EdTA Advocacy Update
January 29, 2019
The Advocacy Update is where you can find current national and state news concerning arts advocacy and arts education.
EdTA NEWS
Theatre Education Advocacy Day Set for July
The EdTA Theatre Education Advocacy Day will take place July 15-16, in Washington, D.C. The event, open to all adult and student members, will be modeled after the organization’s first national theatre education advocacy day held in 2017.
Heather Achter Awarded the 2018 Linda P. Wise Grant
EdTA has awarded its 2018 Linda P. Wise Grant for Theatre Educators to Heather Achter, theatre teacher and director of Thespian Troupe 7561, at Kings Mountain High School in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. The grant is awarded to an EdTA professional member and theatre educator who presents a well-laid plan for an in-class program in need of financial support.
Introducing the New Dramatics Website
As the only magazine written specifically for high school theatre students, Dramatics has been a go-to source for Thespians since 1929. Now, Dramatics can share even more stories from across the Thespian Nation at Dramatics.org.
NATIONAL NEWS
Despite Shutdown, Grants for Arts and Culture Groups are Back on Track – At Least for Now
The National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts will reopen Monday after being shuttered since Dec. 22 because of the partial government shutdown. (Washington Post)
‘Hamilton’ Opens in Puerto Rico with Emotional Performance by Lin-Manuel Miranda: ‘I Just Love This Island So Much’
At a post-show news conference, a hefty phalanx of local media peppered a clearly exhausted Miranda with questions on a variety of political topics of interest in Puerto Rico, from how to solve the vexing local crime problem to the potential for debt forgiveness, and from the likely future fiscal policy of the Trump administration to the campaign for statehood. (Chicago Tribune)
Could Federal Funding Help Pay for Arts Education in Your School?
Authors of a new report discuss ways in which schools could get federal support for arts education and the results they could expect from it. (Wallace Foundation)
STATE NEWS
Got state theatre and other arts education news you want to share? Send it to Katie: kferchen@schooltheatre.org
California: City Grants $180k to Nonprofit Arts, Community Services Groups (SCV TV)
San Jose’s College of Adaptive Arts Delivering Lifelong Learning for Adults with Special Needs (ABC-7)
What Are the Best Resources for STEAM Educators? (CBS Los Angeles)
Connecticut: Cathy Malloy Reflects on the Struggle for New Arts Dollars (Hartford Business)
Illinois: Kids with Special Needs Still Love to Dance (Chicago Now)
The Cost of Creativity (Chicago Maroon)
Iowa: 44 Years of Theater, Speech Excellence (Spencer Daily Reporter)
Maryland: Voting Ballot: ‘Best Performing Arts Education for Young Artists’ as Part of MD Theatre Guide’s Best of 2018 Readers’ Choice Awards (MD Theatre Guide)
Massachusetts: Alumni Use High School Arts Education in Their Careers (The Sagamore)
Michigan: Local Film and New Media Program Lands Statewide Acclaim (Traverse Ticker)
New Jersey: Montclair High School Students Urge School to Keep Dance as PE Credit Class (Montclair Local)
Oklahoma: Decline in School Arts Programs Follows Funding Drop, But Cuts Aren’t Equally Felt (State Impact Oklahoma)
Pennsylvania: Middle Schoolers Step into the Spotlight at Annual Thespian Workshops (Knight Crier)
Texas: Young Audiences Affiliates Partner to Expand Support to Six Rural Counties in Texas (Broadway World Houston)
Washington: Nonprofit Makes Art Accessible to Public School Kids in Pierce County (King 5 News)
West Virginia: Carnegie Hall Receives STEAM Grant for Arts and Science Education (WVVA)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Canada: Cape Breton Festival Devoted to Teen Thespians (Cape Breton Post)
England: Want to Join a Stage Invasion? (Backstage UK)
‘We Fight for Every Penny’: Teachers Say Not Enough Resources for Arts Education (The Guardian)
WORTH READING
Get into the Arts – and See What Happens
Somehow, we always think that the purpose of art is to become an artist — a famous one at that. Nope. That’s not the goal of art. The goal of art is to become human. (Plumas News)
Is Arts Integration in Schools All It’s Cracked Up to Be?
Advocates of arts integration in schools claim that there are numerous benefits to this method of teaching and learning. But some remain skeptical and see it as a frivolous, non-academic approach to serious subjects. Is it all just hype, or is it really beneficial? (Study International)