Summary: The California Alliance for Arts Education and the California State PTA sponsored ACR 12, a concurrent resolution honoring March 2013 as Arts Education Month, which encourages all elected officials to participate with their educational communities in celebrating the arts, and would urge all residents to become interested in and give full support to quality school arts programs for children and youth. 
 

Summary: Sponsored by the California Alliance for Arts Education and authored by Senators Curren Price and Carol Liu, SB 432 would create an index to measure student opportunities for creativity and innovation in schools. 

Current law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to establish an advisory committee to advise the Superintendent and the State Board of Education on all appropriate matters relating to the creation of the Academic Performance Index and the implementation of an accountability system. This bill would require the advisory committee to develop a public measurement, or index, of activities in public school classrooms that foster creativity, innovation, and problem solving, as provided. If passed, it would provide a tangible way to measure and inspire learning opportunities that nurture creativity and innovation in our public schools.
Right now, student and school evaluations are based solely on standardized tests. As educators, parents, artists and students we know there is more to academic success than bubble tests. Research shows that arts education raises student achievement in all subjects, lowers drop out rates and nurtures confidence and creativity in young people. 

Summary: This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to develop a voluntary K-12 curriculum to educate pupils and their families about college and career opportunities. The bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to appoint, and provide staff for, a 12-member Pathways Curriculum Task Force. The bill would specify the qualifications and duties of the members of the task force. The bill would require the task force to establish specified learning goals for pupils at elementary, middle, and high school levels and help pupils to achieve these goals. 

Summary: This bill would authorize taxpayers to designate on their tax returns that a specified amount in excess of their tax liability be transferred to the Arts for Kids Fund, which is created by this bill. This bill would require that all moneys contributed to the fund pursuant to these provisions, upon appropriation by the Legislature, be allocated to the Franchise Tax Board and the Controller for reimbursement and to the Arts Council for grants, as prescribed. This bill contains other related provisions.