School Administrator: December 2015
Creativity and the Arts
Cultivating Creative Schools
BY STEVEN T. WEBB AND TOM HAGLEY JR.
Leaders of the Vancouver, Wash., schools on using an arts-centric approach to spark what they call “a different kind of mind” in future-ready graduates.
Sir Ken Robinson on Arts in Education
A Q&A with the author of
Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That’s Transforming Education on meshing creative thinking with arts instruction.
Pairing Math and Reading With the Arts
BY MICHELLE R. DAVIS
Several school districts nationwide are placing emphasis on arts integration by incorporating song, dance and painting into everyday courses of study.
STEAM’s Engine for Powering the Arts
BY DAVID A. SOUSA
The author of a new book on expanding STEM initiatives says findings from neuroscience encourage using arts instruction to bolster students’ academic skills.
Aligning the Arts With Common Core Standards
BY BRUCE D. TAYLOR
The new standards in many states provide an excellent instructional avenue for stimulating student communication and thinking about content.
The Assessment Landscape in Arts Education
BY F. ROBERT SABOL
Newly adopted standards provide a roadmap for instruction in dance, media arts, music, theatre and visual arts — and how to evaluate student performance in those fields.
STARTING POINT
On restoring arts instruction to its rightful berth in schools.
STATE OF THE SUPERINTENDENCY
Performance Incentives
Female versus male superintendents’ contract provisions on incentives.
BEST OF THE BLOGS
Thoughtful excerpts from five AASA members’ blogs.
ETHICAL EDUCATOR
Holiday Gifts
Was a department head acting properly in handling a gift basket from a longtime vendor?
LEGAL BRIEF
The Administrator’s Place in the Mediation Room
BY JOSEPH G. JARRET
The attorney’s role in preparing school leaders toward reaching a fair resolution.
BOARD-SAVVY SUPERINTENDENT
Streamlining the Board Committee Structure
BY NICHOLAS D. CARUSO Jr.
When the author discovered a board using a committee named Cafeteria and Athletics, he knew it was time to help them reorganize.
OUR VIEW
Saying ‘Good Bye’ to Grades
BY HAROLD KWALWASSER AND BARBARA NEMKO
Three ingredients for getting out of a teaching and learning rut.
MY VIEW
Foundations for Young Adult Success
BY JENNY NAGAOKA
Building students’ identities, competencies and worldly interaction.
MY VIEW
Those Who Can’t …Teach?
BY KIRK LEWIS
A superintendent’s supportive message to his staff, built on frustrations over public lack of understanding about teaching.
MY VIEW
A Mother’s Instincts When Hiring
BY MARGARET M. SCHAUER
A principal admits she became a sharper talent assessor after her daughters started at her school.
Reading & Resources
- Book Reviews
- Bits & Pieces
- Abstracts
PRESIDENT’S CORNER
Arts in the School Curriculum
BY DAVID R. SCHULER
Arts as the mosaic through which well-rounded students are cultivated.
EXECUTIVE PERSPECTIVE
Common Refrains in AASA’s 150 Years
BY DANIEL A. DOMENECH
One significant thread woven through our long history is the push for equity.
SCHOOL SOLUTIONS
Transgender Students and School Risk Management
BY WILLIAM J. PERRY
Educators’ duty when dealing with transgender students.
PEOPLE WATCH
An accounting of members on the move in their careers. The Sidelight notes the accordion talent of Indiana superintendent Donna Burroughs.
PROFILE: Michael H. Lin
BY MARIAN KISCH
A superintendent’s start in engineering makes him a precision operator in southern California.
READER REPLY
INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT: ADMINISTRATIVE SOFTWARE
BY R.J. GRAVEL
Pursuing a process for selecting administrative software.
LEADERSHIP LITE