In This Issue
- Update on Arts Block Grant Funding
- CA Alliance Launches Local Advocacy Project
- Temecula: Music, PE Classes To Be Cut
- Arts Inequity Divides Rich, Poor
- Monterey County Office of Education Launces California Arts Advocacy Toolkit
- Model School for Arts
- Bill to Protect PE and Arts Classes Vetoed
- District-Level Exemplars for Arts Education
- Arts Education Impact on Neuroscience
- The State of Arts Education Today
CONFERENCES, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
- SNAP Summer Institutes and Programs
- Art in Education Teaching Institute Spring 2008 Mini-Courses
- 2nd Annual TCAP K-12 Courageous Creativity Conference
- TCAP Regional Centers: 2008 Summer Prof Development Institutes
- Regional Forums Throughout CA
- National Arts Ed Training on System Change
- Arts Education: Taking Stock of the Future
- Arts LINC
- SouthCAP Summer Institutes
- ACSO 40th Annual Conference
May 28 , 2008
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Update
on Arts
Block Grant Funding
The unveiling of the May Revise earlier this month brought the good
news of Governor Schwarzenegger’s continued support for the Arts and
Music Block Grants. At the same time, there are deep concerns about language
within the proposed budget related to the use of “Ending Fund Balances.”
This proposal would allow districts to move state categorical program
carryover or reserve funds from any prior year and from any program to
the district's unrestricted general fund to backfill existing shortfalls.
Our concern is that this proposal could have devastating consequences for both the ongoing Arts and Music Block Grants (Budget Item 6110-25-0001 Arts and Music Grant), and the one time Arts, Music & Physical Education Supplies & Equipment Fund (AB 1802 Sec. 43 (A) 16) in districts where those funds have not yet been allocated.
Apportionment letters sent to the districts stated there was no spending deadline attached to the funding and strongly encouraged the development of strategic district wide plans to implement the funding to ensure maximum benefit for students.
Should this proposal be enacted, students in districts with unspent funds could be denied access to arts education should those funds be reallocated for other purposes. We believe it is essential that the intent of these funds – to support quality arts education in all schools - be protected in the coming budget year, to allow school districts the opportunity to implement their plans and begin to address the disparities in access that exist across the state.
To that end the Alliance is strongly communicating these concerns to both the Governor’s office and to legislative leaders.
Here’s what you can do today:
Write a letter to your local school superintendent and school board members. Help to inform them that their decisions will impact student access to a core academic subject—the visual and performing arts. Click here to see a sample letter.
California
Alliance Launches Local Advocacy Project
The California Alliance for Arts Education is sponsoring a series of local
pilot programs throughout the state, to build public understanding and support
for the critical role of arts education in the development of every student.
The purpose of the Arts Education Local Advocacy Project is to build a core group
of local leaders, committed to the principle that arts education is an essential
component of a quality education that every child deserves. The Bakersfield Alliance
for Arts Education convened on May 14, the first of six pilot sites, which will
include Hayward, Orange County, Los Angeles County, Fontana and Santa Clara County.
With the guidance of a representative from each community, the Alliance
will convene a
selected group of community leaders at each site, ultimately seeking
to develop shared principles for advocacy and communication strategies
that convey a united message to both local and state leaders.
For more information about the project and the Bakersfield Alliance event, click here.
Temecula:
Music, PE Classes To Be Cut
This fall elementary school students in the Temecula Valley Unified School
District probably won't be attending separate classes in music, physical
education and computer technology. The board has voted to eliminate those
teaching positions because of an expected drop in state funding and plans
to fold these subjects into the regular school day. Parents and educators say
the move will be a big loss for students for whom the classes provide part
of a well-rounded education. To read the article in
full, click here.
Arts
Inequity Divides Rich, Poor
When parents have the desire, and the cash, they can dramatically boost
arts programs in schools. It happens at Jenny Lind Elementary School, where the
Parent/Teacher Organization pours $17,000 a year into the school, including sponsoring
a daylong arts festival each May that is full of workshops and assemblies with
professional dancers, musicians, sculptors and painters. "Other than the
last day of school, this is their favorite day," parent Nicole Samorano
said of her children's response to the arts festival. Samorano is president of
the Jenny Lind Parent/Teacher Organization. She said about $5,000 a year goes
to the festival, but the organization also spends almost that much to hire an
artist who comes twice a year to give every classroom lessons in charcoal painting,
pastels and other visual art techniques. California lags the nation in arts instruction
given to children, and such parent donations mean that children at wealthy schools
get more of it than do children elsewhere, according to a study of California
arts education released in 2007. To read the article in full, click here.
Monterey
County Office of Education Launches California Arts Advocacy Toolkit
The Monterey County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Nancy Kotowski, announced
today that the Monterey County Office of Education has launched the California
Arts Advocacy Toolkit, a resource available for all California schools to advocate,
rebuild and teach arts in education. The California Arts Advocacy Toolkit is
a vehicle for all schools statewide [as well as advocates and other leaders]
to advocate for a comprehensive and standards-based arts education in dance,
music, theatre, and visual arts for California students in kindergarten through
high school. to read the article in full, click here.
Model
School for Arts
Bridgeton High School in New Jersey has been named a model school for arts education. District
officials learned of the distinction, which is based on scores from the New Jersey
Arts Education Census Project, last Friday. With the "model school" label,
the state Department of Education, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and
the New Jersey Arts Education Partnership have placed BHS among the top 10 percent
of high schools in the state regarding arts education. In order to be considered
a "model school," high schools must offer courses in four arts disciplines
-- fine arts, dance, drama, and music. To read the article in full, click
here.
Bill
to Protect PE and Arts Classes Vetoed
Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano vetoed a measure Tuesday that was intended
to protect gym classes and the teaching of music and the arts from K-12 cuts. The
measure, House Bill 2557, was written to discourage school districts from cutting
PE and the arts from the curriculum in favor of math, science and other core
classes. But the measure, sponsored by state Rep. Mark Anderson, R-Mesa,
would have allowed local school boards to vote publicly to drop offerings such
as PE and the arts if necessitated by budget strains. She described the bill
as "both unnecessary and redundant." Napolitano also called the
measure "an empty promise" because it offered no additional state funding
to help school districts provide programs teaching the arts, vocational education
and PE. To read the article in full, click here.
District-Level
Exemplars for Arts Education
This SRI International report (part of its status and condition report
for
CA) examines the state, district, and school policies on time allocation and
funding that support comprehensive arts instruction in ten exemplar arts programs,
compares them to those in typical California schools, and recommends reforms
at the district level. for more information, click here.
Arts
Education Impact on Neuroscience
Dana Foundation released "Learning, Arts, and the Brain" about the
link between arts education and brain activity. In "A Conversation with
Michael S. Gazzaniga" the study’s lead researcher notes the results of the
study do not point to causation, but a strong correlation between training in
the arts and cognitive functions. To read the article in full, click here.
The
State of Arts Education Today
An article by Janet Eilber called "Signs of Progress Are Evident
Despite
Budget Cuts" describes the "subtle signs of progress" that have
been made in support of arts education in spite of cuts in school district budgets
and increased testing requirements under the No Child Left Behind Act. To read
the article in full, click here.
Conferences, Professional Development
SNAP
Summer Institutes and Programs: Deadline for Reduced Registration Fee Extended
to June 1
This summer SNAP is offering two unique and dynamic
professional development opportunities for teachers and the Courageous Creativity
Conference at Disneyland for your administrators! You can see all the details
for these programs and download the registration forms on the SNAP website,
click here for
more information, or contact SNAP Director, Christine Monroe 530-752-9683
or SNAP Administrative Assistant, Staci Garcia 530-752-0576 for questions.
Art
In Education Teaching Institute Spring 2008 Mini-Courses; Visual Thinking
Strategies: The Basics
Students are introduced to the basics of Visual Thinking Strategies
(VTS), an arts integration tool that can be used across the curriculum. This
student-centered, research-based method of facilitating open-ended discussions
is geared toward developing critical thinking skills, building visual literacy,
supporting language development, and refining powers of observation.
Participants practice VTS and discuss the theoretical and practical aspects of this powerful teaching tool. Learn how to implement VTS as an entry-point arts integration tool, as well as how it’s used to support and augment schools with existing arts-learning practices. Instructor: Liz Harvey, Sat., 10 a.m.–4 p.m. (lunch: noon–1 p.m.), June 14, 1 session. $110. CEU: 0.5 available through Cal State University East Bay. For more information and registration, click here.
Art
Retreat for the "Nonartist" Educator
Explore and reflect in an intensive arts workshop that
engages participants to make and look at art nonstop for three days.
Myriad art-making processes and techniques are explored, including traditional,
multicultural, and contemporary.
Upon completion, students will be more comfortable with how to make and think about art, as well as be better prepared to bring the arts into the classroom in a powerful and authentic way. Instructor: Jennifer Stuart, Mon.–Wed., 9 a.m.–3 p.m. (lunch: noon–1 p.m.), Aug. 11–13, 3 sessions. $320. CEU: 1.5 available through Cal State University East Bay. For more information and registration, click here.
2nd
Annual TCAP K-12 Administrator Courageous Creativity Conference
June 23-25, 2008, held at the Disney Paradise Pier® Hotel,
Anaheim. This exciting conference provides administrators with leadership
supports for standards based arts education and insight into arts careers
in action. Keynote speakers include Martin Sklar, Disney’s “Imagineering
Ambassador” and international speaker on leadership and creativity, and a
special panel of Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Artists. The conference
includes behind the scenes tours of arts careers in action and breakouts
focused on supporting administrators in leading standards based K-12 arts
education. Register Early! Click here or
call 909-537-7542 for more information and a registration form.
TCAP
Regional Centers: 2008 Summer Professional Development Institutes and Programs
TCAP regional centers offer customized professional development
programs, yearly institutes, leadership development, support for assessing
and developing arts education plan and programs, and other arts education
related services. Click here to
find your regional TCAP Professional Development Center and Summer 2008 Institutes
and Programs.
Regional
Forums Throughout California
The California County Superintendents Association (CCSESA) is sponsoring
regional forums across the state to engage educators, school board members, parents,
arts organizations, and community members in a discussion about arts learning
for California students. The regional forums are intended to provide an
opportunity to discuss key ways to advance arts education in our schools. The
forums will include these key elements: Vision, Visibility, Resources and Support,
Call to Action, Next Steps. Click here for
more information on how to contact the regional lead in your area.
National Arts Education Training on System Change
Americans for the Arts annual arts education conference takes place this year
in Philadelphia, PA, June 20-22, 2008. The conference features research
and coaching on systemic arts education change, including new creative workforce
research, RAND research on systemic provision of arts education, and Dick Deasy
discussing arts education in his final weeks as director of the Arts Education
Partnership. For the first time ever, Americans for the Arts will host the
Teaching Artist Strand at the National Convention - a program for and by teaching
artists, in partnership with the Dana Foundation. For more information,
click here.
Arts
Education: Taking Stock of the Future
This one-day symposium will engage participants in an interactive discussion
of major advances in arts education that have occurred since the Arts
Education Partnership was founded and in recommending areas of focus
and actions needed to advance the field in the future. The symposium
will be hosted by the U.S. Department of Education at their Barnard Auditorium. An
evening event will follow to honor and celebrate the exceptional leadership
of Richard J. Deasy. For more information, click here.
Arts
LINC (Arts and Literacy in Nebraska and California)
An Arts Education Model Development and Dissemination Project
is hosting a three-day outreach, June 25-27, 2008 in San Diego. The event is
co-sponsored by the San Diego Natural History Museum. The focus is on integrated
literacy instruction with the arts and science. Space is limited. For
more information or registration materials, please email: Nancy.Andrzejczak@leusd.k12.ca.us.
SouthCAP
(TCAP) Summer Institutes
SouthCAP, a regional site of The California Arts Project, is offering
five institutes this summer for educators from Orange, San Diego and Imperial
Counties. These offerings are for the elementary classroom teacher as well as
the arts teacher, K-12. All institutes offer Continuing Education credits and
some scholarships are available. For a discounted price apply by April 1st, and
due to the current budget constraints in many districts, payment may be deferred
to the next fiscal year. For more information, click
here or contact
Helena Hanna at 619-594-6647 or hhanna@projects.sdsu.edu.
ACSO
40th Annual Conference
August 7-9, 2008 in Walnut Creek Hosted by the California Symphony. Click here for
a convenient overview of the sessions. For descriptions of all
of the sessions, take a peek at the Conference
Brochure . Online
Registration is now available for your convenience. Register
before July 1st to take advantage of the Early Bird rates. (Groups
of four or more please register by fax or mail.)
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