I once had the great good fortune to be taken to the woodshed by Warren Simmons, head of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform. Warren gave me a brilliant lesson on advocacy through the lens of informed engagement. Without information, the engagement was likely to fail. What and how would you inform those you seek to engage, both as a precursor to engagement, and as part of an iterative process including ongoing development of information, ideas, principles, etc., coming directly from those you first viewed as people you sought to engage, but rapidly grow to see as your partners, who were engaging you, and others. It’s a type of organizing, yes. Community organizing for arts education.
My colleagues and I have been developing a variety of materials to use in the informing part of the informed engagement. We have parent guides, fact sheets, legislation, coalition materials, and campaign letters, and much more coming down the pike.
Here’s a draft of a piece that is both a tool to organizing constitutents, a key statement of beliefs, and something that inform the engagement. While we refine this, I thought it might be interesting to hear from the readers of Dewey21c. Let’s call it infomed engagement.
In subsequent posts, I will talk a bit more about how this is all working.
Every Child in Every School
An Arts Education Bill of Rights
Every child in every school has the right to a well-rounded education, of which the arts are an essential ingredient. Beyond having great value in and of themselves, the arts promote the health and well-being of children, including academic and personal growth, critical thinking and analytical skills, and the motivation to stay in school and excel. Quality arts education is central to a complete education…and it is required by state education law.
A quality arts education helps students:
• Open doors of opportunity through the development of skills that are indispensable in the 21st century workforce;
• Foster an sense of personal identity and an appreciation for culture and community
• Develop as a person and global citizen;
• Become more expressive and creative and able to problem solve and work cooperatively
• Stay focused and engaged in school and learning
• Stay in school, achieve and excel;
The arts engage students and help transform schools into places of inquiry and wonder, where excitement, possibility, discovery, and imagination thrive.
Every school must have the resources, leadership, parental involvement and public commitment needed to ensure that every child is able to realize the unique benefits of learning in and through the arts.
Every child in every school has the right to the fundamental components of a quality arts education, including:
1. Instruction by qualified teachers, enriched and strengthened by dedicated teaching artists and cultural institutions;
2. Facilities and classrooms that are adequately-equipped for arts education teaching and learning ;
3. Access to materials, supplies, equipment, instruments, and a rich array of cultural experiences;
4. The requisite amount of class time devoted to standards-based instruction in all art forms
5. The minimum instructional requirements for arts education as set forth in state education law.
We, the undersigned join The Center for Arts Education in supporting quality arts education for every child in every school.
We are working on a similar initiative in the state of Oregon called the “Declaration of Creative Rights.” It is a list of ten reasons Oregonians value arts education (compiled through a state-wide survey in 2008) which is accompanied by a one-page narrative, bringing a poetic, right-brain perspective to these logical statements of fact.
The document is just one piece of a long-term, state-wide effort to align citizens around common beliefs about arts education. Another key piece of this initiative is connecting citizens across our large state via a dynamic, online learning community where information and resources can be shared.
The format of these teams is still coming together, but updates can be found at:
http://www.oregonartseducationcongress.org
It is exciting to know that other states and communities are embarking on similar calls to action.
Thank you for taking the time to write An Arts Education Bill of Rights.
I have been struggling with how we convince policymakers that given limited resources (time and money), arts education is an investment, not an expense.
How do we support and promote this?
Leaving Art out of education is like always drinking from a glass that is half full as it is a vital component to develop critical thinking skills and enhance the creative individual which leads to better learning, self-esteem and self-confidence. Before the student ever learns Math or Science, for example, he or she is a natural artist eager to create as a means of self-expression. I believe it should be mandatory to teach Art in school as a core curriculum subject across the board. It would certainly be more useful than learning Algebra in one’s life beyond school. I totally support this Bill of Rights and I believe strongly that it needs to be taken seriously and mandated in all schools. Thank you for your passion and your care and I join you in your endeavor.
The state of Oregon is also launching an advocacy initiative with an Oregon Bill/Declaration of Creative Rights.
www,oregonartseducationcongress.org
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