The Advocacy Update is where you can find state and national news about theatre and other arts education
EdTA NEWS
Playworks, Musicalworks Winners Chosen: Thespian Playworks and Thespian Musicalworks celebrate outstanding student voices from across the US, Canada, and beyond. The professionals who reviewed this year’s submissions summed up the winning entries in one word: ambition. Four plays and one musical in the making have been selected for development and staging at the 2015 Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska.
EdTA Selects JumpStart Theatre Schools: The Educational Theatre Association, Music Theatre International, and iTheatrics have selected three pilot schools for JumpStart Theatre, a new pilot program designed to build sustainable theatre programs in middle schools that do not offer curricular or after-school theatre education opportunities.
NATIONAL NEWS
The National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS) is seeking teacher applicants: NCCAS is seeking educators to benchmark student work generated by the 2015 Model Cornerstone Assessment Pilot Project. Applications are due April 24.
Senate Announces Revised No Child Left Behind Law: A bipartisan Senate bill revising the No Child Left Behind Law eliminating many of its most punitive elements was announced last Tuesday. The bill includes revisions such as making public high school test scores broken down by race and income.
Lincoln Center for Education Accepting Teaching Artist Applicants: Applications are now being accepted for Lincoln Center’s 2015 Summer Teaching Artist Training Program. The program is open to teaching artists across the globe who have at least two years of consistent experience. Applications are due Friday, April 24.
Ziegfeld Award Presented to University of Oregon’s Doug Blandy for Art Education Research: The United States Society or Education Through Art has awarded UO Senior Vice Provost Doug Blandy its National Ziegfeld Award for his research in arts education. The annual award honors one American and one international art educator who have made an outstanding and internationally recognized contribution to art education.
Five Young Artists Awarded $300,000 for Career Development: Five emerging artists have been named the recipients of 2015 grants from the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund for the Performing and Visual Arts totaling $300,000. “At a time when institutional funding in the arts has been under some serious pressure, these fellowships have provided millions of dollars to artists who have shown great promise”.
“School Play” Spotlights Educational Funding Quandary: Documentary-style play “School Play” about the current state of Pennsylvania public schools creates a snapshot of how children are actually being educated. The script comes directly from the mouths of 150 people involved with public schools, including parents, teachers, students, and principals.
STATE NEWS
Got state theatre and other arts education news you want to share? Send it to Anna amarsala@schooltheatre.org
Alabama: Art Center to Hold Inaugural Event to Raise Funds and Awareness for Art Education (Alabama.com)
Alaska: Arts and Music Education Cuts are Counterproductive (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)
Arizona: Department of Education Seeks Public Input on Arizona’s Arts Standards (ABC15 Arizona)
Connecticut: West Haven Budget Draws Fire Over Education Funding (New Haven Register)
Massachusetts: Boston Mayor Unveils Details of City’s Cultural Planning Initiative (Boston Globe)
Missouri: Arts and Education Council Announce $25,000 in Grants for Maritz Arts and Education Fund for Teachers (St. Louis Today)
New York: Teaching Artists Aid Students in Common Core Push (New York Times)
North Carolina: Education Bill Will Require Students to Select Arts Courses (Lumina News)
Pennsylvania: Arts Advocates Protest Cuts to Arts Funding Outside City Hall (Philly.com)
Tennessee: Arts Build Communities Grants Available to Organizations Seeking Funding (The Leaf-Chronicle)
Washington: ArtsEd Washington Declares May Arts Education Month (ArtsEd Washington)
WORTH READING
Big Tech Wants a Piece of the Performing Arts Action: As tech giants continue to take hold of the streaming industry, they’re also working to elbow into commercial theater. Amazon recently announced that it is expanding service to sell theater tickets to London’s West End shows. (Create Equity)
America’s Obsession with STEM Education is Dangerous: Every month, it seems, we hear about our children’s bad test scores in math and science – and about new initiatives from companies, universities or foundations to expand STEM courses and de-emphasize the humanities. (TRIB Live)
Musical Theater Junkies Score Seats to High School Productions: With high school musical season underway, moms and dads are cheering for their favorite Pippins and Annies across the country. Buried in the crowd is a different sort: the adult with no connection to the school whatsoever. While these theater-goers may not be family, they’re wowed by young stars. (Wall Street Journal)