Ten Reasons Why Strong Arts Education Programs Are Critical for Living in Today’s and Tomorrow’s World

Presenter linkElliott Seif
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Elliott Seif is the author of Teaching for Lifelong Learning: How to Prepare Students for a Changing World.

In two previous blogs, I identified many reasons for building strong science and social studies programs for students, K–12. In this blog, I identify ten key reasons why a comprehensive K–12 arts program should also be a critical component of a rich education that prepares students for living in today’s and tomorrow’s world.

Unfortunately, in too many schools and districts, the arts are considered less important than other subjects and are given short shrift as part of a student’s K–12 educational experience. In my estimation, rich, comprehensive arts programs are a critical component of a strong education because they have a powerful impact on attitudes towards school and learning and help develop important understandings, skills and habits of mind. Arts education programs also develop student interests and talents, prepare students for living a full life and, for some, lead to career choices in music and dance, visual arts, and the theater, among others.

Here are my ten powerful reasons for developing strong, rich, and comprehensive school arts programs. Read more

Ten Reasons Why a Strong Social Studies Education Is Critical for Living in Today’s and Tomorrow’s World

Presenter linkElliott Seif
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Categories: 21st Century Skills

Elliott Seif is the author of Teaching for Lifelong Learning: How to Prepare Students for a Changing World.

In my last Solution Tree blog, “Why We Need K–12 High-Quality Science Instruction in a 21st Century World,” I identified twelve reasons why every child needs to have the opportunity to participate in a strong, coherent, inquiry-oriented science program. In this blog, I will explore ten important reasons why a strong, coherent social studies program, beginning in the earliest grades through high school, should be an important goal for all schools today.

Unfortunately, the quality of the social studies program has often been neglected in many schools and districts. In the primary and elementary grades, teachers and schools often limit the teaching of social studies or water down the teaching in order to pay more attention to tested subjects, such as English/language arts and mathematics. Secondary social studies is often taught through textbooks and survey courses that cover content and ignore interesting, meaningful, active, in-depth learning, a focus on understanding, and the teaching of critical skills such as thinking and writing. Read more

Asking for Amazon Reviews: A Guide


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Be honest: when you’re shopping for books, how often do you head straight for the one with the most reviews? Like it or not, Amazon has forever changed the way we buy and sell books. As knowledgeable educators who recognize the value of data, we look to reviews to help us determine the quality of the work. And those comments, especially on Amazon, not only influence sales; they also influence the author’s visibility.

We have a chicken-and-egg problem, though. In order to get reviews, we need to sell books; in order to sell books, we need good reviews. So, what is the single best way to get Amazon reviews? Start by simply asking.

“Almost every important human encounter boils down to the act, and the art, of asking,” says Amanda Palmer, author of The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help.

If the idea of asking for reviews makes you feel uncomfortable, here are a few tips that can ease your nerves. Read more

Why We Need K–12 High-Quality Science Instruction in a 21st Century World

Presenter linkElliott Seif
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Categories: 21st Century Skills

Elliott Seif is the author of Teaching for Lifelong Learning: How to Prepare Students for a Changing World.

This is the first of three essays that will describe why powerful instruction is important in three content areas: science, social studies, and the arts. This first essay examines the many reasons why good science teaching is so important for preparing students to live in today’s and tomorrow’s world.
I argue here that an important part of a liberal arts education is a strong science education that, among other things, develops a sophisticated understanding of the natural world and offers deep insights into the nature of scientific investigation. Unfortunately, too few school districts today create comprehensive, inquiry-based, high-quality science programs at all levels, kindergarten through high school. Other priorities, such as time limitations, lack of attention, fragmentation, or a traditional coverage-based focus, all conspire to reduce the effectiveness and excellence of science programs in many schools and districts.

Here are one dozen reasons why we must counter these trends and why schools and districts must find ways to provide high-quality science teaching and learning for all children at all educational levels. Read more