ArtsEd Washington eNews

December 2008

ArtsEd WA eNews is an e-mail news bulletin dedicated to informing and connecting all segments of the arts education community in Washington State. ArtsEd WA eNews is brought to you by ArtsEd Washington, the Washington Alliance for Arts Education: http://www.ArtsEdWashington.org. ArtsEd Washington is a member of the Kennedy Center Alliances for Arts Education Network.

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Advocacy
Tip-of-the-Month

An Advocacy Resolution for the New Year: Write a Letter!

It’s almost 2009, time to get started on a new year of advocating for arts education.

Our state’s Legislative Session is just around the corner, which means right now is the perfect time to jump in and introduce yourself to your newly elected officials, and reintroduce yourself to all of the others.

The easiest way to say hello is to send a form letter by email, and that’s a good option.

But the best way to welcome your legislators is to be personal. If you can, send a brief personal note or card to each local official.

Even better, enclose a piece of children’s artwork with your card, and point out that the child lives in your legislator’s district.

Introduce yourself and let them know that they can call on you for information about arts education. Don’t forget to include your contact information!

For example:

Dear Senator So-and-So:

As a member of your district, I want to welcome you to your new office and let you know that I support the arts as part of the complete education of every student in Washington.

Please feel free to call me at 555-555-5555 if you need more information about arts education. I look forward to seeing you in person soon.

Please enjoy this artwork created by 6-year-old Johnny Smith from ABC Elementary School.

If you don’t feel comfortable serving as your local official’s source on arts education, we’d love to help by sending ArtsEd Washington business cards for you to include in your notes.

Please send your request to office@artsedwashington.org, and let us know your mailing address and how many cards you require.

For example:

Dear Senator So-and-So:

As a member of your district, I want to welcome you to your new office and let you know that I support the arts as part of the complete education of every student in Washington.

Please enjoy the artwork I have included from 6-year-old Johnny Smith at ABC Elementary School.

I have also included a card from Una McAlinden, the Executive Director of ArtsEd Washington. She can answer any questions you might have about the value of arts education in our state. She asks that you give her a call at 206-441-4501 if you need more information.

Thank you for your service!

Whatever – and however – you write, please remember that consistent communication is key! Keep an ongoing dialogue with your legislator, and make a habit of sending them good news about arts education in your district.

(It’s a hard road ahead in this legislative session – some good news may go a long way!)

This ArtsEd Washington Advocacy Tip-of-the-Month is based on material from the Advocacy Committee of the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network, of which ArtsEd Washington is a member. Our Executive Director, Una McAlinden, co-chairs the Advocacy Committee.

Click here to download a PDF version
of this Advocacy Tip-of-the-Month.

ArtsEd Washington's mission is to advance arts education through leadership, partnership, and communication.

We are a non-profit organization that relies on our member support.

Individual membership starts at just $25 / year.

Click here to become a member today!

ArtsEd Washington Office

Una McAlinden,
Executive Director

Erin Guest,
Program Manager

Christine Bateman, Communications
& Membership Manager

158 Thomas Street, Suite 16
Seattle, WA 98109
P 206.441.4501
F 206.441.3042

http://www.ArtsEdWashington.org

Table of Contents

Advocacy Tip-of-the-Month: Write a Letter!

National News

National Orgs Send Arts Policy Brief to Obama Transition Office
Principal Magazine Features “Arts Education for the Whole Child”
Obama Names Duncan U.S. Secretary of Education
NSO Offers Experience-of-a-Lifetime for Exceptional Music Students

State & Local News

Arts in Education in the 2009 Legislative Session
Wallace Foundation Awards $7.7M to Seattle Area Arts Orgs
District & City Partner to Increase Arts Learning in Seattle Schools

ArtsEd Washington Update

ArtsEd WA and PAL Principals to Present “Art IS Education”

Partner Organization Updates

Washington State Arts Commission
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction - The Arts
Washington State Arts Alliance & Foundation

Arts Education Resources

Recent News & Publications
Teacher Professional Development Opportunities
Funding & Award Opportunities

Sponsor an Issue of eNews!

Guidelines for Reuse of ArtsEd WA eNews

NATIONAL NEWS

National Organizations Send Arts Policy Brief to Obama Transition Office

The Arts Education Working Group, a coalition of national arts and arts education advocacy organizations, recently submitted a policy brief to the Obama Transition Office and its arts and cultural review team, headed by former NEA chairman Bill Ivey. The brief outlines and provides policy recommendations for six topic areas, including arts education.

Arts Policy in the New Administration: Recommendations to the Office of Presidential Transition is an excellent advocacy tool for communicating with President-Elect Obama and his transition team as they prepare to shape federal arts policy. The arts education recommendations include three main elements:

Prevent economic status and geographic location from denying students a comprehensive arts education.

Move federal policy beyond simply declaring the arts as a core academic subject to actually implementing arts education as an essential subject of learning.

Deploy arts education as an economic development strategy.

The signatories of the unified arts transition statement include organizations that represent thousands of national American cultural institutions, as well as state and local government agencies. ArtsEd Washington is a signatory through our national association with the Kennedy Center and as an affiliate of the NAMM/Support Music Coalition and Americans for the Arts.

To read the brief, please visit our website at http://www.ArtsEdWashington.org or President-Elect Obama’s website.

Principal Magazine Features "Arts Education for the Whole Child"

In the past few days, the ArtsEd Washington staff has received several emails from district arts coordinators and principals in our Principals’ Arts Leadership program, all encouraging us to read the new issue of Principal magazine, published by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP).

They’re really excited about the January/February 2009 issue, which focuses on “Arts Education for the Whole Child.” We thought you might like to know about it, too! Here are a few of the articles featured in this special issue:

Arts Education and the Whole Child by Hal Nelson

Arts Education for Goodness Sake! by Gail Connelly

Using Interdisciplinary Arts Education to Enhance Learning
by Maureen Reilly Lorimer

This issue of Principal magazine is a must-read for any arts education advocate. ArtsEd Washington is working to secure multiple copies of this issue to share with our state legislators.

Obama Names Duncan U.S. Secretary of Education

President-elect Obama this week named the Chicago school system’s chief executive, Arne Duncan, to his Cabinet post for the Department of Education.

Obama praised Duncan’s willingness to make tough choices in controversial issues, like transforming low-performing schools and experimenting with new models.

But where does the new Secretary of Education stand on Arts Education?

In a recent post on ARTSBlog, Americans for the Arts’ John Abodeely notes that “we don’t know exactly what to expect from Duncan.” During his tenure with the Chicago Public Schools, Duncan did hire a CEO of Arts Education, but “locals say the impact of that office hasn’t been felt.”

ArtsEd Washington will continue to tap into our national network to ascertain the impact of Duncan’s nomination for arts education. We’ll report our findings in the January issue of ArtsEd Washington eNews.

In the meantime, click on the following links to read more about Duncan’s nomination:

Education Week:	Duncan 'Doesn't Blink' on Tough Decisions
Edutopia:	Reform Starts Now: Obama Picks Arne Duncan
Teacher Magazine:	Ed. Secretary Pick Garners Approval
Washington Post:	A New Education Secretary
Chicago Sun-Times:	Duncan Has Big Job Ahead

NSO Offers Experience-of-a-Lifetime for Exceptional Student Musicians

Application Deadline: January 9, 2009

The National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute is a 4-week program at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.

Five state finalists from Washington will be forwarded to the Kennedy Center for consideration. One musician from most states will be selected to participate on scholarship for the 2009 Institute.

To apply, please download an application at http://www.artsedwashington.com/Programs/NSO.html and submit it to ArtsEd Washington by Friday, January 9, 2009.

STATE & LOCAL NEWS

Arts in Education in the 2009 Legislative Session
by Una McAlinden, ArtsEd Washington Executive Director

Arts education efforts this session will be focused on basic education funding. It is critically important for all of us to put our shoulders to this wheel and ensure appropriate funding for a complete education for all students – one that includes the arts. Having a “bigger pie” will make the ongoing work with schools and districts a little easier, as we work towards equity of access to arts learning for all students.

The 2007 Legislature created a Joint Task Force on Basic Education Finance (BEFTF) to develop a new definition of basic education and K-12 funding structure that aligns with the final Washington Learns Report and provisions in current law. During the course of the year, the State Board of Education passed the CORE 24 proposal for high school graduation requirements which included two arts credits (an increase from the current one credit requirement). CORE 24 was passed explicitly subject to funding. The BEFTF has taken this into account in its deliberations with draft proposals recommending a state-funded six-period day (the current is five periods).

It is our state’s paramount duty to make ample provision for the education of all children. In Washington, arts learning is an integral part of our state’s definition of Basic Education. Not only are the arts designated as a core academic subject, but the concepts taught in arts education are woven throughout the definition which identifies the need for students to be able to explore and understand different perspectives; think creatively, integrate different experiences, and solve problems. Washington State has robust arts learning goals and policy that requires arts instruction for all students but we know that most students are not receiving adequate arts education. The provision of a better structure of funding will provide the opportunity to close the gap between policy and practice.

The draft final report of the Basic Education Finance Task Force is available online at http://www.leg.wa.gov/Joint/Committees/BEF Final report and recommendations for the 2009 legislative session are due this month and will be posted on the ArtsEd Washington website www.ArtsEdWashington.org.

Wallace Foundation Awards $7.7M to Seattle Arts Organizations

ArtsEd Washington warmly congratulates the nine arts organizations that recently received a Wallace Excellence Award, part of a newly formed partnership between the Wallace Foundation, Washington State Arts Commission, and Seattle Mayor’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs to foster growth in public arts attendance and to identify, develop, and share useful lessons on how arts organizations can reach more people.

Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra, a Wallace Excellence Award recipient and member of ArtsEd Washington, will use its $500,000 grant to bring music to culturally underserved children in the Seattle Public Schools. The SYSO aims to reach 6,000 to 10,000 new students over the next four years. In an article in the Seattle Times, SYSO Executive Director Dan Petersen recognized that “in elementary schools, we can reach out to African-American and Latino populations, who are underrepresented in the orchestra world."

Additional Wallace Excellence Award recipients are:

Experience Music Project | Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame*
One Reel
On the Boards
Pacific Northwest Ballet Association*
Seattle Art Museum*
Seattle Opera
Seattle Repertory Theatre*
Seattle Youth Symphony*
SIFF (Cinema Seattle)

*denotes member of ArtsEd Washington

To read media coverage of the Wallace Excellence Awards in Seattle, please visit our News & Publications page at http://www.artsedwashington.org/Resources/News.html.

District & City Partner to Infuse More Arts Learning into Seattle Public Schools

Former ArtsEd Washington Program Manager Carri Campbell, former Board member Kathleen Allen, and music specialist Pamela Ivezic compose a new team at Seattle Public Schools designed to help the district prepare all of Seattle’s children to participate fully in the city’s creative culture of work and life.

Their work is part of a new five-year Arts Education Partnership Initiative with the Seattle Mayor’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs (MOACA).

Just this week, through our affiliation with the NAMM/Support Music coalition, ArtsEd Washington and Ivezic joined in a coalition conference call to present this unique district-city partnership and promote the excellent work already taking place in Seattle schools.

For the past six years, the Seattle MOACA and Seattle Arts Commission have advocated for arts education in all Seattle Public Schools. Last year, their advocacy resulted in the city’s investment of $100,000 to build central arts capacity, which, along with a district match, resulted in the hiring of Ivezic and Allen.

As a result of the new partnership, the district and city co-hosted the fifth annual Seattle Arts Education Forum in October. In November, the district team distributed the first issue of Arts eNews to SPS educators and other arts education stakeholders.

Next steps include analysis of a district-wide arts education audit to identify gaps, prioritize needs, and inform a two-year work plan; increased support and professional development for teachers and principals; and coordination of community partnerships between schools and arts organizations.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Education Reporter Jessica Blanchard recently reported on the SPS effort to integrate more arts learning and build partnerships.

Read the Seattle P-I article here: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/385624_arts30.html.

Learn more about the Arts Education Partnership Initiative at http://www.seattle.gov/arts/community/arts_education.asp.

ARTSED WASHINGTON UPDATE

ArtsEd WA Staff & PAL Principals to Present “Art IS Education”

Come and hear principals participating in our Principals’ Arts Leadership (PAL) program speak at the OSPI January Conference on Friday, January 9, at the Seattle Trade & Convention Center, as ArtsEd Washington presents Art IS Education: Infusing the Arts into School Improvement Planning.

Through the PAL program, many elementary school principals are stepping up to lead the arts in their schools, providing the foundation of arts learning that all students need.

Presenting alongside ArtsEd Washington staff, PAL Principals Doug Poage (Carnation Elementary, Riverview SD), Paul Luczak (Juanita Elementary, Lake Washington SD), and Ellen Eddy (Rocky Ridge Elementary, Bethel SD) will share their perspectives on creating an arts plan and the successes they have achieved as instructional leaders in the arts.

PARTNER ORGANIZATION UPDATES

Washington State Arts Commission Update
by Lisa Jaret, Arts in Education Program Manager

The Washington State Arts Commission (WSAC) has invited all K-12 schools to participate in our second statewide survey of principals as part of the Arts Education Research Initiative (AERI).

This ongoing project is designed to gather data on arts education across the state, and to use this data to strengthen opportunities for student learning in the arts. Policy-makers, funders, and arts education providers need more and better data to support good decision-making around arts education resources and programs.

We sent the AERI survey to K-12 principals earlier this month through the Association of Washington School Principals with the support and endorsement of the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, ArtsEd Washington, and the Washington State Arts Alliance.

If you are a teacher, parent, teaching artist, or arts education advocate: Please consider forwarding this message, with a link to the AERI survey, to the principal(s) you work with. We need a strong response rate to ensure an accurate picture of arts education across the state.

If your school has not already participated, it’s not too late! Please encourage your principal to complete the online survey or download the printable survey document at www.arts.wa.gov/education/aeri.shtml. The deadline to complete the survey is January 16, 2009.

The AERI results will be published and shared with stakeholders and the general public next year, and I’m pleased that ArtsEd Washington will be a key partner in our dissemination and follow-up efforts.

If you would like any additional information about the AERI project, please contact me at (360) 586-2418 or lisaj@arts.wa.gov.

OSPI - The Arts Update
by AnnRené Joseph, Arts Program Supervisor

Happy Holidays to all! This is the season where all of the arts – dance, music, theatre, and visual arts – shine 24/7, and in all things… everywhere! Yes, art is a way of knowing, being, doing, feeling, acting, and living, and we are fortunate that our state promotes arts education as essential in the “well-rounded education of the whole child.”

We daily strive for MORE ARTS, experiencing “life as an artwork in progress” by dancing, music-making, singing, acting, observing, and creating in all aspects of our lives to showcase the “artist within” all of us. There is wonder, whimsy, imagination, innovation, and creativity that live inside each person, at the heart of our being and doing.

We will need to be vigilant to ensure that The Arts remain essential, core, academic, and available to all one million learners in our 295 school districts. Our systemic structure to ensure arts education for all learners is the best in the nation!

We have law and policy in place, as well as state standards, assessments, a mandated state report (due to the OSPI on July 31, 2009, and the first of its kind in the nation), professional development, highly qualified teachers in all four arts disciplines, universities and colleges certifying arts educators, teaching artists, advocates, and artists-in-residence to enhance arts education, and parents, businesses, communities, and a state that believe in the importance of The Arts! Hooray!

Join us at the OSPI January Conference, January 7-9, at the Seattle Trade and Convention Center, as we provide more than 45 arts break-out sessions that showcase all of the above. Register for this historic opportunity at http://www.k12.wa.us and view the Arts Sessions and presenters at http://www.k12.wa.us/conferences/JanConf2009/AAGJan09Draft.pdf.

Also, register for ArtsTime 2009, March 20-21, at Foster High School in Tukwila. We will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the first ArtsTime. Alvin Law and Patrick Dunning will be the keynote speakers, and more than 77 break-out sessions will be available for your artistic palette!

View and download the teacher worksheet for the state-mandated Reporting Form for Arts Education at http://www.k12.wa.us/CurriculumInstruct/Arts/pubdocs/OSPIArtsCBPARptFormTeacherWorksheetDraft.pdf

View and download “draft documents” for the developing Arts Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) at http://www.k12.wa.us/curriculumInstruct/Arts/GLEs.aspx.

I will be sharing The Arts 2020 Vision at the OSPI January Conference, and will highlight that presentation in the next issue of the ArtsEdWA eNews. Thank you for your support of ArtsEd Washington and for your advocacy for MORE ARTS in your schools, districts, and communities!

I thank you all for your enthusiastic support of arts education, and wish you an amazing New Year 2009 with MORE ARTS a part of each day!

Learn more at about what is happening at the OSPI to make MORE ARTS happen by visiting our website: http://www.k12.wa.us/curriculumInstruct/Arts. You can also contact me at (360) 725-6365 or annrene.joseph@k12.wa.us.

Washington State Arts Alliance Update
by Mary Langholz, Executive Director

Now, more than ever, we need your help on Arts Day: Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2009. As state budget negotiations heat up in Olympia, artists, arts educators, art managers, board members, commissioners, volunteers and other community arts leaders from all over the state will be in the state capital to discuss the investment value of arts funding in communities and schools.

Arts Day in Olympia is OUR chance to influence the Washington State budget and keep the arts alive in our state schools and communities.

The Washington State Arts Alliance (WSAA) organizes and coordinates Arts Day. It is the key component of our statewide online and local arts advocacy campaign. Through regional State Captains and Prime Contacts, appointments are made with local legislators.

Arts Leaders (like you!) visit lawmakers in their offices to make a strong case for funding the Washington State Arts Commission (WSAC) and supporting other arts-related legislation, including Public Funding of Education. Lawmakers hear direct, personal stories about the impact of the arts in regions across the state. Arts Leaders explain how state funding for the arts revitalizes communities and families, and how this investment contributes to the social vitality and the economy of the entire state.

WSAA will headquarter in the Columbia Room in the Capitol/Legislative Building. We will provide a moderately priced lunch by reservation and an inspiring program for all in the historic Rotunda.

To learn more about Arts Day 2009, please visit www.wsartsalliance.com. If you are able to attend Arts Day, please let WSAA know at staff@wsartsalliance.com.

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

WSAA collaborates closely with ArtsEd Washington on all arts education issues at state and federal level. The WSAA 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. Please note the new address for the Washington State Arts Alliance and Foundation: 1204 Minor Street, Seattle, WA 98101. Our phone number remains the same at 206.448.1909.

ARTS EDUCATION RESOURCES

The following items are selected highlights from the Resources section of our website. This is a free service to members of our community and generously supported by members of ArtsEd Washington. Click here to support this free community service.