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In This Issue
- Your Voices Make a Difference
- Sacramento Arts Organizations Receive Grant from Irvine Foundation
- New LA Arts Funding Survey Shows Organizations Doing More with Less
- Singer Linda Ronstadt Testifies About Arts on Behalf of Silicon Valley Groups
- New information about Federal Stimulus Funds for Education
- Arts Advocates See Progress Under Obama
- White House Appoints Arts and Culture Position
- Actor Tim Daly: Make Arts a Priority
- Texas Legislators Crack Down on Removing Kids from Arts Classes
- Tehama County Gives Permanent Place to Student Artwork at District Offices
- New Alameda County Arts Education Blog
- Learning, Arts and the Brain Summit
CONFERENCES, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
- Register Now for the Statewide Arts Education Leadership Conference
- Powering Through the Recession
- Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission Teaching Artists Workshop
RESOURCES, FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
- NAEA Research Grants
- PTA Arts Enhancement Grants
April 8, 2009
ArtsEdMail provides all the latest information to connect the Arts Education community in California. Our free e-newsletter is published every two weeks.
We rely on you to support our efforts.
Your
Voices Make a Difference
This month, we are monitoring breaking developments at the state and national
level for their potential effect on visual and performing arts education
in California public schools. There is a lot of work to be done to make
sure that emerging policy protects and benefits visual and performing arts
education.
Just recently, we sent out an alert asking you to raise your voices to help us oppose new state legislation - Assembly Bill 554 (Furutani) - that would allow students to substitute career technical education classes for visual and performing arts, foreign language, and physical education classes. Hundreds of you sent letters, and the Assembly Education Committee removed the bill from the schedule to allow time for further review. Congratulations and thank you to all those who helped reach out to state policymakers.
In the coming weeks, districts will be making decisions regarding stimulus funds that are just beginning to flow to public schools and once again your voices make a difference.
The federal stimulus plan includes approximately $8 billion for education in California. The funds can be used to avoid teacher layoffs, continue efforts to close achievement gaps, and improve educational opportunities for California’s children and youth. Our national news section below includes detailed information about the stimulus funds and how they will be disbursed.
What do these developments and opportunities suggest for the future of arts education in California?
In our judgment, the new Title 1 funding included in the stimulus funds may be used to support arts-related teacher and administrator positions in schools with a high percentage of Title 1 students. In addition Title 1 funding can be used for professional development in arts education for teachers in those schools, or to expand existing arts education programs as per Title 1 guidelines.
The State Fiscal Stabilization Funds (SFSF) may be used to support “any activity authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)” and “to pay salaries to avoid having to lay off teachers and other school employees.” Since the arts are included as a core subject in ESEA, in our estimation these funds might include visual and performing arts personnel.
Decisions regarding the Title 1 and SFSF funds will be made at the district level. It’s important for advocates to continue to make the case locally that arts education is an essential component of a comprehensive education that enables our children to succeed, to engage fully in school, and to be prepared to meet the challenges of the world around them. Visit our online toolkit for help in preparing to make the case in your district.
In the coming weeks, we will continue to highlight opportunities to influence public policy regarding visual and performing arts in the public schools. Watch our legislative updates section for news.
Sacramento
Arts Organizations Receive Grant from Irvine Foundation
The Irvine Foundation recently distributed more than $72,000 to Sacramento-area
organizations to help keep the arts alive during difficult economic times.
Recipients include the Camellia Symphony’s Instrument Petting Zoo and
Very Special Art’s program for children with disabilities. Read
more.
New
LA Arts Funding Survey Shows Organizations Doing More with Less
The report describes the current crisis facing arts organizations in
Los Angeles, with public and private funds unlikely to meet the needs
of the local arts and culture nonprofit sector. Read
more.
Singer
Linda Ronstadt Testifies About Arts on Behalf of Silicon Valley Groups
Linda Ronstadt recently told Congressional lawmakers about the difference
music made in her childhood, and how music programs have a discernable
positive effect on students. The singer traveled to Washington at the request
of the Arts Council of Silicon Valley and the San Jose Mariachi and Mexican
Heritage Festival, for which she is artistic director. Ronstadt was part
of a group meeting with political leaders to seek funding support for Silicon
Valley arts programs. Read
more. Ronstadt will be delivering a keynote
address at the upcoming statewide Arts Education Leadership Conference
in Sacramento, April 20 & 21. More
information.
New
information about Federal Stimulus Funds for Education
The first $44 billion in economic stimulus aid began flowing to states
last week. New guidance from the US Department of Education describes how
states, districts and institutions of higher education will receive money
from the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund and the Government Services Fund,
and how they may use it. Read
story.
For more information on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 and how it will benefit California, the California Department of Education has provided comprehensive information. Find out more.
The U.S. Department of Education also posted a preliminary list of how much ARRA Title 1 funds each school district is expected to receive. Visit the site.
A recent U.S. Department of Education presentation looks at guiding principles and funding availability for programs funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. View slideshow.
Arts
Advocates See Progress Under Obama
The New York Times reports that although much remains to be decided,
arts advocates see signs of progress toward returning to an earlier era
of strong government support for the arts.
White
House Appoints Arts and Culture Position
President Obama has established a staff positions overseeing arts and
culture in the Office of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs.
Kareem Dale, an attorney and special assistant to the president for disability
policy, was named to the post. Read
more.
Actor
Tim Daly: Make Arts a Priority
Daly spoke to the House Education and Labor Committee about the impact that the
entertainment and arts industries have on the economy. Find
out more.
Texas
Legislators Crack Down on Removing Kids from Arts Classes
The Texas Senate unanimously approved legislation to prevent districts from removing
students from regular classes – including arts – to focus on test preparation.
Read
the full story.
Tehama
County Gives Permanent Place to Student Artwork at District Offices
The Tehama County Department of Education District Office recently established
a permanent student artwork display at their offices. The change is a
step along the path that district superintendent Larry Champion set for
himself in his first year in his position. Champion vowed to give priority
to the arts, and to give students a voice through the display of their
work. Read
more.
New
Alameda County Arts Education Blog
The Alameda County Alliance for Arts Learning recently launched a new blog
exploring arts. Bloggers consider the question: What skills, perspectives,
values, and understandings will our students need to meet the challenges
and opportunities of the future and how do we educate for success? Visit
the blog.
Learning,
Arts and the Brain Summit
On May 6, 2009, Johns Hopkins University will host the Learning, Arts and
the Brain (LAB) Summit, including a poster session, to explore how the
arts enhance learning outcomes and contribute to cognitive and social development
in children. More information.
Conferences, Professional Development
Register
Now for the Statewide Arts Education Leadership Conference
Two weeks remain until the state Arts Education Leadership Conference co-sponsored
by the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association
(CCSESA) and the California Alliance for Arts Education. Join us in Sacramento
April 20-21. Early registration has been extended through April 11th. Playwright,
director and activist Luis Valdez and singer Linda Ronstadt are featured
guests. Register.
Powering
Through the Recession
Education Week conference, May 15, in Newport Beach. The conference addresses
strategies for keeping student achievement on track and covers budget cuts
as well. More
information.
Sacramento
Metropolitan Arts Commission Teaching Artists Workshop
Information meeting April 23, 4:00 to 7:30 at the South Natomas Community
Center Conference Room, 2921 Truxel Rd, Sacramento. This workshop focuses
on how teaching artists can offer powerful arts experiences in the classroom
that support curricular goals. Sarah Anderberg, Director of the CCSESA
Arts Initiative, will present. For more information, call 916-566-3979
or email chunt@cityofsacramento.org
Resources,
Funding Opportunities
NAEA
Research Grants
This program is designed to encourage research in arts education and provides
major grants for research specifically relating to one of the recommendations
in Creating a Visual Arts Research Agenda Toward the 21st Century identified
by NAEA's Commission on Research in Art Education. The deadline for the submission
of proposals for the 2010-2011 grant cycle is October 1, 2009. Learn
more.
PTA
Arts Enhancement Grants
Each year, PTA’s Mary Lou Anderson Reflections Arts Enhancement Grant Program
offers a limited number of matching grants of up to $1,000 to local PTAs for
student-centered programs focused on arts education. Special consideration is
given to programs that reach large numbers of students whose environmental, familial,
and/or socioeconomic situation may affect their academic success or ability to
learn. Talk to your school’s PTA about applying. Applications are due May 1,
2009. Learn
more.
Employment
Dance
Teacher, Performing Arts High School, Los Angeles
Hiring organization: Inner City Education Foundation, a nonprofit charter
school management organization serving communities in the South Los Angeles
area. Get more
information.
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