Happy New Year from ArtsEd Washington! Did you put “Keep Working for Arts in Schools” on your resolution list? This eNews is packed with ideas, tips, and inspiration to get you in action for arts.

These winter weeks are exciting times for us personally. It was our birthday on Jan. 29—It’s been 28 years since ArtsEd Washington was founded. Been postponing renewing your membership? It would make a great birthday gift (hint, hint)…

To view in html, go to http://ArtsEdWashington.org/News/Newsletters/Feb2010.html.

Cyndi Evans, principal at Helen B. Stafford Elementary in Tacoma, is going to Washington D.C. with ArtsEd Washington Executive Director Una McAlinden to present at the Kennedy Center’s National Partnerships conference. They’ll be sharing the findings and best practices from the Principals’ Arts Leadership research report: Anchoring Arts Education. Cyndi is an alumnae of our PAL program, and Stafford Elementary was featured in the best practices section of our PAL research. This research can be found on our homepage, ArtsEdWashington.org, under the Leadership section.

Una and our Board President Mike Sandner will also be representing you to members of congress next month, stressing the importance of the arts for every student as Congress prepares to look at reauthorization of the Elementary & Secondary Education Act (formerly known as No Child Left Behind). Remember: It helps us be effective in getting their attention when we can show we have members in their district who really care about this. Join today and help make our voice louder.

ArtsEd Washington has been awarded our largest single grant to date. The sum of $50,000 has been granted by The Robert B. McMillen Foundation. This support will help us apply the PAL research recommendations to strengthen the program, expanding the PAL infrastructure and prepare us for expansion of the program.

Foundation President, Cassandra Town, explained the reason for their support: “ArtsEd Washington is a leader in arts advocacy and has become the central voice for raising awareness and increasing arts education in today’s schools through their PAL Program. PAL has garnered national recognition and we hope to see this program continue to gain momentum.  We feel it is key in making the arts equitable and accessible for all students in Washington State and beyond."

Greater Tacoma Community Foundation just awarded ArtsEd WA the first Pierce County specific support for the Principals’ Arts Leadership program. This money will allow us to strengthen the program offerings in Pierce County schools and extend the reach of PAL to more schools.

We are very grateful to the trustees of both foundations for their willingness to support systemic change in schools.

Join the ArtsEd WA Facebook cause, and support arts education from your computer! http://apps.facebook.com/causes/425790.

We want to send a hearty welcome and thanks to our new and returning members.

Check out the OSPI Arts Assessment Web site at: http://www.k12.wa.us/Arts/CBPAs/default.aspx for updated details for the 2009-2010 reporting process, OSPI memorandum of support, and district data.   The entire process has been validated as one of the 50 best professional development models in the nation, and as a model for statewide assessment for the nation. See those independent research reports at: http://www.k12.wa.us/Arts/CBPAs/default.aspx.

Next steps:

• Continue to reference Memorandum M034-09 for iGrants Form Package 408 guidelines, worksheets, and FAQs for the 2009-2010 report.
• Watch for the updated 2009-10 memorandum and iGrants Form Package 408 for 2009-2010 reporting in January 2010.
• The final due date for submission of the iGrants Form Package 408 for 2009-2010 will be July 31, 2010.
• Goal is for 100% participation in 2009-2010!  Stay tuned for district reports coming out in spring 2010.  The system for collecting and sharing this important data is developing during this first year.  Check with your individual school districts to learn about their process of implementation and data collection of the CBPAs and/or other strategies.  Other strategies are defined as: rigorous, research-based, aligned to the standards and able to measure individual student achievement.

Questions?   Please contact: AnnRené Joseph, Program Supervisor, The Arts, Teaching, Learning and Assessment
annrene.joseph@k12.wa.us | OSPI Arts Web site for “everything arts” at:  http://www.k12.wa.us/arts/ | (360) 725-6365

In south King County, a diverse group of teachers, school administrators, parents, and other community stakeholders has been mobilized to develop recommendations for a policy concerning fine arts instruction for students in the Highline School District. This month, a new Superintendent's Council on the Arts began meeting to review the arts programs already in place and to outline a fine

Located south of Seattle and encompassing the communities of Burien, White Center, SeaTac, Normandy Park, Boulevard Park and Des Moines, the Highline School District is home to over 17,000 students.  Rich in cultural diversity (students represent 80 nationalities and speak 70 different languages) but with families facing significant economic challenges (over 60% of Highline’s students qualify for federal free and reduced-price meals), Highline has devoted much of the last decade to ensuring equitable classroom instruction for its students in the era of WASL and No Child Left Behind. 

Arts instruction, however, has not received the same degree of attention, and when teachers, parents, and representatives from community arts organizations came before the Highline School Board last spring to express their concerns, board members and Highline School District Superintendent John Welch promised to respond.

“There is a critical link between the arts and academic and social skill acquisition,” Superintendent Welch noted in a recent meeting with members of the council.

While acknowledging the district’s current budget constraints, he asked the council to consider a five-year view in developing a set of guiding principles in arts instruction that will take into account the cultural diversity of the community, and contribute to the district’s comprehensive vision of preparing all students for college, career, and citizenship.

Seattle Repertory Theatre, Book-it Repertory and South Kitsap School District have formed a new education partnership as part of The Kennedy Center’ Partners in Education Program. The purpose of the partnerships is the establishment or expansion of professional development programs in the arts for all teachers. We’ve had a Partners in Education Team in Pierce County (Tacoma/Bethel/Puyallup school districts) since 1992, and they will now be joined by this King County/Kitsap County team.

Another tough year faces the state budgets and a tough session is likely. Consider attending Arts Day on Feb 2 in Olympia and remind your legislators that cuts to education impact arts learning and that funding basic education is still the paramount duty of the state. Take this chance to tell them how the arts are transforming schools in your community. Tip: Bring student artwork or letters from kids just sharing what the arts mean for them. Visit www.wsartsalliance.com for details on Arts Day and meeting with legislators for your district.

Can’t go? Then, send a message. Start collecting your stories of school (and student) transformation through the arts, and send them to your state representative.  Click here to find your legislator.

The Florida Department of Education reports that Florida high school students who took art, dance, and music classes had higher GPAs, graduation rates, and FCAT and SAT scores than their classmates who did not study the arts. Benefits for the nearly 200,000 12th graders studied were seen across all ethnic, racial, and economic groups. Click here to read.