The Alliance’s Policy Council is composed of allied partners from education, business, arts and parent organizations. Working in conjunction with the Board of Directors, it is charged with authoring the Vision Framework [PDF: 116KB] and recommending annual Strategic Priorities, which guide the work of the California Alliance. By engaging a broad cross section of stakeholders, this enables Alliance to focus on the most pressing issues and concerns facing arts education at the state and local levels.

Membership in the Policy Council is open to all organizations that have an ability to mobilize people and advocate on behalf of arts education. The goal is to build a Policy Council that has a balanced representation among education, business, arts and parent organizations.  There is an annual fee for participation on the Policy Council. The fee covers the cost of participation and provides general operating support for the Alliance’s programs and services. The Policy Council meets twice annually, rotating between Northern and Southern California. For more information, email caae@artsed411.org.

Policy Council

* California Alliance Board    ** Government Agency Liaison

Revised 6/14/18

Each year, the Policy Council identifies the most pressing issues and concerns facing arts education at the state and local levels and recommends a list of Strategic Priorities. These priorities are approved by the Board and guide the Alliance’s work for the year.

Strategic Priorities 2017 - 2018

Increase Access to Quality Arts Education

• Increase statewide network of local advocates.
• Implement models of local advocacy.
• Provide training and assistance to local advocates.
• Implement local advocacy work including the Student Voices Campaign, Arts Now California, Arts Planning Initiative, LCFF advocacy, and Arts Now Communities.
• Activate stakeholders to influence key local and state level policy decisions (e.g. administrators, school board members, decision-makers, advocates).
• Partner with the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA) and regional leads to support district leaders to use arts education strategies for Title I goals.
• In addition to our core focus on the regular school day, explore ways to help youth access arts education outside the public school system. This may include connections and collaborations with organizations serving incarcerated youth, after school sphere, summer learning and non-traditional educational settings.
• Determine and implement appropriate measures to evaluate success.

Improve the Quality of Arts Education

• Work with the Policy Council to identify trends in arts education.
• Engage the Policy Council in quality action plan to:
  • Explore creating a unified message around the definition of a high-quality arts education;
  • Promote sequential, standards-based arts education;
  • Pursue policies to integrate arts education;
  • Work with the state university system and relevant private colleges to increase both quality and quantity of arts educators that integrate the arts.
• Explore ways to include the arts in California’s new Accountability Framework, and support the inclusion of the arts in assessments of student learning.
• Promote legislation to increase compliance with education code language that requires instruction in arts education from pre-K through grade 12.
• As a founding member of CreateCA, support the Arts Education Data Project to promote increased awareness and accountability related to arts education.
• Raise the profile and visibility of arts education in 2018 elections.