News
News items are listed chronologically. To read a news item, click on the link to access the information.
First Freedom Student Video or Essay Competition
The First Freedom Center’s 20th annual First Freedom Student Competition is a national essay and video contest offering 9th - 12th grade students an opportunity to compete for $2,500 awards as they examine the First Amendment and the history and implementation of freedom of religion and conscience in American democracy and the world today. Students then present their evaluation in written essay or video format.
For this year’s topic and complete details, visit www.firstfreedom.org, and click on the red First Freedom Student Competition button (center column).
Students must register online by Monday, November 12, 2012.
Federal Grant to Bolster Kennedy Center Work in Arts Education
Efforts by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to expand arts education activities—including the integration of the arts across the curriculum—are getting a boost with a new federal grant funded under the Arts in Education National Program, from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement. It will serve pre-K-12 children and youth, with a special emphasis on children from low-income families and children with disabilities. Activities funded by the grant include: professional development for arts educators; development and dissemination of instructional materials; arts-based educational programming; and community and national outreach activities to expand partnerships among schools, school districts, and communities throughout the country. For program description and types of projects funded see http://www2.ed.gov/programs/artsnational/index.html.
SAT Scores and Studies in the Arts - 2012 Report
The academic information above includes National and New York State SAT Reasoning Test™ mean scores with breakdown by years of Arts study and course work. This information shows a general pattern that correlates more years of study in the arts with higher SAT scores.