Arts Education Month is the perfect time to invite your local leaders — School Board members, city council officials, state legislators, etc. — to your school or district's special event, or even into the classroom, to see arts learning in action.

The arts are part of our state's definition of basic education. As our legislature considers new funding mechanisms for basic education, it is ever more important to remind our leaders of this fact.

First-hand experience with the arts is a powerful way to demonstrate the engagement, joy, enthusiasm, and learning that comes from art education. We urge you to take advantage of Arts Education Month as an opportunity to educate your local leaders about the power of arts learning.

ArtsEd Washington has created a series of tips and templates to help you make the most of your leaders' visits; we've also created resources for alerting the media and inviting your community.*

Scroll down to see what's available, and don't forget to let us know how it goes!

• Download the following invitation letter and send by mail to your local leaders. These may include School Board members, city council officials, state legislators, local funders, and/or district-level leadership.

Sample Invitation Letter for Local Leaders Word | PDF

• Follow up with a phone call one week after mailing the invitation.

• If you have not received a response within two weeks of sending the invitation, make another call. Be prepared to explain the importance and purpose of his/her visit to your school.

• Confirm the date that your local leader will visit.

• Follow up with your local leader one week in advance of the visit.

In addition to inviting your local leaders, invite local media to your event and make a splash! The fact that your local leaders are attending your event is newsworthy, and your leaders will appreciate the spotlight. Take advantage of this opportunity to build public awareness about your programs.

Prior to the event:

• Fax or e-mail a Press Release: The press release is a short piece that includes the "who, what, where, when, and why" about your event. The press release should be faxed or e-mailed to newspaper, television, and radio reporters at least 5-10 days in advance of your event.

  Sample Arts Education Month Press Release Word | PDF

• Follow up with a Phone Call to each reporter 3 days before your event. Do not call to find out if the reporter received your press release. Instead, call to remind them about your event and ask if they plan to attend. Be prepared with the names of all local leaders that will be attending. Offer to re-send the press release, if yours got lost in the shuffle.

• Write an Opinion Editorial (Op-Ed): Op-Eds are an effective way to get your message out without relying on reporters to write articles. As the name connotes, Op-Eds should be written in your own voice around a subject that you have a strong opinion about, such as "the effects of budget cuts on your arts programs" or "why the arts are vital to every child’s education."

If you are inviting your local leaders to a public event, such as an arts exhibition, performance, or awards ceremony, don't forget to invite parents, teachers, and community members to participate.

Methods of getting the word out might include:

• Event Listing in the Official Arts Education Month Calendar

  Arts Education Month Event Calendar

• Public Service Announcement: Often your local public and cable public access television stations and public radio stations will run a Public Service Announcement (PSA) about your event. A PSA is a short 15-30 second spot announcing your event that television and radio stations run free-of-charge. Usually, a double-spaced script typed in all CAPS is submitted to the station. Contact your local station’s public service director to find out if the station will run a spot and specific submission requirements.

  Sample Arts Education Month PSA (coming soon)

• Event Flyer: At least one week prior to the event, send copies of an Event Flyer home with all of your students to give to their parents, put them in teacher and staff mailboxes; post them around your school and in community buildings, such as libraries and recreation centers.

  Sample Arts Education Month Event Poster (coming soon)

• Promotion in Your School Paper: Publish an article or advertisement in your School Paper.

• Delegate at least one member of your organizing committee to greet the local leader upon his/her arrival at your school and act as host and escort throughout the visit.

• Give your local leader some materials to take home:

  Governor Gregoire's State Proclamation of Arts Education Month
  Small PDF (250kb) | Large PDF (4 Mb)

  State House of Representatives Resolution 4640

  State Board of Education Resolution in Support of Arts Education Month

  Copies of key news clippings on your school/district arts programs, if available.

• Delegate a member of your organizing committee to greet the press and act as host and escort throughout the visit.

• Provide each reporter a press kit including a copy of the press release, fact sheet, copies of opinion editorials that you might have placed, sampling of any previous press clippings you might have, and a business card.

• Ask reporters when they plan to publish or air a piece on your event. Request copies.