Works is an initiative of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/practiceguides/#dddm_pg.
Note: On October 8, in the first of a series, the What Works Clearinghouse will host a webinar concerning the recommendations of its “Helping Students Navigate the Path to College” practice guide (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/practiceguides/#hed_pg). During the webinar, authors of the guide and college readiness experts and practitioners will discuss preparing students for college and what current research suggests is most effective. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions of the authors, experts, and practitioners. TO REGISTER, PLEASE GO TO http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/.
______________________________________________________________________
ARRA RECIPIENT REPORTING
The Department has notified presidents and financial aid administrators at approximately 1,800 postsecondary education institutions that are subject to Section 1512 recipient reporting for the Federal Work-Study Program that they are required to register as users at http://www.federalreporting.gov/. In general, recipients of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds are subject to special reporting requirements. Guidance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) set a threshold of $25,000 for ARRA reporting, which means, in the case of the Federal Work-Study Program, only institutions receiving at least $25,000 in ARRA funding for the 2009-10 Award Year are subject to these reporting requirements. Note that the $25,000 threshold applies only to ARRA funds received and not to the total amount of Federal Work-Study Program funds received by an institution for the 2009-10 Award Year. Also note that no special reporting by institutions or states is required under the Federal Pell Grant Program. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/section-1512.html.
Note: The Department is conducting a web conference on strategic planning for ARRA funds, “Linking Title I and IDEA ARRA Funds to the Education Technology and Statewide Longitudinal Data System Grants,” on Monday, October 5, at 2:00 p.m. ET. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/web-conferences.html.
______________________________________________________________________
ODDS AND ENDS
· In this month’s issue of The Education Innovator (http://www.ed.gov/news/newsletters/innovator/2009/0924.html), Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement Jim Shelton discusses the key tenets of the new Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund and shares his perspective on the role of innovation in schools.
· On September 23, Secretary Duncan and the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships visited Manchester, New Hampshire, as part of the National Conversation on Fatherhood. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/09/09232009a.html.
· On September 25, the Secretary was in Chicago to honor six individuals as the first recipients of the Associated Colleges of Illinois-Arne Duncan Awards for Educational Equity. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.edgovblogs.org/duncan/2009/09/secretary-duncan-praises-colleges-and-educators-for-ensuring-educational-equity/.
· This week (September 29), former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Reverend Al Sharpton joined the Secretary in Philadelphia -- the first stop on their tour of several cities to expose challenges, highlight reforms, and rally support for greater transparency and accountability in all schools. Future stops include New Orleans on November 3 and Baltimore on November 13. Cities were chosen both for logistical reasons and for what they can show about school reform. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.edgovblogs.org/duncan/2009/10/al-sharpton-newt-gingrich-and-secretary-duncan-begin-education-tour-to-expose-challenges-and-highlight-reforms-in-philadelphia/.
· According to “High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the U.S.: 2007” (http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2009064), the latest in a series of reports from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) -- a part of IES -- 73% of high school freshmen, nationwide, graduated on time with their peers. However, this four-year graduation rate in 2006 varied widely across states -- from a low of 55.9% to a high of 87.5%. Another key finding: students living in low-income families were approximately 10 times more likely to drop out of high school, between 2006 and 2007, than students living in high-income families. (Note: Secretary Duncan’s statement on the report is available at http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/09/09232009.html.)
· Grant awards: $108.8 million in Early Reading First grants to 28 school districts and other public and private organizations in 18 states and the District of Columbia (http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/09/09222009a.html); $6.6 million in Striving Readers grants to eight states (http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/09/09292009.html), and $43 million for 28 five-year Teacher Quality Partnership grants to reform traditional university teacher preparation programs (http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/09/09302009.html). (Note: Secretary Duncan will participate in three teacher education events during the month of October.) Also, the Department just announced $21.8 billion in formula grants to support state-administered programs (http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/10/10012009.html).
______________________________________________________________________
QUOTE TO NOTE
“For too many of our children, the promise of an excellent education has never materialized. We remain complacent about education reform -- distracted by tired arguments and divided by the politics of the moment. We can’t let that happen. In this new century, and in this global economy, it is not only unacceptable to delay and defer needed reforms, it’s self-destructive. We can’t allow one more day to go by without advancing our education agenda. Our shared goals are clear: higher quality schools, improved student achievement, more students going to college, closing the achievement gap, and opportunities for children to learn and succeed.”
-- Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (9/24/09), on “Why We Can’t Wait” for ESEA Reauthorization
______________________________________________________________________
UPCOMING EVENTS
On a weekly basis, the Secretary's public schedule is posted online at http://www.ed.gov/news/events/calendars/secschedule.html.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) will release the 2009 Nation’s Report Card for Mathematics on October 14. The report card will present scores for fourth- and eighth-graders from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense schools. NAEP is administered by NCES. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/.
The 2009 Federal Student Aid (FSA) Conference in Nashville (December 1-4) is the premiere training and networking opportunity for financial aid professionals. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://fsaconferences.ed.gov/.
______________________________________________________________________
Please feel free to contact the Office of Communications and Outreach with any questions:
Director, Intergovernmental Affairs -- Stacey Jordan, (202) 401-0026, mailto:Stacey.Jordan@ed.gov
Program Analyst -- Adam Honeysett, (202) 401-3003, mailto:Adam.Honeysett@ed.gov
To be added or removed from distribution, or submit comments (we welcome your feedback!),
contact Adam Honeysett. Or, visit http://www.ed.gov/news/newsletters/edreview/.
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Friday, October 2, 2009
Dr. Tom Seymour Named Distinguised Alum at Mayville State University
MAYVILLE Tom Seymour, Minot, has been named to receive the 2009 Mayville State University Distinguished Alumni Award at a luncheon Oct. 10 on the campus in Mayville.
Seymour graduated from Mayville State in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He holds a master's degree in business education from the University of North Dakota, and doctorate in vocational management from Colorado State University.
Seymour chairs the Business Information Technology Department at Minot State University where he teaches technology classes in the classroom and via the Internet. He has published more than 80 articles in refereed journals and edited proceedings and college textbooks. He has given numerous presentations in 41 states and 10 foreign countries. He also serves as a director on the SRT Communications Inc. board of directors.
A state senator from District 5, Seymour was elected to his first term in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006. Sen. Seymour has served on the appropriations, agriculture, education and finance and tax committees during the regular sessions and on the education, technology and transportation committees in the interim.
Seymour graduated from Mayville State in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He holds a master's degree in business education from the University of North Dakota, and doctorate in vocational management from Colorado State University.
Seymour chairs the Business Information Technology Department at Minot State University where he teaches technology classes in the classroom and via the Internet. He has published more than 80 articles in refereed journals and edited proceedings and college textbooks. He has given numerous presentations in 41 states and 10 foreign countries. He also serves as a director on the SRT Communications Inc. board of directors.
A state senator from District 5, Seymour was elected to his first term in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006. Sen. Seymour has served on the appropriations, agriculture, education and finance and tax committees during the regular sessions and on the education, technology and transportation committees in the interim.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The North Dakota Council on the Arts
OCTOBER 2009
Welcome to e-Prairie Arts! This electronic newsletter supplements our printed newsletter, Prairie Arts, which is published 3 times per year. e-Prairie Arts will be distributed during the months of February, March, April, June, July, August, October, November and December. If you know of anyone else who would like to receive e-Prairie Arts, please e-mail comserv@nd.gov. Or if you wish to unsubscribe, send an e-mail to comserv@nd.gov as well.
STATEWIDE NEWS
NDCA Grant Deadlines Approaching
Application deadline dates for the North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA) grant programs are approaching. Artist-in-Residence, Community Arts Access and Teacher Incentive grants must be submitted, via NDCA’s online grant system, by November 1, 2009, for programs taking place between January 1 and June 30, 2010. The grant application draft review deadline for these programs is October 15, 2009. Early submission is strongly encouraged for all programs. To access NDCA’s online grant system please visit: http://northdakota.cgweb.org. Also, a reminder that the Professional Development and Special Projects grant applications are accepted throughout the year, but must be submitted no later than four (4) weeks prior to the start of the event. Early submission of applications is recommended since grant funds are limited and applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you have questions or concerns regarding NDCA’s online grant system, or would like additional information, contact the North Dakota Council on the Arts at (701) 328-7590; e-mail amschmid@nd.gov; or visit NDCA’s web site at: http://www.nd.gov/arts/grants/grant.html. Please note the Institutional Support guidelines will be available mid-October.
Governor Hoeven Proclaims October Arts & Humanities Month in North Dakota
Governor John Hoeven has declared October 2009 as Arts and Humanities Month for the state of North Dakota. This came by way of an official proclamation from his office, which recognized that “the arts and humanities enhance and enrich the lives of all citizens; and affect every aspect of life in America today including the economy, social problem solving, job creation, education, creativity, and community livability.”
Grand Forks Artist’s Works Exhibited in Offices of the Governor and First Lady
Chuck Kimmerle’s works will be featured in the offices of the Governor, First Lady and the Attorney General during the months of October, November and December 2009. Chuck Kimmerle, born and raised in Minnesota, has been a photographer for more than 20 years. His career began as a photojournalist working at newspapers in Minnesota, Pennsylvania and North Dakota, followed by his current position as staff photographer at the University of North Dakota, a position he has held since 2000. During this career span, his work has been recognized both locally and nationally. While a photojournalist he was named photographer of year in both Minnesota and in North Dakota. He, along with fellow photo staff members at the Grand Forks Herald, was honored as a finalist for the spot news Pulitzer Prize in 1998 and, as a university photographer, was named university photographer of the year four times in five years.
CulturePulse Southwest ND Scheduled to Launch October 1st
CulturePulse Southwest ND, hosted by High Prairie Arts and Science Complex, is gaining momentum at exponential speed. The idea is to launch a site that encompasses all the amazing cultural activity brewing in the southwest quadrant of the state. It’s a one stop shop for locating all the shows, exhibits and special events in the area. After spring discussions involving many local arts groups and a healthy roundtable meeting of statewide CulturePulse representatives, Bismarck got to work. Expert web consultant Scott Wild of Wild Inspire, has created automatic feeds to many social networks like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. As a result, artists will find their own websites much higher on Google searches, and will receive a greater amount of traffic through the links CulturePulse Southwest provides with every event entry. A formal launch is planned for October 1, 2009. High Prairie’s launch of CulturePulse Southwest is possible through the support of North Dakota Council on the Arts and the Bismarck Parks & Recreation District. Call or email Jennifer at jhaaland@bisparks.org, (701) 471-9492, for inquiries about CulturePulse Southwest.
Call for Ornaments for the State Tree, Lighting Ceremony Set for December 3, 2009
The North Dakota Council on the Arts invites artists and craftspeople to provide handmade ornaments for the North Dakota State Christmas Tree. The tree will be on display in the Memorial Hall of the State Capitol building in Bismarck. It will be lit during a public ceremony conducted by the Governor and Mrs. Hoeven on Thursday, December 3, 2009 (tentative). Submitted ornaments can vary from traditional to contemporary arts. Items that are commercially produced or made from kits are not eligible for inclusion. This is a great art project for elementary classes, Scout troops, 4-H clubs, residents of assisted living centers, etc., as well as a great family project. The theme is open and can be of the designer’s choosing. Each ornament should include a brief one, or two line description of the ornament (naming the art form used, or the special circumstances through which it was created - such as through a class or senior center project). Also include the name of the individual artist/craftsperson who created it. A descriptive listing will be available at the ceremony and will be mailed to everyone who submits an ornament. Ornaments must be received in the NDCA office no later than Friday, November 20, 2009. All ornaments become the property of the NDCA and will be hung on the state tree each ensuing year. Mail ornaments to: North Dakota Council on the Arts, 1600 East Century Ave, Ste. 6, Bismarck, ND 58503-0649.
The North Dakota Council on the Arts Announces the Third Annual Special Edition Ornament
NDCA announces their third annual Special Edition Ornament which will be available for purchase mid-November, 2009. Alfred Jason Lindell, the owner and operator of Sundog Glass Design in Park River, was commissioned by NDCA to create a one-of-a-kind, fused-glass ornament. This ornament offers a unique opportunity to purchase a special, hand-made Christmas decoration and/or gift, while investing in the arts across the state. Limited quantities will be available for $25.00 (includes gift box). Proceeds benefit the ND Cultural Endowment Fund, which was created by the State Legislature in 1979 to assist NDCA in providing artistic opportunities for citizens throughout the state of North Dakota. For more information, or if you would like to purchase a Special Edition Ornament, please call 328-7590. Images of the ornament will be available November 1.
MSU NOTSTOCK, a Three-day Art & Music Festival
MSU NOTSTOCK, in its third-year, plans to rock the Beaver Dam at Minot State University October 21-23, as five popular artists and 20-plus local bands converge to offer a unique art and music experience. Minot State will host nationally-known rock poster artists and designers Art Chantry, a pillar in music poster history and graphic design; Jeff Johnson, designer and owner of SPUNK DESIGN MACHINE in Minneapolis; Miss Amy Jo and Tooth of WHO MADE WHO in Minneapolis; and Minneapolis-based printmaker extraordinaire, Bjorn. Along with three days of producing posters, screening on t-shirts and skateboard decks, the artists will be joined by over 20 of the hottest modern, alternative and local rock bands. In addition, there will be a presentation by Jeff Johnson at 7:00pm on Wednesday evening in the Student Union Conference Center and a presentation by Art Chantry at 7:00pm on Thursday night in the Student Union Conference Center. Live music from local bands will accompany the artists. Please visit www.msunotstock.org for a complete schedule, blog updates, and band lineup information. All parts of the three-day event, held throughout the Student Center on the campus of Minot State University, are free and open to the public. The artists will have posters for sale and will be available to sign other collected works.
Watercolor Seminar
Watercolor seminar featuring Black Hills, South Dakota artist Maryann Clarin (for more information on Maryann, visit www.clarinacresstudio.com). The seminar takes place October 10-11, 2009 from 9am to 4pm at the Underwood City Hall. All levels of ability. Starting supplies will be furnished. Bring your own supplies and/or buy additional supplies at the seminar. Several techniques will be used. Class fee: $60. Limited number of students. $30 non-refundable deposit required. Sign up by calling Vida Klocke at 442-3478, or e-mail klocke@westriv.com.
Save the Date for An Evening with Raymond Schroth, November 12
You are invited to join the partners in Read North Dakota as they spend an evening with Raymond Schroth, author of “The American Journey of Eric Sevareid,” Read North Dakota’s 2009 Featured Selection. The lecture, sponsored by Read North Dakota, takes place Thursday, November 12, 2009, at 7:00 p.m. at the North Dakota Heritage Center Auditorium in Bismarck. Read North Dakota is dedicated to celebrating and promoting literature created in and about North Dakota, for more information visit www.readnd.org.
Plains Art Museum Offers Educational Outreach Materials to Rural Schools in North Dakota and Minnesota
The Plains Art Museum is offering its educational outreach programming to under-served K through 12 teachers and students in rural regions and small towns in North Dakota and Minnesota for the 2009/10 school year. Outreach programs do not have booking or shipping fees. They include: PlainsArt Case program which features Native American Indian artist David Bradley’s newly commissioned original artworks along with curriculum materials and other teaching aids; and Learning Posters of artworks in the Museum’s collection for classroom use and display. Learning posters are a rich resource for the classroom that highlight the Museum’s permanent collection while providing curricula that meet National Standards for Arts Education. The programs may be booked by contacting Pam Jacobson, curator of outreach, at (701) 232-3821, ext. 127 or pjacobson@plainsart.org. Both outreach tools are carefully designed to be useful to schools and community groups in enhancing understanding and enjoyment of the arts, even where the services of an art teacher are not available. Online resources for teachers are also in development and are anticipated in early winter.
Jazz Arts Group Founder, Bob Anderson, Dies
Robert C. (Bob) Anderson was an active participant in the music entertainment business since 1943. Bob was born and raised in Fargo, graduated from Fargo Central High School, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Minnesota State University Moorhead. He began playing trumpet with area dance bands at the age of fifteen and toured with these territory bands throughout the Midwest. Bob switched to drums in the fall of 1948 and joined the WDAY staff orchestra in January 1949. Bob left WDAY in 1951 and moved to Chicago. In 1979 Bob returned to the Fargo-Moorhead area. In the mid 1980s Anderson began to research a new concept in big band jazz. This involved the creation of a repertory jazz orchestra as a 501 (c) (3) non profit performing arts organization much like that of area symphony orchestras. After five years of research, Anderson formed the Jazz Arts Group of Fargo Moorhead (JAG) in November 1991. Anderson was appointed Executive Director, and he has had the pleasure to watch JAG grow from a fledging arts organization into one of our area’s major cultural assets. In June 2002, Anderson received the Jazz Arts Lifetime Achievement award. Bob Anderson passed away early Saturday morning, August 29, 2009. His funeral was held Thursday, September 3rd at Christ the King Church in Moorhead. For more information on Bob Anderson, visit http://www.jazzartsfm.com/history/bob.html.
Sign Up for Your Free Duns & Bradstreet Number
Art organizations are encouraged to sign up for a free Duns & Bradstreet number, which allows your organization to be counted in national arts data. It takes 30 days to get a new DUNS number, apply at http://www.dnb.com.
Check Out These New Offering from TechSoup
TechSoup is announcing some great new offerings. Thanks to a new partnership with Flip Video, TechSoup has added the Flip Video Ultra U1120 pocket-sized digital camcorder to their catalog. You can use Flip Video to document your events or to tell your organization's story. Manage Fundraising and Donors with GiftWorks - Track and target donors, send mailings, pull reports, and do much more with GiftWorks 2010 Standard. The 2010 version offers the capacity to accept in-kind donations, enter batch contacts and donations, and merge duplicate donors. GiftWorks has also increased their budget restrictions, so now more organizations are eligible to request products.
Upcoming Training Opportunities for North Dakota Nonprofits
"Impact Institute Nonprofit Training and Resources" a leadership initiative for North Dakota Nonprofits. The Impact Foundation announced a statewide capacity-building initiative that will benefit nonprofit organizations across North Dakota. Assisted by a $2 million grant from the St. Paul, MN-based Bush Foundation, the Impact Leadership Institute will provide training, education and resources to increase nonprofit efficiency, reenergize nonprofit boards, improve communication strategies, increase revenues and diversify nonprofit funding streams. Impact estimates about 800 nonprofit executives, board members and staff will be trained through this initiative. Training sessions will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and the cost is $25.00 per person. A lists of training sessions is available via this link. To learn more and to register, visit www.impactgiveback.org.
NATIONAL NEWS
Possible NEA Funding at $170 Million
Both the House and Senate have passed their versions of the fiscal year 2010 Interior Appropriations Bill, including funds for the National Endowment for the Arts. The House bill allocates $170 million for the arts endowment in the coming year; the Senate would set the funding at $161.3 million, the same budget level proposed by President Obama. Current FY09 funding for the NEA is $150 million. The differences between the two bills will be worked out in negotiations by a House-Senate conference committee. If you are in favor of the increase, please contact your senators and representatives and urge them to set the NEA funding for 2010 at $170 million as proposed in the bill passed by the House. Reach your legislators in Congress by phone through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121, or by email at http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt.
Two Anti-Arts Amendments Defeated in Senate
On Wednesday, September 16, the U.S. Senate voted on two amendments offered by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) to the annual transportation appropriations bill. One amendment sought to prohibit any transportation spending on museums and the second was designed to terminate the federal contribution to the Transportation Enhancement (TE) program, which is a significant funder of public art, museum, and design projects nationally. Both amendments were soundly defeated. ~ Americans for the ArtsE-AdvocacyCenter
NEA ARTS Magazine
The newest issue of the NEA’s redesigned quarterly magazine includes feature articles, slideshows, and interviews focusing on the folk & traditional arts. The NEA ARTS Magazine is available at http://www.arts.gov/about/NEARTS/indexNew.html.
Engaging Audiences Report
The Wallace Foundation recently released Engaging Audiences, a report that examines the challenges facing arts organizations in the current economy and some of the creative ways organizations have found to overcome these challenges.
~ http://www.enewsbuilder.net/nasaanotes/e_article001529218.cfm?x=bg2WC9P,b8LGW82r
What Does a Sustainable Nonprofit Look Like?
The Sustainability Formula: How Nonprofit Organizations Can Thrive in the Emerging Economy summarizes the key characteristics of sustainable organizations, based on an examination of nearly 700 organizations by the TCC Group. The most crucial characteristics are effective leadership, financial and program adaptability, and program capacity. This report is based on information gathered through TCC Group’s Core Capacity Assessment Tool (CCAT), which assesses nonprofit effectiveness through the lens of four core capacities (adaptive, leadership, management, technical). This anonymous and confidential self-assessment provides both an analysis of users’ strengths as well as recommendations for future growth and change.
~ www.enewsbuilder.net/nasaanotes/e_article001508220.cfm?x=bfSQw68,b8LGW82r,w.
**NEW** Small Nonprofits Required to Complete 990-N
The Internal Revenue Service issued final regulations for small nonprofits that must file the 990-N e-postcard. Small nonprofits that had been exempt from filing a 990 form due to an annual gross of less than $25,000 are required to fill out the 990-N, which asks for basic information such as the name and address of the organization. These regulations have been in place since 2007 on a temporary basis, but they are now finalized. The IRS note clarified that local chapters of larger organizations need not fill out the form if they are listed as a subordinate on their parent group 990 form. The first e-Postcards were due in 2008 for tax years ending on or after Dec. 31, 2007. The e-Postcard is due every year by the 15th day of the 5th month after the close of the organization's tax year. For example, if the organization’s tax year ended on Dec. 31, 2008, the e-Postcard is due May 15, 2009. Organizations cannot file the e-Postcard until after their tax year ends. IRS Rules and regulations are available via this link.
Grant Funds Available for Arts in Healthcare Programs
Deadline: October 15, 2009. Johnson & Johnson, working in partnership with the Society for the Arts in Healthcare, seeks to promote the use of the arts to enhance the healthcare experience for patients, their families, and caregivers. From 2001–2009, grants have been provided to 117 programs in the United States and Canada representing leading models and initiatives in high-quality healthcare through the use of arts. Proposals are now being sought from healthcare and/or arts organizations that have established arts in healthcare programs with evidence of initial impact. For more information, visit http://thesah.org/template/page.cfm?page_id=15.
EVENT AND EXHIBIT CALENDAR, ARTS OPPORTUNITIES
Americas 2010 Paperworks
Eligibility: Works in any medium, on or of paper, traditional or experimental, including photographs, qualify. All works must be original and not measure over 60 inches in any direction. Work must be ready to exhibit, completed within the last two years, and not previously exhibited in an Americas 2000 exhibition. Deadline (postmark) for submitting entries is November 2, 2009. Entry Details: A prospectus is available online at www.minotstateu.edu/nac/pdf/prosp4webPW10.pdf. A maximum of five entries are allowed per artist. Submit electronic images, a non-refundable entry fee payable in US dollars, and the completed entry form to Americas 2010: Paperworks. Entry will not be accepted without the proper fee. Entry Fee: 2 entries/$25; Additional Entries: $5 each. Enclose a $20 annual membership fee, and you may enter at the NAC Art Friends membership rate. NAC Art Friends Members Fee: 2 entries/$15; Additional Entries: $2 each. Mail to: Americas 2010: Paperworks, Northwest Art Center, Minot State University, 500 University Avenue West, Minot, North Dakota 58707. For more information, visit www.minotstateu.edu/nac; E-mail: nac@minotstateu.edu; or call 701-858-3264 or 800 -777-0750 (ex.3264).
United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program
The United States Mint invites artists to be a part of American history through coin design. The Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) provides gifted artists the opportunity to contribute creative and beautiful designs for coins that will be enjoyed by all Americans. AIP artists have submitted successful designs for coins released through the 50 State Quarters® Program and the Presidential $1 Coin Program. Honorariums are $2,000 for each design submission and $5,000 for each selected design. For more information and to apply, visit www.usmint.gov/artists. Application deadlines: Application Period One: November 9, 2009; Application Period Two: March 8, 2010; and Application Period Three: July 6, 2010.
Check out the upcoming Events and Exhibits listed on NDCA's regional calendars, and for more information, visit North Dakota's Statewide Arts Calendar at www.culturepulse.org. If you have events, exhibits or artist opportunities that you would like included on the NDCA web site, please email them to comserv@nd.gov.
Check out the current Arts Opportunities available on the NDCA web site!
DID YOU KNOW ...
Free Night of Theater Builds Future Audiences
A new study by Shugoll Research shows that Theatre Communications Group’s Free Night of Theatre program is bringing new audiences to the theatre. Free Night of Theater began in 2005 in 3 cities and grew to more than 120 cities and 650 theatres in 2008. The goal of the program is to increase public awareness of the national theatre community and to attract new and nontraditional audiences by distributing free tickets during the month of October. While some theatres were concerned that giving away free tickets would not motivate people to buy tickets in the future, current research suggests this concern is unwarranted. To learn more visit www.enewsbuilder.net/nasaanotes/e_article001508226.cfm?x=bfSQw68,b8LGW82r.
OTHER RESOURCES
Nonprofits Organizations - Learn How to Save $$$ on Your Technology Needs!
TechSoup Stock is the technology product philanthropy service just for nonprofits. Launched by TechSoup Global in January 2002 (as DiscounTech), this service is a unique collaboration with corporate and nonprofit technology providers. Thanks to their partners' generous product donations and discounts, TechSoup Stock is able to facilitate and distribute multiple product philanthropy programs in a centralized, Web-based platform. They work to foster social change in two ways: by helping nonprofits to save money for mission-critical work when acquiring technology and by helping nonprofits use this technology even more effectively. To learn more, visit http://www.techsoup.org/stock/aboutus.asp.
Applying for 501(c) Status Without a Lawyer
The IRS has created a new website (http://www.stayexempt.org/) that enables new organizations to apply for 501(c) status without using a lawyer. This site is helpful and easy to follow.
Art Calendar
Art Calendar is the industry’s foremost business magazine for visual artists. Founded in 1986, Art Calendar acts as a beacon to guide artists on their journey toward making a living with their art. Written by knowledgeable industry pros and successful working artists, Art Calendar offers practical business advice on subjects such as art marketing, art law, portfolio development, exhibition presentation, communication skills and sales techniques, as well as advanced technical applications of photography, computer and Web tools. It also offers the most extensive and recent listings of Calls to Artists, including galleries reviewing portfolios, juried competitions, grants, fellowships, festivals, publishing opportunities and residencies. Best described as “The Artist’s Guide to Making It,” Art Calendar is the only subscription-driven, business-oriented magazine published specifically for visual artists. Art Calendar enables professional artists to make a living doing what they love. Offering innovative ideas, along with all of the necessary tools to sell their work and further their careers, Art Calendar has established itself as the ultimate resource for visual artists. http://www.artcalendar.com/; http://www.artscuttlebutt.com/; http://www.craftercircle.com/.
Sell Your Arts/Crafts Online at PrairieWorksMall.com
Prairie Works is organized to empower rural and isolated North Dakota artists and artisans to market their crafts and gain access to professional networks. Its purpose is to promote access to, and development of, arts in rural and tribal communities in North Dakota. Prairie Works is an organization founded to continue the art and craft heritage of rural ND artists by providing a source to market and sell their creative products. Prairie Works is providing the On-Line Gallery, a web site to sell art and craft work that ND artists, crafters and art entrepreneurs have created. The arts/crafts of Prairie Works will consist of quality, originality, creativity, and use of appropriate techniques. All work must be handmade by the ND artisan. For more information; to become a member; and/or to sell your arts/crafts online, please visit http://www.prairieworksmall.com/.
Online Arts Job Resource
Americans for the Arts have created an online arts job resource for employers and employees to come together. This new resource can be accessed by visiting http://jobbank.artsusa.org/search.cfm.
Prairie Independent
Introducing the "Prairie Independent" Bismarck-Mandan's newest community newspaper of people, places and events. The "Prairie Independent" is available at over 130 locations including community coffee shops, restaurants, waiting rooms, bars, entertainment centers, convenience stores, churches and at the Prairie Independent office. The "Prairie Independent" is a Free publication, if you are interested in advertising availability or offering the "Prairie Independent" to your customers, please contact Don Morrison at don@ndpeople.org, or 527-0060.
Self Employment in the Arts (SEA)
The focus of SEA is on the business of art. SEA was created with the idea that more artists will succeed if they have business skills, knowledge, resources, and contacts. Through artist-led conferences, a website full of resources and articles, and educational tools like the award winning Entrepreneurial Artist DVD; SEA helps artists turn their passions into a living. SEA is for college students, serious high school students, artists, and educators. Their mission is to provide educational resources to help aspiring artists gain the entrepreneurial knowledge and skills needed to establish and maintain a career as an independent artist. more on SEA...
"Tools for Results" Tool-Kit - a Resource for Non-profit Arts and Cultural Organizations
The Texas Commission on the Arts "Tools for Results" Tool-kit was developed as a resource for non-profit arts and cultural organizations in Texas and beyond. The Tool-kit is a collaborative project made possible with the help of many organizations that generously agreed to share their resources. The Tool-kit covers six topic areas: Fundraising & Development, Programs & Exhibitions, Cultural Tourism, Marketing, Advocacy, and Nonprofit Basics. Each section covers the basics, relevant concepts, best practices, things to consider, ideas for implementing change, common mistakes, ways to get started, do’s and don’ts, and how-to’s on a variety of topics. The “tools” are the sample forms, letters, documents, checklists, templates, and other resources. The intention is for nonprofits to take these “tools” and adapt them for their own purposes.
United States Artists (USA)
USA is a new organization dedicated to the support of America's finest living artists. Artists now have a home where they may find significant private funding to ignite the creativity that makes this country great. USA was launched in September 2005 with $20 million in seed funding provided by a coalition of leading foundations—Ford, Rockefeller, Prudential, and Rasmuson—in an act of unprecedented private investment in individual artists and the creative potential of America. Their initial investment enables them to pilot the USA Fellows program, awarding unrestricted $50,000 grants to fifty artists each year beginning in 2006. USA's long-term vision is to create an organization dedicated to the unlimited promise of our finest artists. Their horizon line is not three, five, or 25 years, but rather 100 years and beyond. Building on their base of private funding, their aspiration is to be permanently endowed. more on United States Artists…
Artists' Health Insurance Resource Center
The Artists’ Health Insurance Resource Center (AHIRC) database was created in 1998 by The Actors’ Fund of America, with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, as a health insurance resource for artists and people in the entertainment industry. Since then, with support from The Commonwealth Fund, it has expanded to include resources for the self-employed, low-income workers, the under-insured, the uninsured who require medical care and many other groups. For more information visit: http://www.ahirc.org/; for a direct link to North Dakota resources, visit: www.ahirc.org/state_indx.cfm?st=ND.
Online Legal Primers on the Arts
A new web site, http://www.thelawportal.info/, offers legal primers for artists and arts organizations, covering topics that range from the traditional and familiar (such as copyright) to the new and sometimes obscure (two-way broadband network access), and from the personal (how to find healthy materials) to the professional (how to develop contracts) to the political (free speech).
Online Classifieds Opportunities & Services for Artists
The New York Foundation for the Arts' Online Classifieds Opportunities & Services for Artists, is a free national online sources for artist opportunities and services. These include calls for entry, services such as photography of art work and accounting, space for rent, and many others. New listings are posted daily (designated with an orange "new" icon for one week) and remain on the site until they expire. Organizations posting listings are solely responsible for the content of those listings.
Additional Web Sites
The following Web sites have resources that may be of service to educators, individual artists, and arts organizations including funding and other opportunities, publications, arts events, etc:
National Endowment for the Arts
Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
Arts Midwest
Arts Education Partnership
The North Dakota Council on the Arts is the state agency responsible for the support and development of the arts throughout North Dakota, and is funded by the state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.
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Welcome to e-Prairie Arts! This electronic newsletter supplements our printed newsletter, Prairie Arts, which is published 3 times per year. e-Prairie Arts will be distributed during the months of February, March, April, June, July, August, October, November and December. If you know of anyone else who would like to receive e-Prairie Arts, please e-mail comserv@nd.gov. Or if you wish to unsubscribe, send an e-mail to comserv@nd.gov as well.
STATEWIDE NEWS
NDCA Grant Deadlines Approaching
Application deadline dates for the North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA) grant programs are approaching. Artist-in-Residence, Community Arts Access and Teacher Incentive grants must be submitted, via NDCA’s online grant system, by November 1, 2009, for programs taking place between January 1 and June 30, 2010. The grant application draft review deadline for these programs is October 15, 2009. Early submission is strongly encouraged for all programs. To access NDCA’s online grant system please visit: http://northdakota.cgweb.org. Also, a reminder that the Professional Development and Special Projects grant applications are accepted throughout the year, but must be submitted no later than four (4) weeks prior to the start of the event. Early submission of applications is recommended since grant funds are limited and applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you have questions or concerns regarding NDCA’s online grant system, or would like additional information, contact the North Dakota Council on the Arts at (701) 328-7590; e-mail amschmid@nd.gov; or visit NDCA’s web site at: http://www.nd.gov/arts/grants/grant.html. Please note the Institutional Support guidelines will be available mid-October.
Governor Hoeven Proclaims October Arts & Humanities Month in North Dakota
Governor John Hoeven has declared October 2009 as Arts and Humanities Month for the state of North Dakota. This came by way of an official proclamation from his office, which recognized that “the arts and humanities enhance and enrich the lives of all citizens; and affect every aspect of life in America today including the economy, social problem solving, job creation, education, creativity, and community livability.”
Grand Forks Artist’s Works Exhibited in Offices of the Governor and First Lady
Chuck Kimmerle’s works will be featured in the offices of the Governor, First Lady and the Attorney General during the months of October, November and December 2009. Chuck Kimmerle, born and raised in Minnesota, has been a photographer for more than 20 years. His career began as a photojournalist working at newspapers in Minnesota, Pennsylvania and North Dakota, followed by his current position as staff photographer at the University of North Dakota, a position he has held since 2000. During this career span, his work has been recognized both locally and nationally. While a photojournalist he was named photographer of year in both Minnesota and in North Dakota. He, along with fellow photo staff members at the Grand Forks Herald, was honored as a finalist for the spot news Pulitzer Prize in 1998 and, as a university photographer, was named university photographer of the year four times in five years.
CulturePulse Southwest ND Scheduled to Launch October 1st
CulturePulse Southwest ND, hosted by High Prairie Arts and Science Complex, is gaining momentum at exponential speed. The idea is to launch a site that encompasses all the amazing cultural activity brewing in the southwest quadrant of the state. It’s a one stop shop for locating all the shows, exhibits and special events in the area. After spring discussions involving many local arts groups and a healthy roundtable meeting of statewide CulturePulse representatives, Bismarck got to work. Expert web consultant Scott Wild of Wild Inspire, has created automatic feeds to many social networks like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. As a result, artists will find their own websites much higher on Google searches, and will receive a greater amount of traffic through the links CulturePulse Southwest provides with every event entry. A formal launch is planned for October 1, 2009. High Prairie’s launch of CulturePulse Southwest is possible through the support of North Dakota Council on the Arts and the Bismarck Parks & Recreation District. Call or email Jennifer at jhaaland@bisparks.org, (701) 471-9492, for inquiries about CulturePulse Southwest.
Call for Ornaments for the State Tree, Lighting Ceremony Set for December 3, 2009
The North Dakota Council on the Arts invites artists and craftspeople to provide handmade ornaments for the North Dakota State Christmas Tree. The tree will be on display in the Memorial Hall of the State Capitol building in Bismarck. It will be lit during a public ceremony conducted by the Governor and Mrs. Hoeven on Thursday, December 3, 2009 (tentative). Submitted ornaments can vary from traditional to contemporary arts. Items that are commercially produced or made from kits are not eligible for inclusion. This is a great art project for elementary classes, Scout troops, 4-H clubs, residents of assisted living centers, etc., as well as a great family project. The theme is open and can be of the designer’s choosing. Each ornament should include a brief one, or two line description of the ornament (naming the art form used, or the special circumstances through which it was created - such as through a class or senior center project). Also include the name of the individual artist/craftsperson who created it. A descriptive listing will be available at the ceremony and will be mailed to everyone who submits an ornament. Ornaments must be received in the NDCA office no later than Friday, November 20, 2009. All ornaments become the property of the NDCA and will be hung on the state tree each ensuing year. Mail ornaments to: North Dakota Council on the Arts, 1600 East Century Ave, Ste. 6, Bismarck, ND 58503-0649.
The North Dakota Council on the Arts Announces the Third Annual Special Edition Ornament
NDCA announces their third annual Special Edition Ornament which will be available for purchase mid-November, 2009. Alfred Jason Lindell, the owner and operator of Sundog Glass Design in Park River, was commissioned by NDCA to create a one-of-a-kind, fused-glass ornament. This ornament offers a unique opportunity to purchase a special, hand-made Christmas decoration and/or gift, while investing in the arts across the state. Limited quantities will be available for $25.00 (includes gift box). Proceeds benefit the ND Cultural Endowment Fund, which was created by the State Legislature in 1979 to assist NDCA in providing artistic opportunities for citizens throughout the state of North Dakota. For more information, or if you would like to purchase a Special Edition Ornament, please call 328-7590. Images of the ornament will be available November 1.
MSU NOTSTOCK, a Three-day Art & Music Festival
MSU NOTSTOCK, in its third-year, plans to rock the Beaver Dam at Minot State University October 21-23, as five popular artists and 20-plus local bands converge to offer a unique art and music experience. Minot State will host nationally-known rock poster artists and designers Art Chantry, a pillar in music poster history and graphic design; Jeff Johnson, designer and owner of SPUNK DESIGN MACHINE in Minneapolis; Miss Amy Jo and Tooth of WHO MADE WHO in Minneapolis; and Minneapolis-based printmaker extraordinaire, Bjorn. Along with three days of producing posters, screening on t-shirts and skateboard decks, the artists will be joined by over 20 of the hottest modern, alternative and local rock bands. In addition, there will be a presentation by Jeff Johnson at 7:00pm on Wednesday evening in the Student Union Conference Center and a presentation by Art Chantry at 7:00pm on Thursday night in the Student Union Conference Center. Live music from local bands will accompany the artists. Please visit www.msunotstock.org for a complete schedule, blog updates, and band lineup information. All parts of the three-day event, held throughout the Student Center on the campus of Minot State University, are free and open to the public. The artists will have posters for sale and will be available to sign other collected works.
Watercolor Seminar
Watercolor seminar featuring Black Hills, South Dakota artist Maryann Clarin (for more information on Maryann, visit www.clarinacresstudio.com). The seminar takes place October 10-11, 2009 from 9am to 4pm at the Underwood City Hall. All levels of ability. Starting supplies will be furnished. Bring your own supplies and/or buy additional supplies at the seminar. Several techniques will be used. Class fee: $60. Limited number of students. $30 non-refundable deposit required. Sign up by calling Vida Klocke at 442-3478, or e-mail klocke@westriv.com.
Save the Date for An Evening with Raymond Schroth, November 12
You are invited to join the partners in Read North Dakota as they spend an evening with Raymond Schroth, author of “The American Journey of Eric Sevareid,” Read North Dakota’s 2009 Featured Selection. The lecture, sponsored by Read North Dakota, takes place Thursday, November 12, 2009, at 7:00 p.m. at the North Dakota Heritage Center Auditorium in Bismarck. Read North Dakota is dedicated to celebrating and promoting literature created in and about North Dakota, for more information visit www.readnd.org.
Plains Art Museum Offers Educational Outreach Materials to Rural Schools in North Dakota and Minnesota
The Plains Art Museum is offering its educational outreach programming to under-served K through 12 teachers and students in rural regions and small towns in North Dakota and Minnesota for the 2009/10 school year. Outreach programs do not have booking or shipping fees. They include: PlainsArt Case program which features Native American Indian artist David Bradley’s newly commissioned original artworks along with curriculum materials and other teaching aids; and Learning Posters of artworks in the Museum’s collection for classroom use and display. Learning posters are a rich resource for the classroom that highlight the Museum’s permanent collection while providing curricula that meet National Standards for Arts Education. The programs may be booked by contacting Pam Jacobson, curator of outreach, at (701) 232-3821, ext. 127 or pjacobson@plainsart.org. Both outreach tools are carefully designed to be useful to schools and community groups in enhancing understanding and enjoyment of the arts, even where the services of an art teacher are not available. Online resources for teachers are also in development and are anticipated in early winter.
Jazz Arts Group Founder, Bob Anderson, Dies
Robert C. (Bob) Anderson was an active participant in the music entertainment business since 1943. Bob was born and raised in Fargo, graduated from Fargo Central High School, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Minnesota State University Moorhead. He began playing trumpet with area dance bands at the age of fifteen and toured with these territory bands throughout the Midwest. Bob switched to drums in the fall of 1948 and joined the WDAY staff orchestra in January 1949. Bob left WDAY in 1951 and moved to Chicago. In 1979 Bob returned to the Fargo-Moorhead area. In the mid 1980s Anderson began to research a new concept in big band jazz. This involved the creation of a repertory jazz orchestra as a 501 (c) (3) non profit performing arts organization much like that of area symphony orchestras. After five years of research, Anderson formed the Jazz Arts Group of Fargo Moorhead (JAG) in November 1991. Anderson was appointed Executive Director, and he has had the pleasure to watch JAG grow from a fledging arts organization into one of our area’s major cultural assets. In June 2002, Anderson received the Jazz Arts Lifetime Achievement award. Bob Anderson passed away early Saturday morning, August 29, 2009. His funeral was held Thursday, September 3rd at Christ the King Church in Moorhead. For more information on Bob Anderson, visit http://www.jazzartsfm.com/history/bob.html.
Sign Up for Your Free Duns & Bradstreet Number
Art organizations are encouraged to sign up for a free Duns & Bradstreet number, which allows your organization to be counted in national arts data. It takes 30 days to get a new DUNS number, apply at http://www.dnb.com.
Check Out These New Offering from TechSoup
TechSoup is announcing some great new offerings. Thanks to a new partnership with Flip Video, TechSoup has added the Flip Video Ultra U1120 pocket-sized digital camcorder to their catalog. You can use Flip Video to document your events or to tell your organization's story. Manage Fundraising and Donors with GiftWorks - Track and target donors, send mailings, pull reports, and do much more with GiftWorks 2010 Standard. The 2010 version offers the capacity to accept in-kind donations, enter batch contacts and donations, and merge duplicate donors. GiftWorks has also increased their budget restrictions, so now more organizations are eligible to request products.
Upcoming Training Opportunities for North Dakota Nonprofits
"Impact Institute Nonprofit Training and Resources" a leadership initiative for North Dakota Nonprofits. The Impact Foundation announced a statewide capacity-building initiative that will benefit nonprofit organizations across North Dakota. Assisted by a $2 million grant from the St. Paul, MN-based Bush Foundation, the Impact Leadership Institute will provide training, education and resources to increase nonprofit efficiency, reenergize nonprofit boards, improve communication strategies, increase revenues and diversify nonprofit funding streams. Impact estimates about 800 nonprofit executives, board members and staff will be trained through this initiative. Training sessions will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and the cost is $25.00 per person. A lists of training sessions is available via this link. To learn more and to register, visit www.impactgiveback.org.
NATIONAL NEWS
Possible NEA Funding at $170 Million
Both the House and Senate have passed their versions of the fiscal year 2010 Interior Appropriations Bill, including funds for the National Endowment for the Arts. The House bill allocates $170 million for the arts endowment in the coming year; the Senate would set the funding at $161.3 million, the same budget level proposed by President Obama. Current FY09 funding for the NEA is $150 million. The differences between the two bills will be worked out in negotiations by a House-Senate conference committee. If you are in favor of the increase, please contact your senators and representatives and urge them to set the NEA funding for 2010 at $170 million as proposed in the bill passed by the House. Reach your legislators in Congress by phone through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121, or by email at http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt.
Two Anti-Arts Amendments Defeated in Senate
On Wednesday, September 16, the U.S. Senate voted on two amendments offered by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) to the annual transportation appropriations bill. One amendment sought to prohibit any transportation spending on museums and the second was designed to terminate the federal contribution to the Transportation Enhancement (TE) program, which is a significant funder of public art, museum, and design projects nationally. Both amendments were soundly defeated. ~ Americans for the ArtsE-AdvocacyCenter
NEA ARTS Magazine
The newest issue of the NEA’s redesigned quarterly magazine includes feature articles, slideshows, and interviews focusing on the folk & traditional arts. The NEA ARTS Magazine is available at http://www.arts.gov/about/NEARTS/indexNew.html.
Engaging Audiences Report
The Wallace Foundation recently released Engaging Audiences, a report that examines the challenges facing arts organizations in the current economy and some of the creative ways organizations have found to overcome these challenges.
~ http://www.enewsbuilder.net/nasaanotes/e_article001529218.cfm?x=bg2WC9P,b8LGW82r
What Does a Sustainable Nonprofit Look Like?
The Sustainability Formula: How Nonprofit Organizations Can Thrive in the Emerging Economy summarizes the key characteristics of sustainable organizations, based on an examination of nearly 700 organizations by the TCC Group. The most crucial characteristics are effective leadership, financial and program adaptability, and program capacity. This report is based on information gathered through TCC Group’s Core Capacity Assessment Tool (CCAT), which assesses nonprofit effectiveness through the lens of four core capacities (adaptive, leadership, management, technical). This anonymous and confidential self-assessment provides both an analysis of users’ strengths as well as recommendations for future growth and change.
~ www.enewsbuilder.net/nasaanotes/e_article001508220.cfm?x=bfSQw68,b8LGW82r,w.
**NEW** Small Nonprofits Required to Complete 990-N
The Internal Revenue Service issued final regulations for small nonprofits that must file the 990-N e-postcard. Small nonprofits that had been exempt from filing a 990 form due to an annual gross of less than $25,000 are required to fill out the 990-N, which asks for basic information such as the name and address of the organization. These regulations have been in place since 2007 on a temporary basis, but they are now finalized. The IRS note clarified that local chapters of larger organizations need not fill out the form if they are listed as a subordinate on their parent group 990 form. The first e-Postcards were due in 2008 for tax years ending on or after Dec. 31, 2007. The e-Postcard is due every year by the 15th day of the 5th month after the close of the organization's tax year. For example, if the organization’s tax year ended on Dec. 31, 2008, the e-Postcard is due May 15, 2009. Organizations cannot file the e-Postcard until after their tax year ends. IRS Rules and regulations are available via this link.
Grant Funds Available for Arts in Healthcare Programs
Deadline: October 15, 2009. Johnson & Johnson, working in partnership with the Society for the Arts in Healthcare, seeks to promote the use of the arts to enhance the healthcare experience for patients, their families, and caregivers. From 2001–2009, grants have been provided to 117 programs in the United States and Canada representing leading models and initiatives in high-quality healthcare through the use of arts. Proposals are now being sought from healthcare and/or arts organizations that have established arts in healthcare programs with evidence of initial impact. For more information, visit http://thesah.org/template/page.cfm?page_id=15.
EVENT AND EXHIBIT CALENDAR, ARTS OPPORTUNITIES
Americas 2010 Paperworks
Eligibility: Works in any medium, on or of paper, traditional or experimental, including photographs, qualify. All works must be original and not measure over 60 inches in any direction. Work must be ready to exhibit, completed within the last two years, and not previously exhibited in an Americas 2000 exhibition. Deadline (postmark) for submitting entries is November 2, 2009. Entry Details: A prospectus is available online at www.minotstateu.edu/nac/pdf/prosp4webPW10.pdf. A maximum of five entries are allowed per artist. Submit electronic images, a non-refundable entry fee payable in US dollars, and the completed entry form to Americas 2010: Paperworks. Entry will not be accepted without the proper fee. Entry Fee: 2 entries/$25; Additional Entries: $5 each. Enclose a $20 annual membership fee, and you may enter at the NAC Art Friends membership rate. NAC Art Friends Members Fee: 2 entries/$15; Additional Entries: $2 each. Mail to: Americas 2010: Paperworks, Northwest Art Center, Minot State University, 500 University Avenue West, Minot, North Dakota 58707. For more information, visit www.minotstateu.edu/nac; E-mail: nac@minotstateu.edu; or call 701-858-3264 or 800 -777-0750 (ex.3264).
United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program
The United States Mint invites artists to be a part of American history through coin design. The Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) provides gifted artists the opportunity to contribute creative and beautiful designs for coins that will be enjoyed by all Americans. AIP artists have submitted successful designs for coins released through the 50 State Quarters® Program and the Presidential $1 Coin Program. Honorariums are $2,000 for each design submission and $5,000 for each selected design. For more information and to apply, visit www.usmint.gov/artists. Application deadlines: Application Period One: November 9, 2009; Application Period Two: March 8, 2010; and Application Period Three: July 6, 2010.
Check out the upcoming Events and Exhibits listed on NDCA's regional calendars, and for more information, visit North Dakota's Statewide Arts Calendar at www.culturepulse.org. If you have events, exhibits or artist opportunities that you would like included on the NDCA web site, please email them to comserv@nd.gov.
Check out the current Arts Opportunities available on the NDCA web site!
DID YOU KNOW ...
Free Night of Theater Builds Future Audiences
A new study by Shugoll Research shows that Theatre Communications Group’s Free Night of Theatre program is bringing new audiences to the theatre. Free Night of Theater began in 2005 in 3 cities and grew to more than 120 cities and 650 theatres in 2008. The goal of the program is to increase public awareness of the national theatre community and to attract new and nontraditional audiences by distributing free tickets during the month of October. While some theatres were concerned that giving away free tickets would not motivate people to buy tickets in the future, current research suggests this concern is unwarranted. To learn more visit www.enewsbuilder.net/nasaanotes/e_article001508226.cfm?x=bfSQw68,b8LGW82r.
OTHER RESOURCES
Nonprofits Organizations - Learn How to Save $$$ on Your Technology Needs!
TechSoup Stock is the technology product philanthropy service just for nonprofits. Launched by TechSoup Global in January 2002 (as DiscounTech), this service is a unique collaboration with corporate and nonprofit technology providers. Thanks to their partners' generous product donations and discounts, TechSoup Stock is able to facilitate and distribute multiple product philanthropy programs in a centralized, Web-based platform. They work to foster social change in two ways: by helping nonprofits to save money for mission-critical work when acquiring technology and by helping nonprofits use this technology even more effectively. To learn more, visit http://www.techsoup.org/stock/aboutus.asp.
Applying for 501(c) Status Without a Lawyer
The IRS has created a new website (http://www.stayexempt.org/) that enables new organizations to apply for 501(c) status without using a lawyer. This site is helpful and easy to follow.
Art Calendar
Art Calendar is the industry’s foremost business magazine for visual artists. Founded in 1986, Art Calendar acts as a beacon to guide artists on their journey toward making a living with their art. Written by knowledgeable industry pros and successful working artists, Art Calendar offers practical business advice on subjects such as art marketing, art law, portfolio development, exhibition presentation, communication skills and sales techniques, as well as advanced technical applications of photography, computer and Web tools. It also offers the most extensive and recent listings of Calls to Artists, including galleries reviewing portfolios, juried competitions, grants, fellowships, festivals, publishing opportunities and residencies. Best described as “The Artist’s Guide to Making It,” Art Calendar is the only subscription-driven, business-oriented magazine published specifically for visual artists. Art Calendar enables professional artists to make a living doing what they love. Offering innovative ideas, along with all of the necessary tools to sell their work and further their careers, Art Calendar has established itself as the ultimate resource for visual artists. http://www.artcalendar.com/; http://www.artscuttlebutt.com/; http://www.craftercircle.com/.
Sell Your Arts/Crafts Online at PrairieWorksMall.com
Prairie Works is organized to empower rural and isolated North Dakota artists and artisans to market their crafts and gain access to professional networks. Its purpose is to promote access to, and development of, arts in rural and tribal communities in North Dakota. Prairie Works is an organization founded to continue the art and craft heritage of rural ND artists by providing a source to market and sell their creative products. Prairie Works is providing the On-Line Gallery, a web site to sell art and craft work that ND artists, crafters and art entrepreneurs have created. The arts/crafts of Prairie Works will consist of quality, originality, creativity, and use of appropriate techniques. All work must be handmade by the ND artisan. For more information; to become a member; and/or to sell your arts/crafts online, please visit http://www.prairieworksmall.com/.
Online Arts Job Resource
Americans for the Arts have created an online arts job resource for employers and employees to come together. This new resource can be accessed by visiting http://jobbank.artsusa.org/search.cfm.
Prairie Independent
Introducing the "Prairie Independent" Bismarck-Mandan's newest community newspaper of people, places and events. The "Prairie Independent" is available at over 130 locations including community coffee shops, restaurants, waiting rooms, bars, entertainment centers, convenience stores, churches and at the Prairie Independent office. The "Prairie Independent" is a Free publication, if you are interested in advertising availability or offering the "Prairie Independent" to your customers, please contact Don Morrison at don@ndpeople.org, or 527-0060.
Self Employment in the Arts (SEA)
The focus of SEA is on the business of art. SEA was created with the idea that more artists will succeed if they have business skills, knowledge, resources, and contacts. Through artist-led conferences, a website full of resources and articles, and educational tools like the award winning Entrepreneurial Artist DVD; SEA helps artists turn their passions into a living. SEA is for college students, serious high school students, artists, and educators. Their mission is to provide educational resources to help aspiring artists gain the entrepreneurial knowledge and skills needed to establish and maintain a career as an independent artist. more on SEA...
"Tools for Results" Tool-Kit - a Resource for Non-profit Arts and Cultural Organizations
The Texas Commission on the Arts "Tools for Results" Tool-kit was developed as a resource for non-profit arts and cultural organizations in Texas and beyond. The Tool-kit is a collaborative project made possible with the help of many organizations that generously agreed to share their resources. The Tool-kit covers six topic areas: Fundraising & Development, Programs & Exhibitions, Cultural Tourism, Marketing, Advocacy, and Nonprofit Basics. Each section covers the basics, relevant concepts, best practices, things to consider, ideas for implementing change, common mistakes, ways to get started, do’s and don’ts, and how-to’s on a variety of topics. The “tools” are the sample forms, letters, documents, checklists, templates, and other resources. The intention is for nonprofits to take these “tools” and adapt them for their own purposes.
United States Artists (USA)
USA is a new organization dedicated to the support of America's finest living artists. Artists now have a home where they may find significant private funding to ignite the creativity that makes this country great. USA was launched in September 2005 with $20 million in seed funding provided by a coalition of leading foundations—Ford, Rockefeller, Prudential, and Rasmuson—in an act of unprecedented private investment in individual artists and the creative potential of America. Their initial investment enables them to pilot the USA Fellows program, awarding unrestricted $50,000 grants to fifty artists each year beginning in 2006. USA's long-term vision is to create an organization dedicated to the unlimited promise of our finest artists. Their horizon line is not three, five, or 25 years, but rather 100 years and beyond. Building on their base of private funding, their aspiration is to be permanently endowed. more on United States Artists…
Artists' Health Insurance Resource Center
The Artists’ Health Insurance Resource Center (AHIRC) database was created in 1998 by The Actors’ Fund of America, with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, as a health insurance resource for artists and people in the entertainment industry. Since then, with support from The Commonwealth Fund, it has expanded to include resources for the self-employed, low-income workers, the under-insured, the uninsured who require medical care and many other groups. For more information visit: http://www.ahirc.org/; for a direct link to North Dakota resources, visit: www.ahirc.org/state_indx.cfm?st=ND.
Online Legal Primers on the Arts
A new web site, http://www.thelawportal.info/, offers legal primers for artists and arts organizations, covering topics that range from the traditional and familiar (such as copyright) to the new and sometimes obscure (two-way broadband network access), and from the personal (how to find healthy materials) to the professional (how to develop contracts) to the political (free speech).
Online Classifieds Opportunities & Services for Artists
The New York Foundation for the Arts' Online Classifieds Opportunities & Services for Artists, is a free national online sources for artist opportunities and services. These include calls for entry, services such as photography of art work and accounting, space for rent, and many others. New listings are posted daily (designated with an orange "new" icon for one week) and remain on the site until they expire. Organizations posting listings are solely responsible for the content of those listings.
Additional Web Sites
The following Web sites have resources that may be of service to educators, individual artists, and arts organizations including funding and other opportunities, publications, arts events, etc:
National Endowment for the Arts
Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
Arts Midwest
Arts Education Partnership
The North Dakota Council on the Arts is the state agency responsible for the support and development of the arts throughout North Dakota, and is funded by the state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.
If your email service does not accept graphics, please request a text-only version by emailing comserv@nd.gov. e-Prairie Arts is sent automatically to Prairie Arts readers who have an e-mail address on file with the NDCA. If you would like this sent to a different address, email comserv@nd.gov, or i f you wish to unsubscribe, email comserv@nd.gov. We welcome your comments and suggestions regarding the e-Prairie Arts online newsletter, please email them to comserv@nd.gov.
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