What is the Center for Innovation in Arts Education?
The
Center for Innovation in Arts Education provides a permanent institutional
base for the continuation and expansion of innovation in arts education
and overall educational reform in cooperation with educators across
the University system, throughout the state, and nationwide. Under
the direction of Dr. Donalyn Heise, Director for the Center for Innovation
in Arts Education, representatives from across the state, including
university faculty, K12 educators, and representatives from arts institutions
collaborate to fulfill the Center's mission to provide effective leadership
in the arts by enhancing the theory and practice of arts education.
The four areas of focus for the Center are pre-service education,
effective use of technology, the theory and practice of comprehensive
discipline-based arts education, and applied research in art education.
History
The Regents of the University of Nebraska approved
the establishment of the UNO Center for Innovation in Arts Education.
Planning for the Center was supported by a grant from the Getty Education
Institute for the Arts with additional funding provided by the University
of Nebraska at Omaha.
Symposia were held to develop long range plans for the center. Four
areas of focus were identified. A permanent Director was hired in
August 2001.
The Center received funding from the Institute of Educational Inquiry
for a project with the UNO College of Education to participate in
the Arts in Teaching and Teacher Education Initiative. This exciting
collaborative involved development of leadership teams and the exploration
of the agenda for educating for a democracy and the moral dimensions
of teaching. UNO created a 3-year action plan for the establishment
of a model pre-service program based on a comprehensive arts education
approach and significant pedagogical research. Also developed through
this grant was the CADRE II: The Arts program, which is a graduate
induction program for new teachers and focuses on the integration
of the arts and the moral dimensions throughout the curriculum.
In April 2002, The Center received a grant from the Institute for
Educational Inquiry to design, develop, implement, and evaluate a
professional development program that merges the agenda for a democracy
and comprehensive arts education. In collaboration with the Nebraska
Arts Council, the Center co-sponsored the 2002 Prairie Visions Summer
Institute, which focused on the Arts in a Democracy.
The Center received funding in April 2002 from Young Audiences, Inc.
to participate in a national web dissemination project called Arts4Learning.
Best practices in comprehensive arts education, including thematic,
inquiry-based, cross-cultural arts integration models are being shared
online.
Consistent with our goal to explore effective use of technology for
arts education the Center collaborated with the Nebraska Arts in the
summer of 2003 to co-sponsor the first Prairie Visions Institute to
connect using the Distance Learning system. Participants across the
state experienced folklife traditions, conducted field work, and examined
how interpreting, studying, and making art can prepare students to
respect diverse points of view and share ideas through aesthetic inquiry.
The Prairie Visions Summer Institute has been recognized nationally
and international for providing professional development programs
in arts education. Since 1987, it has served more than 1,700 art specialists,
educators, artists, and administrators throughout Nebraska.
Future
We have exciting plans for the future that we
hope will involve many teachers who have collaborated with us over
the years in Prairie Visions, and many new potential partners. Look
for more news from the Center for Innovation in Arts Education as
we secure more funding for innovative programs in the coming years.
