Bob Lynch Americans for the Arts - Infobase

Bob Lynch President & CEO, Americans for the Arts

Class Act beautifully illustrates how the arts can change one person’s life or transform a whole school and, in so doing, contribute to making a better community. America needs that now and ultimately this is a story about making a better nation for all.”

Bob Lynch President & CEO, Americans for the Arts

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Class Act Discussion Guide

©2007 WINTERS/SACKNER FILMS, INC All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission.

INTRODUCTIONCLASS ACT is a provocative and heart-felt film about legendary drama teacher extraordinaire, Jay W. Jensen, who touched the lives of thousands of students. Jay’s remarkable story is set against the unfortunate reality of the sharp decline of arts education in America’s public schools. Known as “Teacher to the Stars”, Jay W. Jensen appears alongside his famous students in this revealing look at how the arts are disappearing from the American classroom. CLASS ACT gives us a report card on what lies ahead for America’s children.

Directed by Sara Sackner and produced by Heather Winters and Joe Morley, the executive producers of the Academy Award® nominated documentary, SUPER SIZE ME, CLASS ACT features former Jensen students including actor Andy Garcia, film director Brett Ratner, music pioneer José Behar, songwriter Desmond Child, casting director Debra Zane, Broadway producer Adam Epstein, and sportscaster Roy Firestone amongst others. Producer Heather Winters and Director Sara Sackner are also former Jensen students.

Everyone should be so fortunate to come across a teacher like Jay Jensen in their life.”

Andy Garcia

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PURPOSE OF THE GUIDEArts Education in America’s public schools is on life support. The pressures of well intentioned initiatives such as No Child Left Behind have placed the teaching of fine arts, music, dance and drama in the back seat of public education. CLASS ACT examines how there is a basic correlation between all disciplines in a well rounded education, and how a curriculum without the arts, just as a curriculum without physical education or any other subject considered outside of the core, is not a complete education at all.

CLASS ACT can be used to help educate and inform teachers, administrators, parents, policy makers, advocates, and students themselves about the benefits and importance of creativity and the arts in education. All students benefit from the opportunity to learn about and experience the arts. CLASS ACT can be used as a tool to discuss how the arts are an essential part of balancing the curriculum, and an essential part of school, work and life. After all, there is “a little drama in all of us”.

This guide used alongside the film, educational segments and extended interviews is a valuable tool to generate and guide discussion. We hope that you will use this guide as a starting point for an engaging dialogue about important relevant issues and ideas raised in the film.

“Art is life, and life is my art.”10th Grade Student Bronx Academy of Letters



FROM THE FILMMAKERS

We have known Jay W. Jensen for what feels like an eternity. Like so many of Jay’s former students, we would not have survived our enormous high school – Miami Beach Senior High – a very large and diverse public school with a big fat love of football – if not for Jay and his dynamic drama program. To describe Jay as “one teacher makes a difference” is an understatement. Jay is the real deal.

CLASS ACT is about our favorite teacher, Jay W. Jensen, an eccentric millionaire with talented students who credit him with their success, and Jay’s fascinating friends who share his love of the arts. The landscape broadens with the discovery that the drama program from our alma mater is gone, this incredible disappointment opening the door to an exploration of the world of the arts in public education in America. Our experience ends with the revelation that the inequities in our schools are a symptom of the deep inequality in our society, that America’s public schools are a reflection of the “haves” and the “have-nots.”

During our three-year journey making this film, we learned how the arts are a critical part of awakening the creativity inside each student, and how the arts can be a key reason to keep some kids in school, therefore creating better citizens for our world. It became clear to us that while it was not always possible to prepare students to enter society and the workforce with marketable skills, we could foster creative people who are needed for the future of our country and the new global economy by providing children with a well rounded arts education.

We shared the joy of the students and teachers who have the opportunity to participate in the arts. We heard from education and developmental experts from across the country who confirmed empirical evidence of this benefit. We learned that there still are teachers who dedicate their lives to their students, reaching them through the arts.

We learned how non-profits are trying to meet the needs of particularly underserved schools where the arts have been eliminated. But for every kid they reach, millions go without the arts in their curriculum.

And yet, there’s hope. Jay is a hero. He is a symbol of the thousands and thousands of teachers who have made and continue to make a difference for their students. Jay is an inspiration, both through his philanthropy and his teaching. Jay keeps up a pace that those decades younger could never sustain. Jay’s glass is not half full; it’s overflowing.

We hope CLASS ACT will help to inspire audiences to make the world a better place for America’s children through the arts.

Sara Sackner, Director Heather Winters, Producer

No matter what you decide in your life to do, you’re always an artist.”

Jay W. Jensen “Teacher to the Stars”, Philanthropist

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Discussion Guide Page 12

We are pleased to provide six customized “teaching segments” which have been created from the major themes of CLASS ACT. Each segment is between 6 and 15 minutes, and allows one or more segments to be used easily in a standard 50 minute class, while leaving ample time for discussion. These segments represent some of the most important topics in the film and allow for more targeted teaching opportunities and discussions. We also suggest viewing the entire film in conjunction with the educational segments. The educational segments can then be used in the classroom setting over a period of time after screening the entire film to prompt further discussion. A detailed outline of the segment’s participants, a summary of the segment’s themes, and suggested discussion points for each of the six educational segments follow below.

Part One:The Educational

Segments

Why Arts for All Children?Public Education in AmericaOne Teacher CAN Make a DifferenceResearch Supports Arts EducationHow to AdvocatePartnerships

EDUCATIONAL SEGMENTS:



Educational Segment

SUMMARYArts Education in America’s public schools is on life support. Resources for arts education are being pushed aside by a quest for higher test scores in the hope of preparing students to enter society, while those tests do nothing to prepare students to enter a workplace where the top jobs ten years from now may not even have yet been invented. Parents, teachers, students, administrators, school boards, and legislators need to know how an arts education fosters creative thinkers, transforms schools, benefits students and teachers alike, builds community, and why the arts need to be part of the core curriculum from kindergarten through high school. Nationally and internationally renowned arts and education experts, joined by classroom teachers and students, make the case for the arts – music, theater, dance, and visual arts – for every child in America.

Running Time (9:00)

Why Arts for all

Children?

We should make creativity the norm, not the exception. We should make a balanced curriculum the norm and not the exception. We should celebrate difference and not just feel that we have to impose conformity.”

Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D. Author, ”Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative”

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Educational Segment

Dana Gioia Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Washington D.C.

Paul Cothran Executive Director & Vice President VH1 Save The Music Foundation New York

Daniel Lewis Dean of Dance New World School of the Arts Miami

Robert L. Lynch President & CEO, Americans for the Arts Washington, D.C.

Anthony Davis Beach High, 1974 Music Teacher / Singer Shenandoah Elementary School Miami

SUGGESTED DISCUSSION POINTS• WhatisthepurposeofanArtsEducation?Isittheintentionofartsclassestoproduceartists?• Whyarecreativethinkersimportant?Iscreativitya“marketable”skill?Whyisinnovativethinking important in work and in life? What does it mean to be a critical thinker?• Whatisthecorrelationbetweentheteachingofart,music,danceanddramaandcreativethinking?• Isthereadifferencebetweena“creative”personanda“non-creative”person?Iseveryone “creative”? Is creativity learned?• Areartsclassesincludingfinearts,music,theateranddanceasimportantasthedisciplines considered “core” curriculum such as math, English and science? How about other “non-core” classes such as physical education?• Whatisthecorrelationbetweenartseducationandmath?Andreading?Andscience? How do arts programs improve student performance on standardized tests?• Howdotheartsbenefitstudentachievement?Howaretheartsanessentialpartofsuccessin school, work and life?

Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D. Author, “Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative” The J. Paul Getty Trust Los Angeles

Donna Shalala, Ph.D. President, University of Miami U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services Clinton Administration (1993 – 2001)

Doug Burris Music Teacher & Rock Ensemble Director Miami Beach Senior High School (1971 – Present)

Ellen Winner, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Boston College Harvard Graduate School of Education Boston

FEATURING



Educational Segment

SUMMARY

Go to school, work hard, graduate and get a good job and hold that job until you retire with a good pension. This was the model to which America’s public schools evolved from their roots in the industrial revolution, but this is not the model to which America’s schoolchildren can now look forward. Our school system does little to support the needs of today’s “on demand” economy – needs that require ingenuity and creativity. Economic factors also apply extreme pressure to an already troubled educational system. A mirror of America’s profoundly inequitable society, public schools do not operate in a vacuum and therefore reflect those inequities, separating our student population into “haves” and “have nots.”

What, then, is the purpose of public education, if not to inspire students to embrace a lifelong love of learning and to give students the skills they need to be contributing members of society? The mania for testing and accountability does little to guarantee either. A system that engenders a one-size-fits-all approach to learning does not serve all of America’s students as children learn in different ways and at varied rates. And where do music, drama, dance, and the visual arts fit in public education? They are a key part of the solution to the crucial goal of a first-rate education for all of America’s students.

Running Time (12:54)

Public Education in

America

When you talk about all kids having access, all kids not just some, to a quality public education, that is not happening in America today.”

Reg Weaver President, National Education Association

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Educational Segment

Dana Gioia Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Washington D.C.

Dr. Susan Sclafani Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Education Washington, D.C.

Ellery Brown Principal, New World School of the Arts Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Diane Stark Rentner Deputy Director, Center on Education Policy Washington, D.C.

Joshua Mitchell Eastern High School Washington, D.C.

Dr. Jeanne Friedman Principal Miami Beach Senior High School (2000 – Present)

Joyce Garrett Founding Director, Washington Youth Choir Washington, D.C.

SUGGESTED DISCUSSION POINTS• Onwhatbasisandonwhatsetofprincipleswasthepresenteducationsystembuilt?Whatgoals was it trying to meet, and how successful was it? How have these goals changed, and how should the educational system change to accommodate this shift?• Istherearelationshipbetweencurriculumandfunding?DoesthefundingmodelforAmerican public schools affect the curriculum? Is the funding model appropriate?• Howhas“NoChildLeftBehind”affectedthecurrenteducationalmodel?Whatarethegoalsof NCLB, and how successful has this initiative been at achieving them?• Whatisthemeaningof“accountability”asappliedtoeducation?• Istestingareliablemethodforevaluatinghowstudentsareperforming?Canalldisciplinesbe tested, or only certain ones?• Whatarethetopfivejobsintoday’sjobmarket?Whatwilltheybefiveyearsfromnow,tenyears, fifty years?• Whataresomeofthereasonswhystudentsdropout?Howcancurriculumaddressthisissue?• Whoshoulddecidewhattoincludeinapublicschoolcurriculum,andhowthecurriculumis weighted?• Howcanweimprovethequalityofpubliceducationforallchildren?Howcanwemakeeducation a meaningful and lasting experience?

• HowaretheartsaddressedintheNoChildLeftBehindAct?

Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D. Author, “Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative” The J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles

Reg Weaver President, National Education Association Washington, D.C.

Richard J. Deasy Director, Arts Education Partnership Washington, D.C.

Alfie Kohn Beach High, 1975 Author, “The Schools Our Children Deserve” Boston

Dr. Robert D. Strickland Executive Director K-12 Arts Programs Miami-Dade Public Schools

Anthony Davis Beach High 1974 Music Teacher / Singer Shenandoah Elementary School, Miami

FEATURING



Educational Segment

SUMMARY

Every one of us had a favorite teacher. For hundreds and hundreds of students of Miami Beach Senior High School, it was drama teacher, Jay W. Jensen. Known as “Teacher to the Stars,” Jay inspired his students to stay in school and do their best during his 31 years as the drama director of “Beach High”, a large urban, multicultural public high school. Jay’s famous alumni, many of whom never intended a career in the arts, include actor Andy Garcia, film director Brett Ratner, casting director Debra Zane, sportscaster Roy Firestone, Broadway producer Adam Epstein, songwriter Desmond Child, music executive José Behar and a teacher himself, Anthony Davis. This tribute to Mr. Jensen is dedicated to teachers across America who guide, inspire, and never give up on their students.


One Teacher Can Make a Difference

“Jay didn’t just teach us drama, he prepared us for our future.” Brett Ratner Film Director, “Rush Hour” “Red Dragon” “X-Men 3”

I would stand on the side and watch Jay direct the rag tag group of teenagers he had been given to shape into Broadway performers. He was the king of his kingdom....and I longed to grow up and be one of his subjects.”

Desmond Child Producer / Songwriter “Livin’ La Vida Loca” “Livin’ on a Prayer”

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Educational Segment

Jay W. Jensen Drama Teacher Miami Beach Senior High School (1959 – 1991)

Richard C. Milstein Beach High 1964 Attorney, Miami Beach

Debra Zane Beach High, 1979 Casting Director, Los Angeles “American Beauty” “Ocean’s 11” “War of the Worlds”

Dana Gioia Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts, Washington D.C.

Doug Burris Music Teacher & Rock Ensemble Director Miami Beach Senior High School (1971 – Present)

José Behar Beach High 1975 President & CEO Univision Music Group Los Angeles

Desmond Child Beach High, 1972 Producer / Songwriter “Livin’ La Vida Loca” “Livin’ on a Prayer”

SUGGESTED DISCUSSION POINTS

• Whatmakesagreatteacher?Howdoteachersinspireus?

• Whois(was)yourfavoriteteacherandwhy?Areyoustillincontactwiththisteacher?

• Whatdoyoulike(didyoulike)aboutschool?Whichare(were)yourfavoriteclasses?Why?

• Whatdoyourememberaboutyourfavoriteteachers?Howhaveyouusedthisinyourlife?

• Whydoyouthinkcertainteacherstendtobecomefavoriteteachers?Whatisitaboutthem?

• Whoarethepeoplewhohaveinspiredyouthemostinyourlife?

Andy Garcia Beach High 1974 Actor / Director / Producer / Musician Los Angeles

Adam Epstein Broadway Producer “Amadeus” “The Crucible” “Hairspray” New York

Brett Ratner Beach High 1986 Film Director, Los Angeles “Rush Hour” “Red Dragon” “X-Men 3”

Anthony Davis Beach High 1974 Music Teacher / Singer Shenandoah Elementary School, Miami

Roy Firestone Beach High 1971 Broadcaster, Los Angeles ”ESPN Sports Look” “Up Close Primetime”

Sandy Veith Beach High 1966 Comedy Writer, Miami Beach “The Jeffersons” “Different Strokes”

FEATURING



Educational Segment

SUMMARY

There is growing empirical evidence that connects the teaching of the arts as part of the core curriculum with the success of students both in and out of the classroom. CLASS ACT visits with expertsacrossAmericatorevealthelatestfindingsin arts education research, much of which shows thedirectbenefitofartseducationisquantifiable,leading to higher test scores and lower dropout and recidivism rates.

Moreimportantly,thefilmrevealsthebenefitofan arts education is the art experience itself, the in-depth creative exploration of visual arts, dance, music, and theater and how this experience awakens and promotes the creative capability within each student. The researchers and data all point to one thing, that the arts – just as math, language arts, history and science – must be a part of every student’s core curriculum.

Running Time (6:08)

Research Supports Arts

Education

The power of the arts to transform the educational setting for young children is without parallel.”

Robert B. Morrison CEO, Music for All Foundation

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Educational Segment

Dr. Elliot W. Eisner Lee Jacks Professor of Education & Professor of Art, Stanford University, California


Dana Gioia Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts, Washington D.C.

James S. Catterall, Ph.D. Professor, Graduate School of Education & Information Studies University of California, Los Angeles


SUGGESTED DISCUSSION POINTS• Whatisthepurposeofteachingthearts?Isittopromotesuccessinotherdisciplines?Isitto attract students to stay in school? Is there a benefit to teaching art for art’s sake?• Whydosomestudentsstayinschoolwhileothersdropout?Whatisthedifferencebetweenthese students? What roll do art classes play and how can arts education increase student attendance? • Isthereempiricalevidenceconnectingtheteachingofmusic,art,danceordramaandthe ability of these students to perform in other subjects? In their overall success as students? Is there a connection between the teaching of the arts and test scores?• Cansuccessinartdisciplinesbemeasuredquantitatively?Howisthismeasuredandassessed? Should there be testing in the arts?• Howshouldacompletecurriculumbedesigned?Whatwoulditlooklike?Whoshoulddesignit?• Whatarethemostrecentstudiesonthevalueofanartseducation?Discusscurrentand compelling research.

Alfie Kohn Beach High, 1975 Author, “The Schools Our Children Deserve” Boston


Ellen Winner, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Boston College Harvard Graduate School of Education, Boston

Robert B. Morrison CEO, Music for All Foundation Warren, New Jersey

Howard Katzoff Drama Teacher, P.S. 130 Bronx, New York

FEATURING



Educational Segment

SUMMARY

From small towns to urban centers, arts education in American public schools has greatly diminished over the past thirty years. Today, the programs that remain are increasingly on the chopping block due to lack of funding and the time pressures created by each new barrage of standardized testing. More importantly, there seems to be a growing lack of understanding of the critical importance of the arts for every student from kindergarten through high school.

The trend can be reversed, but it will take teachers, parents, students, administrators, school boards, and policy makers, advocating and working together to restore art, music, dance and drama to all American public schools. But success will come when the activists are joined by greater numbers of parents and students to demand a fully rounded quality education for every child that includes the arts.


How toAdvocate

Business leaders, parents, artists, arts organizations, teachers, administrators… it’s been proven that if we work together we can make this happen, we can make it work, we can restore the arts to their former glory but it is really going to take all of us.”

Laurie Schell Executive Director, California Alliance for Arts Education

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Educational Segment

Laurie Schell Executive Director California Alliance for Arts Education Pasadena, CA

Dr. Timothy Baird Superintendent,OjaiUnifiedSchoolDistrict Ojai, California

William Lipscomb Principal, John Philip Sousa Middle School Washington D.C.

Zinse Agginie Artist in Education & Director of Drumballet Southwest Arkansas Arts Council

Zöe Oppenheim Penny Drive Organizer Portola, California

Angela Everett Music Teacher John Philip Sousa Middle School Washington D.C.


SUGGESTED DISCUSSION POINTS• Whyadvocateforthearts?Aren’tourschoolboardstheretodesignandmonitorcurriculum?• Whatcanparentsdotoadvocateforartseducationintheirchildren’sschools?• Whoarethedecisionmakersinformingschoolpolicyandcurriculum,andhowcantheybe approached?• Howmanypeopledoesittaketoconvinceadecisionmakerthatthereisashiftinpublicopinion?• Whyisitthoughtthatcertaincurriculumsubjectsaremoreimportantthanothers?Isthereabiasin our educational system towards certain subjects? What can we do to change this?• Whatrollcanstudentsplayinadvocatingfortheirowneducation?• Howcanweincreasepublicandprivatesupportforartseducation?Whatcaneachofusdoto influence federal and state education policies?

Steve Fields School Board Member OjaiUnifiedSchoolBoard Ojai, California

Rikki Horne Parent and School Board Member OjaiUnifiedSchoolBoard Ojai, California

Mike Huckabee Governor of Arkansas Chairman, National Governors Association Chairman, Education Commission of the States

Donna Shalala, Ph.D. President, University of Miami U.S. Secretary for Health & Human Services Clinton Administration (1993 – 2001)


Paul Cothran Executive Director & Vice President VH1 Save The Music Foundation New York

FEATURING



Educational Segment

SUMMARY

Ensuring that Arts Education – music, drama, dance, and visual arts – is part of the core curriculum should be the responsibility of each and every school district in America. Sadly, this is often not the case. Many school districts are ill equipped and under funded as they try to keep up with both a shifting curriculum and the pressures of standardized testing.

Non-profitorganizationsthatpartnerwiththeschoolsystemsareanincreasinglykeyingredientingettingandkeeping the arts in public education. These partnerships bring expertise and energy into the schools and help integrate schools into the community as they attempt to close the gap left by budget cuts and a push towards “accountability”.

Thisselectionofnon-profitsfeaturesexamples of curriculum and integrated-curriculum, museum, after-school, research, and funding programs.

Running Time (8:39)

Partnerships

We decided that we were going to bring arts into the classroom in such a way that they could never be ripped out of the classroom ever again. We decided to make arts part of the way kids learn in any subject area.”

Jason Duchin Co-Director, DreamYard

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Educational Segment


Mindy Shrago Executive Director, Young At Art Children’s Museum Davie, Florida

Robert B. Morrison CEO, Music for All Foundation Warren, New Jersey

Ruben Valles Principal, Grand View Elementary School Los Angeles

Featured OrganizationsP.S. Arts Young at Art Children’s Museum VH1 Save the Music DrumBallet Music for All Foundation DreamYard

SUGGESTED DISCUSSION POINTS• Whatarethemostsuccessfulmodelsforthesepartnerships?Identifythepartnershipsinyour community.• Whataretheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofthese“pushin”resourcesprovidingartseducation in a public school setting? • Howdopartnershipsencourageandinvigorateschools?• Whoregulates“pushin”programs?Howaretheyfunded?Whatmightnewpartnershipslooklike?• Howcannon-profitsthatpartnerwiththeschoolsystemaffectchange?

Howard Katzoff Drama Teacher, P.S. 130 Bronx, New York

Jason Duchin Co-Director, DreamYard New York

Sheila Bergman Executive Director, P.S. Arts Los Angeles

Paul Cothran Executive Director & Vice President VH1 Save The Music Foundation, New York

Lucy Thurber Drama Teacher, DreamYard New York

FEATURING



Part Two:The ExtendedInterviews

Part Two of the CLASS ACT Discussion Guide features five extended interview segments with educators, authors and leaders in arts education. These extended interviews are accompanied by a detailed summary of the interview, an outline of the interview segment’s main themes, and a biography of the interview subject. Please use these extended interview segments to discuss the main ideas and view points contained in the film.



OVERVIEW Sir Ken Robinson shares his world-renowned expertise on creativity and education. Sir Ken speaks to the place of the arts in education and the implications of the current focus on academic standards. He proposes a three-part roadmap to improving schools and grounds his thoughts in the history of public education and what must be done to serve America, as well as other nations, in the 21st century.

OUTLINE• ArtsEducationdefined• Theplaceoftheartsineducation• Briefhistoryofpubliceducationandthepositionofthearts• Differenttypesofintelligences• Implicationofcurrentfocusonacademicstandards• Threepartstoimprovingeducation:curriculum,teaching,assessment• Creativityandindividualityinpubliceducation

BIOGRAPHYSir Ken Robinson is an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation and human resources and one of the world’s most successful speakers. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies, not-for-profit organizations, governments in the United States, Europe and Asia, international agencies and some of the world’s leading cultural institutions. They include the J Paul Getty Trust, The Royal Ballet, Paul McCartney’s Institute for Performing Arts and the Education Commission of the States. He is in wide demand as an inspirational speaker with a unique talent for conveying profoundly serious messages with enormous humor, passion and wit and speaks to audiences throughout the world on the changing needs of business, organizations and education in the new global economies. He is represented by Washington Speakers Bureau. He was a main highlight at the 2006 TED conference and is one of Time/Fortune/CNN’s Principal Voices. In 2003, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his outstanding achievements as a leader in education and the arts.His own story is remarkable; one of seven children born into a close working class family in Liverpool, England, Ken contracted polio when he was four. His experience of a life threatening illness and his inspirational family and teachers have given him a unique perspective and understanding of human potential. He is married to Terry (Lady T) and they have a son, James and a daughter, Kate. They live in Los Angeles with their two cats, Tipsy and Patch, who emigrated with them five years ago.

There is no argument I can conceive of which supports the idea that the arts are less important economically, culturally, personally in the education of all of our young people than sciences, sports, languages, mathematics. They are all equally weighted and we have to press for a system in which they are given equal weight.”

Sir Ken Robinson, PH.D. Author, “Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative”

Extended Interview- Sir Ken Robinson (11:02)

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Extended Interview- Alfie Kohn (9:28)

OVERVIEW Competition and cooperative learning are Alfie Kohn’s expertise. Kohn addresses the crisis in public education, focusing on the danger of standardized testing and its impact on all learning and particularly arts education. He speaks passionately about the inequities in American public education, its mirror in American society, and the critical role the arts play in public education.

OUTLINE• Competition• Cooperativelearning• Crisisinpubliceducation• ArtsEducationandstandardizedtesting• Privatizationofpubliceducation• Roleofassessment• InequitiesinAmericaneducationandstandardizedtesting• TheimportanceofArtsEducation

BIOGRAPHYAlfie Kohn (Miami Beach Sr. High ’75) is the author of eleven books on education, parenting, and human behavior, including PUNISHED BY REWARDS (1993), THE SCHOOLS OUR CHILDREN DESERVE (1999), THE CASE AGAINST STANDARDIZED TESTING (2000), UNCONDITIONAL PARENTING (2005), and, most recently, THE HOMEWORK MYTH (2006). He has appeared twice on “Oprah,” as well as on “The Today Show,” NPR’s “Talk of the Nation,” and many other TV and radio programs, and has been described by Time magazine as “perhaps the country’s most outspoken critic of education’s fixation on grades [and] test scores.” Among his recent articles: “Five Reasons to Stop Saying ‘Good Job!’,” “Standardized Testing and Its Victims,” “How Not to Teach Values,” and “Atrocious Advice from ‘Supernanny’.” Kohn speaks to educators and parents across the country and speaks regularly at national conferences. He lives (actually) in the Boston area and (virtually) at www.alfiekohn.org.

A heavy handed, top down, corporate style, test driven approach to school reform is squeezing the life out of schools and squeezing out some of the most important forms of learning including arts education.”

ALFIE KOHN Author, “The Schools Our Children Deserve”

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OVERVIEW Governor Mike Huckabee shares his passion about the need for Arts Education for all students in America. He proposes a platform to get the arts on legislators’ radar screens and makes the case for why Arts Education is a sound economic investment. Governor Huckabee shares his personal reflection about how the arts changed his life and how they contributed to his being the first in his family to attend college.

OUTLINE• EducationCommissionoftheStatesfocusonArtsEducation• ArtsEducationPlatform:FaceontheArts,PlacefortheArts,CasefortheArts• ArtsEducationinArkansas• Artsandkeepingchildreninschool• Thecaseforeconomicinvestmentinartseducation• Personalreflectionaboutbeingthefirstpersoninhisfamilytogotocollege• Theartsaretransformative

BIOGRAPHYMike Huckabee is out to show people the American dream is still alive.

From 1996-2007, Huckabee served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas. When he left office on January 9, 2007, he set out on a nationwide tour to promote his fifth book, “From Hope to Higher Ground: 12 STOPS to Restoring America’s Greatness.” The book reveals his optimistic vision for what America can become with the right kind of leadership and a clear direction.

Huckabee is recognized as a national leader, having been honored by several renowned publications and organizations for his numerous accomplishments. Governing Magazine named him as one of its ‘Public Officials of the Year’ for 2005, Time Magazine honored him as one of the five best governors in America, and later in the same year, Huckabee received the American Association of Retired Person’s Impact Award. In 2007, he was presented with the Music for Life Award by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) for his commitment to music education.

So what does band do? What does choir or art do? It gives that child an absolute reason to show up, to stay in, in order to continue to do the thing that he or she loves.”

Mike Huckabee Governor of Arkansas, Chairman, National Governors Association Chairman, Education Commission of the States

Extended Interview- Mike Huckabee (6:45)

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Huckabee is past chairman of the National Governors’ Association (NGA) and chairman of the Education Commission of the States. During his tenure as governor, he served in other leadership positions including president of the Council of State Governments, state co-chairman of the Delta Regional Authority, and chairman of the Southern Governors Association, the Southern Regional Education Board, the Southern Growth Policies Board, the Southern Technology Council, the Southern International Trade Council and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.

Under Huckabee’s direction, Arkansas has been recognized as having created one of the nation’s best school accountability programs. Huckabee pushed through reforms in Arkansas that have significantly increased the number of charter schools and established new approaches to workforce education.

One of his proudest achievements as governor was signing legislation creating ARKids First. The program provides health insurance coverage for more than 70,000 Arkansas children who otherwise might have gone without. Before leaving office, Huckabee supported the ARHealthNet program which gives small business owners and their employees better access to health care coverage.

As NGA chairman, Huckabee promoted his Healthy America Initiative, based on his successful Healthy Arkansas model. In 2004, Huckabee created the Healthy Arkansas initiative, an effort to encourage Arkansans to stop smoking, exercise more and eat healthier. As a direct result of his efforts, for the first time, Arkansas state employees are taking health risk assessments, are receiving individualized health information and are receiving discounts on health insurance premiums in exchange for healthy behavior. He encouraged private sector businesses by providing them with tool kits to create workplace wellness programs. The Arkansas Healthy Restaurant program was designed to encourage healthy eating options outside the home. Huckabee supported and signed into law the Clean Indoor Air Act of 2006, which prohibits smoking in most Arkansas workplaces.

Huckabee’s efforts to improve his own health have received national attention. Diagnosed with Type II diabetes in 2003, he lost 110 pounds. Barely two years later, he has completed four marathons: The 2005 and 2006 Little Rock Marathons, the Marine Corps Marathon and the ING New York City Marathon. As a result of his accomplishments, The Road Runners Club of America named him its ‘Southern Region Runner of the Year’ and USA Track & Field has named him their ‘Athlete of the Week’ for the country.

Continuing to call for a national emphasis on living a healthy lifestyle, Huckabee completed his fourth book, “Quit Digging Your Grave With A Knife and Fork.” This 12-step program is a no-nonsense approach to managing one’s health through lifestyle change rather than a simple diet and exercise plan.

Huckabee, 51, enjoys playing bass guitar in his rock-n-roll band, Capitol Offense, which has opened for artists such as Willie Nelson and the Charlie Daniels Band, and has played the House of Blues in New Orleans, the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver, CO and for two presidential inauguration balls.

The former governor and his wife, Janet, live in North Little Rock. They have three grown children: John Mark, David and Sarah.



OVERVIEW Dr. Elliott Eisner, perhaps the leading arts educator in America today, offers his views on Arts Education and its place in the core curriculum for all children. Dr. Eisner shares his constructivist view of knowledge and how the arts teach children – unlike the current tidal wave of standardized multiple-choice testing – that there is more than one answer to a given problem, that life is fluid and changeable. He speaks to the intrinsic value of learning to work in all of the arts – visual art, music, dance, drama, creative writing – and how a central notion of education is “surprise.” Dr. Eisner describes what makes a great teacher and how ultimately, one’s life can function as a work of art.

OUTLINE• ArtsEducationisaboutcreatingminds,whichmustbecultivatedandtrained• The“3R’s”areimportant,buttheyareinadequateandnotsufficientlywide• Curriculumneedstobedesignedtogivechildrenmanyframesofreferencesbeitartistic,historical, scientific, etc. – a constructivist view of knowledge• Anartseducationshowschildrenthattherecanbemorethanoneanswertoaproblem;lifeisnot like a multi-choice test • Theartsgivewaytoopportunitiesduringcreationthatwerenotthereattheoutset• ArtsEducationoffersstudentstheopportunitytounderstandvariousmedia,beitinthevisualarts, dance, music, drama, or creative writing; all have specificity• ArtsEducationteacheshowtolearntodealwithexpressiveform• Theartsmakeitpossibletohaveanaestheticrelationshipwiththeworld• Surpriseisacentralnotionineducation• Whatmakesagoodartsteacher• Howtokeeptheartsinschools• ThedangerofArtsEducationresearchanditsrelationshiptoacademicachievement• Lifecanfunctionasaworkofart

BIOGRAPHYElliot W. Eisner is the Lee Jacks Professor Emeritus at Stanford University. For forty years he has studied the potential of the arts to develop forms of thinking and to provide qualities of experience that are useful, indeed necessary, to lead life well. He has served as President of a number of organizations such as the National Art Education Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Society for Education Through Art, and the John Dewey Society. He has lectured on the arts and education throughout the world.

Dr. Elliot W. Eisner Lee Jacks Professor of Education & Professor of Art, Stanford University, California

We need to reconnect the senses with the mind and that’s what arts education is about. It’s about cultivating the capacity to notice what is subtle but significant.”

Extended Interview- Dr. Elliot W. Eisner (13:38)

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OVERVIEW Dana Gioia, Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, offers his perspective on the purpose of Arts Education and its decline in America’s public schools. Mr. Gioia, an accomplished poet and businessman, shares his personal experience in those worlds, where surprisingly to some, creative thinking is the key to success in both. He speaks passionately about the need for children to find their true talents during their years in school and how America’s one-size-fits-all education system simply does not work.

OUTLINE• ThepurposeoftheNationalEndowmentfortheArts• WhatisArtsEducation• ThedeclineofArtsEducationinAmerica• Purposeofpubliceducation• Personalexperienceintheartsasapoetandasabusinessexecutive• Creativityinthebusinessworld• ArtsEducationdevelopstheabilitytounderstandcomplicatedqualitativeissues• Theone-size-fits-alleducationsystemdoesnotwork

BIOGRAPHYChairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, Dana Gioia is an internationally acclaimed poet, critic, educator, and former business executive. He received a B.A. and a M.B.A. from Stanford University and a M.A. in Comparative Literature from Harvard University. For fifteen years he supported his writing by working as an executive for General Foods, eventually becoming Vice President of Marketing. Dana Gioia began his term as the ninth chairman in February 2003 and in December 2006 he was confirmed for a second, four-year term.He is best known for his 1991 book “Can Poetry Matter?” about the role of poetry in contemporary culture. His collection of poems, “Interrogations at Noon” won the 2002 American Book Award. His poems, translations, essays, and reviews have appeared in many magazines including The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times Book Review, Slate, and The Hudson Review. He has also written two opera libretti, including Nosferatu (2001) recently performed by Opera Idaho.

Dana Gioia Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts

By losing arts education we are losing a signifant portion of the next generation. These are going to be kids that don’t really match up with their talents, that don’t discover what they’re best at. And if this country is going to compete with the rest of the world in the 21st century it’s not going to be from cheap labor, or cheap raw materials, it’s going to be from creativity, ingenuity and innovation. A nation which does not invest in arts education is not going to have those capacities at an adequate level for the future.”

Extended Interview- Dana Gioia (13:38)

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www.classactthemovie.com

NATIONAL PARTNERS AND RESOURCESAMERICANS FOR THE ARTS www.artsusa.org

ARTS EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP www.aep-arts.org

CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL POLICY www.cep.org

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS www.nea.gov

MENC www.menc.org

MUSIC FOR ALL www.musicforall.org

NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION www.nea.org

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF ARTS AGENCIES http://www.nasaa-arts.org/

U.S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml

COUNCIL OF CHIEF STATE SCHOOL OFFICERS http://www.ccsso.org/

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSCLASS ACT is directed by Sara Sackner. Executive Producers are Joe Morley of Studio-On-Hudson and Morgan Spurlock. CLASS ACT is produced by Heather Winters and Studio-On-Hudson in association with Morgan Spurlock and Warrior Poets.

To purchase an educational version DVD of CLASS ACT, please visit www.classactthemovie.com or http://www.films.com/id/15080/Class_Act_Jay_Jensen_and_the_Future_of_Arts_Education_in_America-Educators_Edition.htm

To purchase a consumer DVD of CLASS ACT, please visit www.classactthemovie.com or http://www.hartsharpvideo.shoppingcartsplus.com/catalog/item/4352609/4892985.htm.

To book a screening or filmmaker presentation for your organization or school, please visit www.classactthemovie.com.

The Filmmakers are forever indebted to Jay W. Jensen (1931-2007) for his unending dedication to his students and his love of teaching. He will be greatly missed.

DISCUSSION GUIDE CREDITSWriter: Heather Winters

Contributors: Sara Sackner, Joe Morley

All photos ©Winters/Sackner Films, Inc.

Edited by: Joe Morley

Layout Design: Pouridasdesign

Bob Lynch Americans for the Arts - Infobase

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