EdTA Advocacy Update
April 9, 2019
The Advocacy Update is where you can find current national and state news concerning arts advocacy and arts education.
EdTA NEWS
Broadway’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Treats Area Thespians to a Preview in Celebration of TIOS
To Kill a Mockingbird presented 400 middle and high school students with a special performance at the Library of Congress on Tuesday in support of Theatre in Our Schools Month, which is held annually in March. The students, from schools in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia, are members of the International Thespian Society, the honor society for drama students.
How a Foundation Raised More Than $1 Million in Its First 18 Months
Within just 18 months of the Educational Theatre Association launching its foundation, the group was able to raise more than $1 million to fund its programming. When organizations raise significant sums quickly, people always want to know how they did it. (Associations Now)
Trump’s White House Doesn’t Support the Arts. Nancy Pelosi is Rallying the Cause Instead.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invited the cast of "Mockingbird" to perform scenes for middle and high school students at the Library of Congress. (Washington Post)
UPDATE: Eleven Schools Invited to Perform on Main Stage at International Thespian Festival
Three additional schools* have been invited to perform on the main stage at the nation’s leading high school theatre festival. They join eight schools announced previously this year.
NATIONAL NEWS
Latest Data Shows Increase to U.S. Economy from Arts and Cultural Sector
“For the past five years, the partnership between the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the National Endowment for the Arts has yielded invaluable information about the economic impact of arts and culture,” said Acting Chairman Mary Anne Carter (National Endowment for the Arts)
The 50 States of Education Policy: A Breakdown of Governors’ State of the State Addresses
With nearly all 50 governors having delivered their 2019 speeches, we analyzed what they said about K-12 education and what it means for potential policies. (Education Dive)
Why the Arts Are the Great Unappreciated Engine of the U.S. Economy
This morning, the Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account (ACPSA) compiled by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) showed that economic activity from arts and culture increased 2.9% in 2016, the most recent year of this report. That represents 4.3% of gross domestic product or more than $800 billion of economic activity. (Forbes)
STATE NEWS
Got state theatre and other arts education news you want to share? Send it to Katie: kferchen@schooltheatre.org
Alaska: State of the Arts: Dunleavy Budget Threatens Federal Funding for Local Programs (Fairbanks Daily News)
Arizona: Arts Education Showcase Celebrates Art in the Scottsdale Community (Broadway World Arizona)
Connecticut: Five to be Honored for Contribution to Arts, Education in Greater New Haven (New Haven Register)
Florida: VIDEO: Thespian Champions at Norland Middle School (NBC-6 Miami)
Downtown Clearwater’s Capitol Theatre Gets a New Name After $2.5M Donation (Tampa Bay Business Journal)
Georgia: CONNIE FRITZ: The Arts Connect Us (Moultrie Observer)
Illinois: $32M Awarded to Schools Across CPS in ‘Largest-Ever’ Academic Program Expansion (Chicago Sun Times)
Maine: Four Main Arts Groups Receive $329,000 in Federal Funding (Central Maine)
Massachusetts: Arts Supporters March on Statehouse for Increased Funding (Worcester Telegram)
Michigan: Detroit Institute of Arts Unites Art and Education for Students (Patch)
Mississippi: Seven Arts Educators to Receive the Art Institute’s 2019 AIM Awards (Southern Miss Now)
Missouri: School Board Candidate Willoughby Targets Art Integration and Diversity Issues (Columbia Missourian)
New Hampshire: New Hampshire Seeks Public Input as it Rewrites School Arts Standards (Valley News)
New Mexico: Enchantment Awards Highlight Artistry and Commitment to Performing Arts Education (KRQE Fox)
New York: Theatres Launch New Initiative to Address Equitable Engagement in Inclusive Classrooms (Broadway World)
North Carolina: N.C. House Clears Arts-Education Requirement Bill; N.C. Senate Chances Less Certain (Winston-Salem Journal)
North Dakota: The Arts Are Critical for Vibrant Communities (Wahpeton Daily News)
Texas: Young Audiences Honors East Texas Arts Educators for Transforming Students’ Lives (Tyler Morning Telegraph)
West Virginia: Arts Programs Build Character in Community’s Youth (Daily Mail WV)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Australia: What the Arts Got from Budget 2019 (ArtsHub)
Canada: Arts and Culture Funding the Focus of Letter-Writing Campaign (CBC)
UK: 10,000 Children to Benefit from New £5 Million Performing Arts Programme (Gov UK)
WORTH READING
PODCAST: How Theater Arts Help Doctors Communicate, and Why Strokes are Affecting Young People
Doctors who are doing their residency training at Upstate University Hospital have the chance to improve their communication skills with the help of a professor of drama at nearby Syracuse University. (WRVO Public Media)
Can an Arts Education in School Improve Academic Performance?
This study joins the growing body of research that suggests students can benefit from an arts and academic curriculum as it supports growth, such as this 2013 study which found that students who study music have better grades in all subjects. (Study International)
OPINION: High School Doesn’t Have to Be Boring
What would it take to transform high schools into more humanizing and intellectually vital places? The answer is right in front of us, if only we knew where to look. (New York Times)
Propel Arts Ed Advocacy with Data
Over the past 15 years, advocates have been working to quantify who has access to arts education and who does not. We know that great inequities exist within states and districts. While having enormous repositories of data, school districts and states need help in parsing the information to show a true picture of access to and participation in arts education. (Elevate Arts Ed)