THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234

 

TO:

Cultural Education Committee

FROM:

Christine W. Ward, Acting Deputy Commissioner

                                               

 

SUBJECT:

 

Oversight of External Cultural Institutions (Update on Standards Integration)

 

DATE:

January 25, 2007

STRATEGIC GOAL:

4

AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

 

SUMMARY

 

Issue for Discussion

 

The Committee will hear a report on the efforts of the Office of Cultural Education to ensure that the State Archives, Library and Museum, Public Television and external cultural institutions are informed on the Regents Learning Standards and are aligning their educational services and materials to the Standards.

 

Reason(s) for Consideration

 

For information.

 

Background Information

 

In August 2006, the Office of Educational Television and Public Broadcasting hired a Cultural Education Analyst, Alexander Gyamfi, whose responsibility is to analyze the efforts of cultural institutions to help close the achievement gap, to identify the problems and barriers that make these efforts difficult or ineffective, and to make appropriate recommendations to the Deputy Commissioner of Cultural Education.

 

Mr. Gyamfi’s initial research has centered on the State Museum, State Library, State Archives, and Public Television stations. Each of these institutions offers many varied programs and services for formal and informal education, including teacher professional development programs, family literacy programs, early childhood emergent literacy programs, and learning experiences for school-age children.

 

 

Of the 62 educational programs and services studied by Mr. Gyamfi, 40 are aligned to the New York State Learning Standards; these programs are aimed at an audience of teachers and/or students.  Other programs with strong educational components, such as NOVEL (the New York Online Virtual Electronic Library), the Talking Book & Braille Library, and various grant programs offered through the Office of Cultural Education, are useful to educators or in an educational setting, but cannot reasonably be aligned to the Learning Standards.  For the most part, these educational programs are offered for the good they may do, with the expectation that classroom instruction and student achievement may improve through their use.  Research indicates that such programs are supportive of, and useful to, education, but the data that proves these programs and services are resulting in improved student performance is suggestive rather than definitive.

 

Therefore, a primary objective of Mr. Gyamfi’s work is to determine appropriate outcome metrics for the educational programs offered by the Office of Cultural Education and our constituent cultural institutions. This information is essential if we are to ensure that the content of our programs is beneficial to education and if we are to achieve broader acceptance of these programs by educators and increased funding levels from the Legislature and outside funders.

 

Recommendation

 

Staff recommend that the Cultural Education Committee review the information and provide direction to staff.

 

Timetable for Implementation

 

Not applicable.