Describes how to develop a storytelling unit that will culminate in a festival in which all students can successfully participate and perform. Outlines the entire process, including research, "talk-abouts" and details, in-class activities to help students develop their tales, periodic evaluations, and the festival itself. (SR)

Confronts the challenges of getting young actors to embrace the use of language. Presents a series of exercises designed to expose students to the potential power of the spoken word by using three different kinds of texts: advertising copy, children's storybooks, and the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. Discusses how the author engages his…

Summarizes the creation and results of the 1997 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Arts Assessment Report Card. Discusses the creation and the many improvements made to the NAEP Assessment, particularly the Arts Assessment. Discusses the impact of the assessment. (SC)

Interviews the directors of university theater programs to find out about course offerings for K-12 educators who want to brush up their theatre skills. Finds that graduate programs are rare--most colleges concentrate on undergraduate theatre education programs; some sponsor certification programs. Discusses Masters programs at Roosevelt…

States that recent research suggests that an education in theater beginning in kindergarten and continuing throughout the educational process can teach students valuable skills that will serve them well in the professional world, including problem solving, team work, and decision making. Discusses the program at Jefferson High School and its…

Discusses the reform context, the importance of standards, the importance of arts education, the benefits of arts education, and the arts and other core subjects. (RS)

Outlines tactics and strategies to employ to get a theater program established as an important part of the life of a high school. Discusses getting one's bearings, claiming one's space, working the system, shameless self-promotion, and the first production. (SR)

Describes and discusses a three-step process for creating a feasible evaluation system for a theater program: (1) writing a values statement; (2) creating an internal accountability plan; and (3) making an external accountability plan. (SR)

Describes the drama program at Many Farms High School, Arizona, taught by Jim Hamilton. Points out that many minority students in the area are faced with high school dropout rates of 50%. Explains innovations developed by residents of "the Rez," home to the Navajo Nation, including presentation of plays directed, acted, and written in…

Describes the efforts of a teacher to create an after-school drama program where none existed before in a blue-collar area of Pennsylvania. Explains how an original production, "Voices from Middle School," was developed and performed through combining her after-school volunteer drama classes with an in-school poetry class. (PA)

Considers the pedagogy of teaching theater to college students who will be secondary school drama teachers, including available instructional materials and lack of methods courses. Calls for creation of a complete pedagogy for secondary school theater. (PA)

Shows how teaching students the basic principles for reading Shakespeare aloud (and approaching Shakespeare from a dramatic production perspective) is a valid and valuable approach for the high school classroom. Shows that the key is to examine the dialogue within the dramatic context of the play and use dialogue and actions to tell the story. (SR)

Recognizes the importance of performance-based assessment in theater education because so many of the skills and concepts that are taught cannot be measured in a traditional paper and pencil test. Suggests the basic goal of performance-based assessment is to create an environment where students can show higher-order thinking skills. Gives a brief…

Discusses the REAP (Reviewing Education and the Arts Project) Report, a quantitative meta-analysis of arts education studies of the last 50 years. Finds little quantitative support that the arts improve reading skills, but finds a strong link between classroom drama and various language outcomes. Discusses the nature and direction of arts…

Discusses two national arts education projects (invaluable tools for including the arts in daily curricula): a standards document being created by the Consortium of National Arts Education Associations, and a parallel assessment framework by the Arts Education Consensus Project to serve as a blueprint for the National Assessment of Education…