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 and recommending annual Strategic Priorities, which guide the work of the California Alliance. By engaging a broad cross section of stakeholders, this enables the 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

2018-2019 Strategic Priorities Recommended by the Policy Council

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.

• Implementing SB 933 – Developing a yearlong strategy to support the implementation of SB 933 (if it is enacted), along with the budget item included in the state budget providing funding for arts education (along with student health centers and student mental health outreach)
• Implementing/Supporting New VAPA Standards – Building upon the development of new VAPA standards which will be unveiled January 2019, we will promote the dissemination of these standards, providing support and guidance to advancing the standards at all levels of the education system
• Campaign to Demand a Remedy – Continuing to advance the conversation around potential strategies for a comprehensive response to the question of compliance with education code language requiring that all students receive arts education

Ongoing Priorities of the Alliance

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 Campaign, Arts Now 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).
• Advance Title I Arts Initiative by publishing and presenting new policy paper at statewide and national conferences, and continuing to promote strategies with targeted county education offices in partnership with CCSESA.
• 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.
• Use Arts Education Data Project to identify and target areas with low arts education participation rates.
• Promote adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of All Students to Equity in Arts Learning.

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.
• Explore ways to include the arts in the California School Dashboard.
• Promote legislation to increase compliance with education code language that requires instruction in arts education from pre-K through grade 12.
• Promote legislation that supports professional development of the new arts education standards.
• 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.