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In This Issue
- LAUSD Proposes Cutting Half of Elementary Art Teachers
- California Arts License Plates Declared Tax-Deductible
- School Board in Woodland Passes $3 Million in Budget Cut
- UCI and SDUSD Help Children Learn English through the Arts
- Creativity Drives Employment, Economy in Los Angeles Region
- Chief State School Officers Support Collection of Arts Ed Data
- Report Finds Education News Is Not Making Headlines
- First Round of 2010 National Endowment Grant Recipients Announced
- Conference on Learning, Arts and the Brain Highlights Value of Arts Education
- Announcement from CA Department of Education
- Archive of National Endowment’s Forum on Cultural Workforce Now Available
- Call for Student Scripts
CONFERENCES, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
- Community Arts Training Call for Proposals
RESOURCES, FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
- Surdna Arts Teachers' Fellowship Program
- National Education Association Foundation Leaders Grant
December 16, 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.
A
Message from the Alliance
I’m writing to you from the small, Pasadena office of the California Alliance
for Arts Education. This week, I joined the team here as Communications
Manager and am inspired by the big accomplishments of this tiny team.
Over the past year, the Alliance has launched ten local advocacy networks
in communities across the state; co-published a research
paper on district
wide student assessment;
guided the development of strategic
plans in nine school districts;
created a new web
video and
advocacy tips and
tools section
on the website; and monitored the state
budget and hundreds of legislative
bills.
That work could not have happened without you. At the heart of each of these accomplishments are the efforts of students, teachers, parents, artists, school board members and arts organizations across the state. But we’ll need your continued help to keep arts education alive and well in California schools.
President Obama has marshaled millions of dollars in funding for education. Yet right now our state is still scrambling to fill budget shortfalls from last year and running out of time to pass legislation that would make us eligible for Race to the Top funds. In this week’s blog, read about the need for robust, active local coalitions as we fight to preserve arts education in the coming months. Even as these larger battles play out, it’s critical to keep working on the local level, in your school, your district, and your community. No action is too small to make an impact.
I also encourage you to visit our website and check out the comprehensive spectrum of advocacy tools we offer. In addition to the legislative updates, and advocacy toolkit, there are also policy papers, as well as information about the state arts standards for public schools. With over one thousand school districts in California, the Alliance’s newsletter and website are critical resources for communicating with and supporting arts education advocates throughout the state. Email me sibyl@artsed411.org your questions, ideas or success stories. I welcome your thoughts on how the Alliance can strengthen your advocacy efforts.
Sibyl O’Malley, Communications Manager
LAUSD
Proposes Cutting Half of Elementary Art Teachers
Half of the district's 355 elementary arts and music teaching positions
are set to be cut next year - and halved again by 2012 - as the district
looks for ways to close a nearly $500 million budget deficit. Find
out more.
Arts for LA is spearheading a call to action to protest the cuts. See their website.
California
Arts License Plates Declared Tax-Deductible
The Franchise Tax Board has ruled that specialized arts license plates, which
benefit the California Arts Council and arts programs across the state, are tax-deductible.
The clarification comes just in time for end-of-year charitable giving and will
bolster the Council’s chronically under-funded efforts. Details.
School
Board in Woodland Passes $3 Million in Budget Cuts
The Woodland School Board’s 6-1 vote came as a last ditch effort to maintain
music programs. While not eliminated, the program’s budget has been cut
in half. Warren Burg voted against the action, citing his disapproval
with cuts to music, “We sat here a year ago and all agreed to not make
cuts to music, and I’m not going back on my word.” Read
more.
UCI
and SDUSD Help Children Learn English through the Arts
A partnership between the University of California, Irvine, and the San Diego
Unified School District uses the arts to boost the language skills of K-2 English
learners in some of the city’s least affluent neighborhoods. Arts activities
combine verbal and non-verbal communication to reinforce ideas and build vocabulary.
Read
more.
Creativity
Drives Employment, Economy in Los Angeles Region
According to a report by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation,
the “creative economy” is one of the largest business sectors in LA and
Orange Counties. As the U.S. economy continues to move from a manufacturing-based
to a service-based economy, the L.A. region will see an increase in work
for artists and designers. Get
report.
Chief
State School Officers Support Collection of Arts Ed Data
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) has endorsed the collection
of key data in all core subjects, including the visual and performing arts, as
defined by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). This recommendation,
approved by CCSSO’s Board of Directors, provides guidance to states for the development
of the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS). “The Council is vitally interested
in promoting a full and balanced curriculum for all students. Collecting data
on all curricular areas is the only way to make this balance transparent,” said
Gene Wilhoit, Executive Director, CCSSO. Read
more.
Report
Finds Education News Is Not Making Headlines
According to a study by the Brookings Institute, education news makes
up just 1.4% of news in newspapers, websites, television and radio. The
report also outlines eight steps for increasing the visibility of education
news. Read
more.
First
Round of 2010 National Endowment Grant Recipients Announced
The NEA will distribute $26,968,500 in support in the following categories:
Access
to Artistic Excellence, Creative Writing Fellowships in Prose, Challenge America:
Reaching Every Community, Fast Track and New Play Development. Details.
Conference
on Learning, Arts and the Brain Highlights Value of Arts Education
Johns Hopkins University and the Dana Foundation brought together neuroscience
researchers to discuss the impact of the arts on the brain. Jerry Kagan,
a developmental psychologist, outlined six reasons that arts education
is vital to educational success. Read
more.
Announcement
from CA Department of Education
Nancy Carr, California Department of Education Visual and Performing Arts Consultant,
retired from CDE effective November 30th 2009. Nancy represented the interests
of California Visual and Performing Arts at both the Federal and State levels
and will continue to support the field from her new home in Portland, Oregon.
In July, due to budget cuts and personnel reorganization, the position of VAPA Consultant was divided between Elementary and Secondary Arts. At that time, Jack Mitchell assumed responsibility for Secondary Arts. He will now be handling both Elementary and Secondary Arts across all four arts disciplines until Nancy’s position can be filled. Please contact him with any questions or concerns at jmitchell@cde.ca.gov or (916) 319-0504.
Archive
of National Endowment’s Forum on Cultural Workforce Now Available
In November, the NEA convened researchers who have studied the work habits
and economic conditions of individual artists in the U.S. The forum also
sought to develop future research agendas and approaches. Full
archive.
For highlights of the forum, check out the Fractured
Atlas Blog.
Call
for Student Scripts
The VSA Arts Playwright Discovery Program invites middle and high school students
to examine how disability affects their lives and the lives of others, and express
their views through the art of playwriting. Individual students or collaborations
by a group of students, with or without disabilities, are encouraged to submit
a script. The winning play will be professionally produced or staged at the John
F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Find
out more.
Conferences, Professional Development
Community
Arts Training Call for Proposals
The Community Arts Training Institute, housed at the St. Louis Regional Arts
Commission, is hosting At the Crossroads: A Community Arts and Development Convening,
a conference that brings together a cross-section of artists, community partners
and leaders for dialogue about arts and community development. Proposals for
presentations are due December 21, 2009. Find
out more.
Resources,
Funding Opportunities
Surdna
Arts Teachers' Fellowship Program
The Surdna Foundation’s Teachers Fellowship Program funds arts teachers working
in specialized public arts high schools and arts-focused magnet and charter high
schools. Letters of Inquiry due February 1st. Find
out more.
National
Education Association Foundation Leaders Grant
Learning & Leadership Grants provide opportunities for teachers to
engage in high-quality professional development. Find
out more.
Vice
President of Education, Museum of Latin American Art
The Museum of Latin American Art, in Long Beach, CA seeks a Vice President of
Education to lead the Museum’s educational programs. Read
more.
Executive
Director, Young Audiences of San Diego
Young Audiences of San Diego is seeking an Executive Director. Read
more.
Director
of Experience and Programs, Zeum
Zeum, San Francisco’s Children’s Museum, seeks a candidate for key leadership
position, responsible for the overall strategic vision, management of Zeum’s
exhibits, visitor experience, and education programs. Read
more.
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