Common Ground participants (2006) (Photo: Laura Reeder)

The annual Common Ground Conference for 2007 will take place on March 28-30 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Rochester, NY. The conference brings together various members of New York State’s arts in education community for workshops, keynote speakers, and networking sessions that help determine the future of arts in education in New York State. The conference’s primary sponsors are Partners for Arts Education, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the Association of Teaching Artists.

The theme for the 2007 Common Ground Conference is engaging the question of how arts in education empowers the next generation.

For this year’s conference the sponsors are soliciting proposals for presentations from a diverse range of arts in education practitioners across New York State. The deadline for the submission of online proposals for the 2007 Common Ground Conference is November 17. Request for proposal forms can be downloaded at www.arts4ed.org. The lead presenter for each selected workshop will attend Common Ground free of charge and will receive hotel accommodations for one night as well as $100 in travel reimbursements for those coming from outside a 60 mile radius of Rochester. Proposals should include a description of a 90-minute workshop, panel, roundtable, or discussion that addresses the needs of New York State’s arts in education communities. Presenters will be selected by a panel composed of the conference’s sponsors and partners. Applicants will be notified in early January. For questions about the proposal process, call 315.234.9911 or email rj@arts4ed.org.

Proposals for presentations are being accepted in three areas:

Core Knowledge:
Proposals for Core Knowledge sessions should meet the need of new or emerging arts in education practitioners, considering the question, “What would a new member of the arts in education field need to know in order to be knowledgeable and effective?” Potential topics include working in New York City schools, New York State assessments, New York State arts standards, classroom management, partnership basics, and grant writing.

Curriculum Assessment:
For Curriculum Assessment sessions, proposals should focus on curriculum design and implementation as well as effective assessment strategies. Potential topics include theories of curriculum development, curriculum mapping, item analysis, parallel task design, rubrics, and portfolios.

Education Policy Reform:
Proposals for Education Policy Reform sessions should focus on how arts in education can shape the landscape of education, affect school reform initiatives, and create social change. Potential topics include No Child Left Behind, Title One innovations, interfacing with higher education, standardized testing, charter schools, and lobbying.

Online registration for the 2007 Common Ground Conference begins January 16. The fee for one-day registration is $125. Full conference registration is $200 and registration at the door is $225. Common Ground participants are eligible for $99 nightly rooms at the Rochester Hyatt regency. The deadline for booking to receive this hotel rate is March 1.

For more information on the 2007 Common Ground Conference, visit:
www.arts4ed.org