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Making Arts Learning Visible in Stanislaus

published by CAAEStaff on March 22, 2013 - 3:29pm

The Educationally Interpretative Exhibition: Rethinking the Display of Student Art, Making Arts Learning Visible

By Patty Larrick

A Project of the Stanislaus County Alliance for Arts Education in collaboration with the Stanislaus County Office of Education.
How do we view and understand a typical student art show? What do we make of what we see? Do we look for the “best” work? The blue ribbons? The “talented” kids? Maybe we look first at the nametags that identify the student, school and grade level. Do we learn anything about how the work was created? Can we make any assumptions about teaching and learning from the singular examples on display?
This month, the Stanislaus Alliance for Arts Education, in collaboration with the Stanislaus County Office of Education implemented an educational model for the display of pre-K through high school artwork. Based on a model developed by Elliot Eisner at Stanford University, the Educationally Interpretative Exhibition (EIE) was introduced at the County Office of Education, March 4-14, 2013.
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Arts Orange County Promote the Local Arts Scene

published by CAAEStaff on March 5, 2013 - 1:53pm


"Whether its informing the public about events, building capacity of arts organizations or championing arts education, Arts Orange County (ArtsOC) plays a vital role," so says USAirways Magazine in a recent issue of their infight magazine.

The California Alliance is delighted to see our longtime partners in local arts education advocacy recognized for their important work in the County. ArtsOC has spearheaded the Alliance's Local Advoacy Network in Orange County, building advoacy coaltions in fourteen OC school districts who are working to advance the arts in local schools. Read the article.

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Using Facebook to Promote Arts Education in Los Alamitos

published by CAAEStaff on February 28, 2013 - 2:28pm

The Challenge: How to connect with parents and other allies and build support for K-12 arts education in local schools.

The Strategy: Donna Chinn created a Facebook page that pooled information about arts education events in Los Alamitos from various sites and schools, providing parents with one place to find out about all arts events in the district.

The Story: “I didn’t really know how Facebook worked,” says Donna Chinn, local organizer for the Los Alamitos Alliance for Arts Education, ”When I started I was trying to find or invent a way to connect with parents and other people who might be interested in local arts. Eventually, I discovered that I could set up a page for the arts alliance as an organization. Luckily, my daughter was able to help me with my many newbie questions.”

While she didn’t have experience with social media, Donna started with clear objectives and a sound strategy:

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Webinar: Creative Ways to Connect with your School Board

published by CAAEStaff on January 14, 2013 - 12:25pm

Creative Ways to Connect with Your School Board is a webinar offering concrete ways to build relationships with school board members and promote arts education in your local school district. Created by the California Alliance for Arts Education and the California State PTA, it features strategies for elevator speeches, school board presentations and an array of other ways to connect with school board members. View an archive of this one-hour event here (please note presentation begins at :30).

With the budget process underway, there are critical decisions ahead about if and how arts education will be funded. The Governor’s budget proposal, released last week, gives local districts greater flexibility and autonomy in how they use state funds, putting more decisions in the hands of local school boards, with fewer state restrictions and requirements. The Governor’s budget also eliminates some categorical funding, which could shift money away from what was previously reserved to support arts education programs. Watch the archive here. (please note presentation begins at :30).

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Alliance Launches 5 Local Coalitions through Arts Council Partnership

published by CAAEStaff on November 13, 2012 - 4:59pm

As a result of a new partnership with the California Arts Council, this fall local arts councils in Amador, Fresno, Mendocino, Placer and Santa Cruz joined the Alliance’s Local Advocacy Network.

The program empowers local communities to keep arts programs in schools by providing the strategic assistance, leadership development and communication tools. Since its launch four years ago, the network has helped local advocates build strong relationships with their local school boards, participate in the creation of a district arts plan and earn media coverage and broad support for arts education.

The five local councils support from bring a wealth of experience and a strong commitment to this work. Each one hosts a breakfast event for community leaders to gather and unify local support for arts education. Read about the recent launch in Amador County.

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Adobe On Why Creativity Skills are an Important Part of a Well-rounded Education

published by CAAEStaff on November 13, 2012 - 3:38pm
By Jon Perera, Vice President, Adobe Education
Adobe has always believed that creativity fosters success, empowers us, and differentiates us, whether in everyday life, the workplace or school. It also seemed, however, that as a society, we often take creativity for granted. To gain a better understanding of the cultural and economic impact of creativity, Adobe commissioned a survey earlier this year. The study delved into perspectives on creativity among 5000 adults – 1000 each in countries that represent five of the world’s largest economies - the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France and Japan.
The State of Create benchmark study examined global attitudes, behaviors and perceptions on the topic. The results were striking. The study revealed a global creativity gap -- the universal concern that creativity is suffering at work and school. Around the globe, 8 in 10 people feel that unlocking creativity is critical to economic growth. Nearly two-thirds feel creativity is valuable to society. Yet a striking minority – only 1 in 4 people – believes they are living up to their own creative potential. Additionally, many believe creativity is taken for granted (52% globally, 70% in the United States) and more than half of those surveyed feel that creativity is being stifled by their education systems.
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I was shopping at Costco when I saw a school board member right there in my path.

published by CAAEStaff on September 27, 2012 - 12:17pm


From Costco to the Curriculum Advisory Committee – Elevator Speeches that Work

By Cathy Dagostino-Hamilton, Local Organizer for the Escondido Alliance for Arts Education

The Challenge: How do you build relationships with school board members in your community?

Strategy: A little bit of nerve and a well-prepared elevator speech

Story: When I started working with the Alliance’s Local Advocacy Network I was a concerned, resourceful mom with a strong belief in the value of the arts. I had seen first hand how they had helped my daughter connect and learn at school and read research that backed up my experience. But I didn’t have relationships with local school board members who made the funding decisions about arts programs – how could I get my message across?

Get to know your school board members

You may find they or one of them may live in your own neighborhood. That happens to be the case for me and once I realized that, I began to notice her around our local area, walking, shopping, and at community events. Don’t be a stalker! I do not follow her around! I just take opportunities as they are presented. As it happened, I didn’t have to wait long. I was shopping at Costco when I saw a school board member right there in my path.
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Advocates in Fresno Give Fundraising a Good Name

published by CAAEStaff on June 14, 2012 - 1:59pm

The Challenge: Finding a concrete way to get business leaders involved in arts education advocacy.

The Strategy: Ask them to sponsor a wall to display student artwork in a community gallery.

The Story: When Elva Rodriguez launched an arts education advocacy group in Central Unified Fresno, she already had good, solid relationships with local businesses. She had been involved with the Rotary club as well as the school district. But, she wondered how she could create a tangible way for businesses to support arts education in the community.

Her team came up with a concrete idea. They asked the Rotary Club to sponsor and name a wall in one of the galleries at Arte Américas, a community cultural center. The wall will be devoted to displaying student artwork.
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Eight OC School Districts Receive Grants to Fund Arts Plans

published by CAAEStaff on May 2, 2012 - 5:11pm

The Orange County Arts Education Collaborative Fund—a collaboration between the Orange County Community Foundation and Arts Orange County—recently presented grants totaling $66,000 to 8 Orange County (OC) School Districts. Grants ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 were made possible by funding from The Boeing Company and the Orange County Community Foundation. Read Story about Eight OC School Districts Receive Grants to Fund Arts Plans

News from the Local Advocacy Network: Placentia Yorba Linda

published by CAAEStaff on April 12, 2012 - 10:38am

The Challenge: How do you garner support for a far-reaching arts plan in tough financial times?

The Strategy: Partnership and patience. But not too much patience.
The Story: Adopting a district arts plan is a great way to build community support for a long-term commitment to arts education in schools. But given the state of public school funding in California, it’s understandable that district officials would be cautious about agreeing to a plan with long-term financial implications.
Sandee Van Oyen, the Local Organizer for the Placentia Yorba Linda Alliance for Arts Education, who spearheaded the effort says she was lucky to find strong commitment to the arts in the school board, district staff and County Department of Education -- and patience.
“Without the support and partnership of staff within the district office we could not have pulled this off,” says Van Oyen “It took months and months of meetings and carefully going over the details of the Arts Advantage plan so that everyone could understand and become comfortable with the fiscal impact. A lot of patience was required on everyone’s part.”
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