Arts Advocacy

Advocating for quality arts education for all children is an ongoing challenge. Not all schools offer "sequential study, practice, and reflection" in all the arts - dance, music, theater, film, and visual arts. We need to argue for the addition of these courses where they do not exist, and retention where they are offered.   Often, arts courses are in jeopardy as the schools devote more and more for reading, writing and mathematics - and for testing in these areas. Having the words to explain that the arts are essential to life and the facts to show that the arts improve learning and the educational climate is important as we continue our fight. Here are links to groups that have documents that can be of help .

We just caution that as you fight for the arts in the lives of our children that you keep in mind the insights expressed in the Introduction to the National Standards for Arts Education:

• The arts include Dance, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts.
• All students deserve access to the rich education and understanding that the arts provide, regardless of their background, talents, or disabilities.
• All basic
• Arts instruct subjects, including the arts, require more than mere “exposure” or access. They need focused time for sequential study, and reflection. While valuable, a once-a-month visit from an arts specialist, visits to or from professional artists, or arts courses for the specially motivated do not qualify as basic or adequate arts instruction.ion should be comprehensive (including creating/producing and studying all the arts) and sequential. The Standards assume that students will achieve at the essential level in all the arts by the end of the eighth grade and that they will achieve proficiency in at least one art form by the time they graduate from high school.
• Schools should be accountable for student success in the arts.
  The arts should be assessed, just as the other basic subjects are.
• The arts are a joyful expression of what it means to be human and should be deeply embedded in the life of each school and each child.

We are far from our goal. May these links help with your fight to assure quality arts education for all children and youth.

AMC – American Music Conference
http://www.amc-music.com
Click on Music Advocacy Resources to find advocacy support ranging from the Music Education Advocate's Toolkit to a Gallup Poll, Public Service Announcements, Advocacy Brochures and Pamphlets, plus other good stuff. This is a remarkable site! The other art forms should be doing this too!

Americans for the Arts
http://www.americansforthearts.org/
This is an arts advocacy group. They have a broad mandate, but do spend some time supporting arts education. Click on Policy & Advocacy to find their current efforts.

ACA - Arizona Citizens for the Arts and Arizona Action for the Arts
http://www.AZCitizensfortheArts.org/
the state's arts advocacy associations

ArtsEdge: Advocacy Resources
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org
Click on Advocacy Essentials for essays to help with your advocacy efforts and on Articles & Reports to find information that supports the need for arts in the schools.

Arts Education Partnership
http://aep-arts.org
The Arts Education Partnership (formerly the Goals 2000 Arts Education Partnership ) is a national coalition of arts, education, business, philanthropic and government organizations that demonstrates and promotes the essential role of the arts in the learning and development of every child and in the improvement of America's schools. The organization has generated outstanding information and documents. Check out:

• Forums
• Topics: Evaluation & Assessment, National & State Advocacy, resources for Partnerships, Research, State Arts Education Policy Database
• Publications
• Links
• What's New

Artslynx! Arts on Line
http://aep-arts.org/Links.htm
Links and resources for the arts advocate

Crayola: Arts Advocacy
http://www.crayola.com/educators/advocacy/index.cfm
Information to support art in the schools; plus links to provide more help.

EdTA Educational Theatre Association: Advocacy Partners
http://www.edta.org/advocacy/advocacy_partner_links.asp
Particularly interesting are the links to books and articles supporting arts education.

The Incredible @rt Department: Arts Advocacy
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/advocacy.htm
A quick list of why The Arts, plus links to 30 sites with more information or organizational help.

NAEA – the National Art Education Association
http://www.naea-reston.org
Click on Recent News to find their advocacy information.

Opera America
http://www.operaam.org
Check out Legislative Advocacy.