WHY EDU DESIGNS?
The classrooms of Southern California are in desperate need. Since the removal of the Arts from low income schools, children in the U.S. have fallen behind in math and critical thinking skills. Many declare that ‘children are our future,’ yet few know how to help. That's where EDU DESIGNS is determined to step in. SEE WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT, is the first Art Textbook to reference the California Math Standards. Many people find mathematics frustrating and difficult, even impossible, but recent cognitive research shows that the human brain actually has a natural gift for math that can flourish under the right conditions. Professor Carolyn Maher of Rutgers University and other psychologists share ideas on how teachers can tap these natural abilities and help students develop the kind of mathematical creativity that is expressed in art, architecture, and music and valued by industry. Research clearly shows:
"More and more emphasis has been placed upon performance in the standards testing process today. Unfortunately this has created an atmosphere of greater stress – on the student as well as the teacher. Ironically, it is a well-known fact that Stress inhibits learning [1]. Fortunately, Art is a stress reliever [2], utilizing the parts of the brain that increase memory and higher thought. [3] With this in mind, ART employs a hands-on approach to logical reasoning, using relevant objects in our environment to connect us to the need for mathematical and spatial understanding. This book is unique in correlating concepts of ART and MATH. By developing creative and critical thinking skills, children gain confidence in their problem-solving skills. [4]" Students with high levels of arts participation out perform “arts-poor” students on virtually every measure. [5]
Learning takes place best when the spatial areas of the brain are awakened, which is why children engaged in art have been shown to improve their math scores by up to 15%! Since research has clearly shown that studying art actually increases one’s ability to learn math EDU DESIGNS has brought forth the first Art Textbook that references the California Math Standards. Through our extensive research and expertise in education, we have created a program that develops analytical skills and builds character.
EDU DESIGNS offers a free ART and storytelling presentation to schools (limited to Southern California at this time). We also donate materials that can be used in the regular or afterschool programs. Our goal is to reach schools regardless of their ability to pay! Since Edu Designs is run entirely by volunteers, 100% of the money you donate stretches farther to reach students who would otherwise miss out on the programs we present! We acknowledge each donation with a receipt for tax purposes. We truly appreciate you!
As our mission declares, "EDU DESIGNS is dedicated to produce and distribute multimedia materials for the education, motivation and character development of children". Our all volunteer Board of Directors has invested time and energy to create program substance that will inspire children to be positive members of society. When we visit schools, we experience an enthusiastic response from appreciative parents and teachers who applaud our efforts to provide educational materials that teach virtue and integrity.
The founders of EDU DESIGNS have been active in program development with an emphasis on character, compassion and art education since 1999. By contributing to EDU DESIGNS, you will give children opportunities to engage their analytical skills, develop their creativity, and motivate them to make a positive impact in the world now. 100% of your contribution goes to programs and materials that help children. We are determined to to bridge the gap during this time of economic hardship for the schools. That's where you are the vital link in this undertaking. We know you care about the future of children - because you chose to come to this website! Thank you so much for caring! Helen Keller once said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” But there is no time to lose. We must start today, to reach children for a better tomorrow.
Footnotes:
[1] Researcher Paul MacLean, chief brain researcher at the National Institute for Mental Health. Plus, David Sousa, author of How the Brain Learns: A Classroom Teacher’s Guide and Learning Manual
[2] Professor Terry Looker and Dr. Olga Gregson, of the Department of Biological Sciences at MMU.
[3] In the 1999 article: Linking Brain Research to Art, Perry & Janet Rettig indicated, (quoting Goleman, 1995), that “students are more likely to recall information when it is embedded in an emotional context.
[4] (from the research by The Imagination Project at UCLA, by James S. Catterall, Richard Chapleau and John Iwanaga, July 1999). “...gains for arts-involved youngsters ...become more pronounced over time...this pattern also holds for children from low-income and low parent education level homes.” Plus in Nicholas Bezruczko’s Study, “Links Between Children’s Clay Models and School Achievement” (1997), Art trained groups had 15% higher reading and math scores on standardized tests than did students without arts education.
[5] • The arts have a measurable impact on students in “high-poverty” and urban settings.
• The arts in after-school programs guide disadvantaged youth toward positive behaviors and goals.
• Learning through the arts has significant effects on learning in other domains.
• Arts experiences enhance “critical thinking” abilities and outcomes.
• The arts enable educators to reach students in effective ways.
Taken from Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning and Gaining the Arts Advantage: Lessons From School Districts That Value Arts Education provide arts education supporters with both evidence of why the arts are critical to teaching and learning...
Both studies were developed with the support of the GE Fund and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Arts Education Partnership, and the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.
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Helping guide character development since 2007
Edu Designs is a CA Non Profit 501 (c) 3 Corporation. All donations are Tax Deductible as allowed by law. Tax ID # 26-1576531
Edu Designs makes careful use of your support! We don’t use a single cent of your gifts for salaries – 100% goes to programs to help
