Where is this blog going???

The purpose of this blog is to report and comment on the growing national awareness that education for the 21st century requires the development of creativity and innovation with an emphasis on how education in the arts belongs in the picture. This weekend while visiting the Adirondack Mountains, I arrived at the one-month mark of writing this blog. The new vista inspires me to step back and take stock—a practice I think I will do each month.

How well have I stuck to my stated purpose? Well, I think that the arts have not been brought into the conversation nearly enough. But maybe I need to establish the context first. The kinds of conversations that are going on about educational reform and the economy are relevant to my purpose.

What has been accomplished? Blogging just about every day for a month is a major accomplishment. I am getting into a rhythm. Also, I was thrilled to find that some people actually read some of this blog and to have the opportunity to interact with some members of social networks in education!

What has happened this month? Of course the election and the economic chaos are the big stories in the news. I am an Obama supporter for many reasons, but the ones relevant to this blog are that I think he is more willing and able to look to the future, he recognizes that we need transformation rather than changes here and there, and he seems to see the complexity of the issues we face and the need to broaden our repertoire of strategies instead of always falling back on fire power.

What next? Next month, I hope to spend more time on the state of arts education and why it should play a central role in educational renewal. Wagner's Question #4 (which I will address in my next post) is a perfect opportunity to do this: What do we need to do in our schools to motivate students to be curious and imaginative and to enjoy learning for its own sake?

Photo Credit: Photograph taken by Jared C. Benedict on 01 July 2004. Distributed under a Gnu Free Documentation License.