The Center for Arts Education

2007, 86 pages. The Center for Arts Education, 14 Penn Plaza, 225 West 34th Street, NY, NY 10122, www.cae-nyc.org

Over the last ten years, the Center for Arts Education in New York City has been watching the growth and redevelopment of arts curriculum in New York City public schools. Arts programs were the first victims of a city budget crisis in the mid 1970's that removed arts curriculum from public school — by 1990 some schools were still without arts programs. In 1994, the Annenberg Foundation announced a $500 million, five-year grant intended to jump-start elementary and secondary school reform in sites across the country. New York City became the arts education component of the Annenberg Challenge, and the Center for Arts Education was created to administer the funds and to foster collaboration between the school system, arts organizations, the teacher's union, the mayor's office, funders, and teachers on its board.

This publication, a ten-year report on the history and impact of CAE, evolved into the chronicle of the effort to restore arts curriculum to New York City schools. It documents the many people, organizations involved, initiatives, policies, changes and events involved in the process. It also includes a compilation of stories told by educators, parents, and administrators, as well as a companion DVD documentary that features interviews and commentary by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, and UFT President Randi Weingarten.