Dear Friends and Members of ArtsEd Washington;

Well, back-to-school time is well upon us and ArtsEd Washington is heading back into the classroom right along with many of you (and your children) this Fall! The past several months have served as a time of evaluating the year behind us and planning for the year ahead as the challenges facing the future of arts education grow each day.

This message is becoming more urgent every day, I’m afraid. In July, the Center on Education Policy in Washington D.C. released a report on the impacts of the No Child Left Behind Act on curriculum and teaching time allocations.

At the elementary school level:

• 62% of school districts nationally reported increased time for reading/writing/math since school year 2001-02
• 44% of districts reported cutting time from other subjects – social studies, P.E. and the arts
• On average, the cuts amounted to 30 minutes a day, and represent an average 31% reduction in these subjects across all school and districts over the last five years.

The result is that our children are not receiving the broad curriculum needed for a complete education. This trend is an alarming step backward on a national level.

Is fighting for the arts worth it?

This past summer, ArtsEd Washington’s brilliant and steadfast President, Andrea Allen, gave birth to twin boys. Seeing these precious creatures brought into the world, into a happy home where they will no doubt receive the love and care we would want every child to experience, I couldn’t help but imagine what the world will look like in several years when they are both ready to enter school. Will they get the opportunity to discover music and painting right along with their multiplication tables? Or will the arts have vanished entirely from schools, leaving them to pick up what they will learn about culture from television and the internet?

Perhaps the worst case scenario is that one of those boys will be treated to regular arts programming as part of his everyday classroom curriculum while the other boy goes without. One gets to sing in a choral class and act in the school play while the other receives only a steady diet of core academic subjects, perhaps subjects he struggles with, without the creativity-expanding outlet that the arts provide.

That scenario is hard to imagine given that these boys are twins and will likely go to the same schools for many of their years, but it’s not hard to imagine that two children born on the same day, in the same state, could have two entirely different and unequal experiences within the education system. This is actually what is happening today in Washington State. One child, born into a resource-rich community, could get access to numerous arts opportunities in school while another child, living in a community that cannot afford to augment its schools’ offerings, misses the chance to learn through the arts.

Equity in our schools is the single most important issue facing ArtsEd Washington today and we need your help to achieve it. Building a strong united voice to support the provision of arts education in EVERY Washington State school is the only way that true equity will become a reality. Maybe even by the time Andrea’s boys enter the first grade...

I hope you will consider joining us as a Member this year. By becoming a Member of ArtsEd Washington, you are adding the strength of your voice to the growing clarion call for more arts education for ALL our children (not to mention, you will get access to great events, resources, and people throughout the year!). Becoming a Member is an action that I hope you all will take this year — and it is only a click away! http://www.artsedwashington.org/Frame_Membership.html

Thanks so much and have a terrific year!

Una

Una McAlinden
Executive Director

 
By the time the legislative session begins in January, our elected officials will be moving at a very fast pace. They will have held or been a part of many hearings and strategy sessions to build specific legislation for the year to come. Once the session has begun, a flurry of bills and amendments will see their way to each legislator’s desk demanding fast decisions. How do we make sure that in the midst of all the activity, the arts are among the priorities? The answer in part, can be found in the building of relationships before the legislative session begins.

Having the arts and art education at the table and included in the discussion early on requires work now and in the heat of legislative debate. Building relationships with legislators and their staff members is the way to begin an effective conversation that results in good programs and support. And as with all relationships, it takes time and thoughtfulness to make it work. The best time to start is now when legislators are home in their districts and can listen to and learn from their constituents.

The challenge for those of us who believe in the importance of the arts and arts education is to pick-up the phone, send an e-mail or write a letter requesting a meeting before they head off to Olympia. Arrive with visual aides! Bring posters, student work, a board member, a story, photos or an invitation to visit your programs and events to see first hand what the arts do for learning and building community. Be creative!

Relationship building with a legislator takes a face to face connection with you and the issues that you care about. Do your homework; know what the legislator has supported in the past and be sure to say thank you for any work done on behalf of the arts and arts education. Repetition is good for educating a legislator and building a relationship. In the process, you will have become an effective arts advocate – a great lesson learned and a great lesson taught.

You will find more information and an advocacy toolkit on the Washington State Arts Alliance web site

Barbara Jirsa Interim Director Washington State Arts Alliance

SIGN UP FOR ACTION ALERTS!!  WSAA Action Alerts will give you the tools to contact your legislators from your office or home, on issues that you care about, and in a timely fashion. To sign up go to: http://capwiz.com/artsusa/wa/mlm/signup/

The Washington State Arts Alliance is the statewide advocacy organization that works to promote public funding, legislation and policy favorable to the arts. Visit their website at http://www.wsartsalliance.com/ for more information.

Professional Development and School Outreach Opportunities
Dozens of new professional development opportunities have been posted on our website this month. Visit the Professional Development Calendar to explore the options and plan your professional development in the arts this year.


Reports, News and Other Resources
We work hard to collect the latest research reports, news and information impacting arts education, both locally, at state level and around the nation and to share with you in one central location. Visit our Resource HQ to read this month's latest listings.


Funding Opportunities
More than twenty new funding opportunities have been added to our website recently. Click here to find the right fit for your arts education program.

Bookmark the ArtsEd Washington website and check back regularly for news and information at the national, state and local level.

 

Local News and Selected Highlights:

Eastside Arts Coalition hosts Arts Education Fair - Saturday, September 15, 2007 11 am-4pm
Do you have a young artist or performer at home? Looking for a place to focus that creative energy?
Come to the Eastside Arts Education Fair on Saturday, September 15th, at Bellevue City Hall. From 11am to 4pm your family can explore performing and visual arts opportunities on the eastside, sign up for classes, and enjoy free workshops and performances. The Eastside Arts Education Fair is presented by the Eastside Arts Coalition and sponsored by 4Culture, the City of Bellevue, Boeing, KBCS, the Bellevue Reporter, the Eastside Sun, Parent Map, and KidsQuest Children’s Museum. Find more information


New Manager of Visual & Performing Arts joins Seattle Public Schools
Things are looking up for the arts in Seattle Public Schools! Our friend and former colleague, Carri Campbell, has been appointed Program Manager of Visual & Performing Arts. Many of you will have known Carri as ArtsEd Washington’s Program Manager last year and we are excited to see her take this new step. Her appointment is a milestone in a multi-year collaboration between the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, Seattle Arts Commission and Seattle Public Schools on behalf of arts education. The next step will be building and sustaining a team of four arts "coaches" who will help reach out to individual schools, support principals and teachers, and increase students' access to arts education opportunities.


School Board Candidates Forum on Arts in Seattle Schools: October 15, 2007 from 5.30-8.00 pm
Mark your calendars now for the third biennial Seattle School Board Candidates Forum focusing on arts education and the governance of Seattle Public Schools. The forum will take place at Seattle Children's Theatre, 201 Thomas St at Seattle Center.

5:30-6:30 pm - Enjoy refreshments & meet Carri Campbell, Seattle Public Schools' new district manager of visual and performing arts.
6:30-8:00 pm - Candidates Forum, moderated by Paul de Barros, author and Seattle Times jazz critic

The candidates forum is hosted by the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs and the Seattle Arts Commission Education Committee, in partnership with the League of Women Voters, ArtsEd Washington, and the Washington State Arts Alliance.

Balanced Education will Help with Math
We hear so much about the need to strengthen math education. Read this strong Op-Ed from Bruce Caldwell, Executive Manager of Washington Music Educators Association, showing how more math instruction may not necessarily be the right answer. Bravo Bruce! Read the article here http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/329748_math31.html

 
Will new NCLB reflect 21st-century skills?
Proponents of educational technology for years have been saying that schools need to focus more on teaching so-called "21st-century skills," such as problem solving, critical thinking, and collaboration. Now, it appears that momentum is finally building on Capitol Hill to encourage just such reforms: The chairman of the House education committee says he hopes to push legislation renewing the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) through Congress this fall, and one of the key changes to the law he plans to propose is incentives for states to develop more rigorous standards that reflect the needs of 21st-century learners. Full story


Choices, Changes, and Challenges: Curriculum and Instruction in the NCLB Era, 2007
This report from the Center on Education Policy examines the amount of time spent during the school week on core academic subjects and how that allocation of time across subjects has changed since school year 2001-02 when NCLB was enacted. The report finds that approximately 62% of school districts increased the amount of time spent in elementary schools on English language arts and or math, while 44% of districts cut time on science, social studies, art and music, physical education, lunch or recess. Read the report

 

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