Objects to traditional scheduling practices in which band rehearsals are not started until well into the academic year. Argues that starting at the beginning of the year offers numerous advantages. Presents a number of lessons that can be employed in early band rehearsals, even before students are familiar with their instruments. (DSK)

Comments on some features of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Describes the NAEP assessment of student achievement in theater. Evaluates the NAEP assessment in theater, focusing on (1) what can be learned from the assessment, (2) what the NAEP is assessing, and (3) the authenticity of the assessment. (CMK)

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…

Based on the idea that drama (a medium that children relish and are good at) offers a context and a powerful motivation for learning, this book is intended for the teacher who wants to use drama in the classroom for its own sake or as a tool in other areas of the curriculum. The book looks at the many common concerns teachers have and offers…

This book provides a framework of what California students should know about the arts and is organized around the vision of providing opportunities for all students to become responsible, creative, reasoning, understanding and thoughtful citizens. This guide clearly defines a balanced, comprehensive arts program for all those in grades K-12 in…

Presenting a variety of activities and information, this book offers a distillation of techniques, strategies, concepts, and suggestions that have proven effective in using the visual and performing arts in the classroom. Chapters in the book are: What Is Arts-in-Education?; Creative Drama; Theater Arts as Teaching Strategies; Designing the…

This document presents the results of a survey of all ongoing arts programs within the New Jersey educational system and other available resource programs. The survey was distributed to arts organizations throughout New Jersey. The survey was designed to measure the content and scope of arts education services provided by non-profit arts…

The Roberson Center for the Arts and Sciences in Binghamton, New York, brings art, music, drama, and science to public school children. (DW)

This state guide to curriculum planning is designed to provide direction to teachers, administrators, and curriculum specialists for developing programs in informal drama and theatre. For each school level (preschool, elementary, middle, and high school) the following topics or concepts are discussed in terms of the student at that level: informal…

Some parents fear that what their children learn in school theatre programs departs from family values. School theatre proponents have opened a Pandora's box by promoting theatre's potential to teach, rather than focusing solely on its aesthetic goals. Both sides in the theatre censorship controversy share the misperception that theatre causes…

New methods are proposed for teachers to increase the cultural knowledge of their students. Rather than emphasizing food, festivals, and famous faces from other lands, there should be an attempt to use culture in the classroom as content in the regular instruction of speaking, listening, writing, mathematics, reading, and science. Teaching…

Intended to help teachers understand English as a curricular area and identify curriculum issues, this document can also assist committee members as they develop or revise their school district's English language arts course of study. The chapters discuss the following topics: (1) the past, present, and future of the English language arts…

Facility specifications for visual and performing arts areas are provided to guide and assist school officials, staff members, architects, and engineers plan suitable facilities for the arts in schools. The visual arts areas covered are studios, photographic laboratories, and galleries. Performing arts areas discussed are music facilities, drama…

This paper seeks to identify and clarify the claims made for readers theatre, a group form of oral interpretation. After summarizing the claims made in support of readers theatre as an educational aid and as therapy, five innovative programs implementing readers theatre are examined. In the final section of the paper, four studies testing the…

This program guide is designed to serve as a reference resource for those involved with the teaching of drama at the junior high school level. Three elective, one-semester courses are described, with each description continuing a discussion of the goals, objectives, teaching strategies, and suggested sequences and time frames for the course. The…