Advocacy Update
March 27, 2018
The Advocacy Update is where you can find current national and state news concerning arts advocacy and arts education.
NEWS
2018 National Conference Registration Open
Registration is now open for the 2018 National Conference taking place September 13-16 at the Grand Hyatt in Denver. The annual conference provides educators with the opportunity to meet and network with their peers during an event featuring a wide range of professional development and keynote speakers.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas Thespians Get National Award from International Thespian Society
Thespian Troupe 4879 of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. was honored recently at the closing ceremonies of the Florida Thespian Festival in Tampa, with the Spirit of Thespis Award from the International Thespian Society.
Finalists Announced for 2018 Next Generation Works
Next Generation Works is a suite of programs designed to promote original writing by and for high school student members of the International Thespian Society (ITS). The programs Thespian Musicalworks, ThespianPlayworks, Thespian Filmworks, and Thespian .
Update: Eleven Schools Invited to Perform on Stage at International Thespian Festival
ITF celebrates student achievement in the performing arts. The 55th event, which this year takes place June 25-30 at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, brings together more than 4,000 high school drama students and their teachers for a weeklong immersion in workshops; interaction with colleges, industry leaders, and Broadway professionals; and opportunities to be inspired by the best high school theatre in the nation.
NATIONAL NEWS
Breaking News: Arts Victory in Congress!
Congress has released the details of its delayed current year FY 2018 Omnibus spending bill. The bill, signed into law by the president on March 23, includes a $3 million increase in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to $152.849 million each. (Americans for the Arts Action Fund)
Library of Congress Opens Applications for Teacher-in-Residence
The Library of Congress is seeking applications from current performing arts or visual arts teachers for a teacher-in-residence position within its Educational Outreach division during the 2018-2019 school year. (Library of Congress)
Challenge America: Grant Program Description
The Challenge America category offers support primarily to small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations -- those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. (National Endowment for the Arts)
National Forum on Education Policy
Education Commission of the States' National Forum on Education Policy brings together the full range of education leaders from across all states to explore early learning through postsecondary education policy issues. (Education Commission of the States)
STATE NEWS
Got state theatre and other arts education news you want to share? Send it to Shea: shaney@schooltheatre.org
Alabama: The Rise of Performing Arts in St. Clair County (St. Clair News)
California: Vacaville Recruiting for Arts Advisory Committee (The Reporter)
Ready to “RISE” (Today)
Family Arts Nights Bring Energy to Arts Education (Good Times)
Fontana Unified’ s Kaiser High School Received $10,000 Theatre Grant from NBC (VVNG)
Connecticut: Girl Scout Dance Shoe & Instrument Drive Supports Anna Grace Project (The Newton Bee)
Florida: Miami’s Perez Art Museum Had Made Admission Free for Public School Students (Hyperallergic)
Georgia: Tolbert-Yilmaz School of Dance and Georgia Ensemble Theatre Emphasize Industry Impact in City (North Fulton Neighbor)
Indiana: Support Theatre Efforts in Schools (Tribune-Star)
Maine: Ellsworth, MDI High Schools Win State Drama Fest (The Ellsworth American)
Minnesota: Music Supporter Voice Desire to Keep Arts Funding in Winona (Post Bulletin)
Missouri: Community Music School Awarded $15,000 NEA Grant for Preparatory Program (Webster University)
New Jersey: Rise’s Josh Radnor & Rosie Perez Surprise N.J. High School: “ Drama Departments Change Lives” (People)
A Beautiful Picture: NJ Schools Offer Art Classes for Almost Every Student (NJ Spotlight)
New Mexico: Multicultural Fair Brings Worlds Together (The Los Alamos Monitor)
New York: Hip Hop Hall of Fame Museum Opens Harlem Offices and Youth Arts & Education Center with Black Panther Actor (EurWeb)
Ohio: Residents, Students Worry About Possible Boardman School Cuts (The Vindicator)
Oregon: M-PHS Students get to See ‘Hamilton’ (North County Outlook)
Pennsylvania: Bethel Park Changes Stagehand Policy After Parent Raises Issue of Blackened Faces (Trib Live)
Bartol Foundation and Small but Mighty Arts Announce Partnership (Broadway World Pennsylvania)
Texas: Alice HS Theatre Program Wins Grant (KRISTV)
Virginia: Gala to Raise Money for Arts Program (Suffolk News-Herald)
West Virginia: City Council Vows to Continue Supporting the Arts (The Record Delta)
Even if Education &the Arts Goes, Justice Wants and Arts Secretary (WV Metro News)
Martinsburg Hopes to Elevate Theatre Arts through R.I.S.E. Grant (Herald-Mail Media)
Community Arts Grant Applications Now Being Accepted by GCAC (The Garrett County Republican)
Wisconsin: KUSD’s “Freaky Friday” Production Headed to International Thespian Festival (Kenosha News)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Myanmar: Women-Led Puppet Theatre Brings Health Education to Myanmar Villages (KIITV)
United Kingdom: Lenny Henry Criticized Drama Teaching Cuts in School (Blouin Art Info)
WORTH READING
Rosie Perez: We Have to Do the Right Thing and Fund the Arts in Our Kids’ Schools
Using the arts in teaching other subjects — known as arts education — is based on kinesthetics, so it uses all of your senses: It uses movement, sound, sight and your vocal abilities. It makes you get up off of your feet and participate and become part of the classroom. (Think)
Inspired by and High School Theatre? 10 Things You Can Do
School theatre is big business and has a bigger audience cumulatively than might be realized. There is data that enumerates the benefits of participation: everything from teaching listening, collaboration, and empathy to increasing SAT scores and instilling lifelong self-confidence and voluntarism. But, warns Educational Theatre Foundation president Julie Cohen Theobald, there is a troubling gap in opportunities for access. (Educational Theatre Foundation)
How Reading Novels in Math Class Can Strengthen Student Engagement
Every January, Nashville teacher Joel Bezaire reads The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time aloud to his students. Sounds pretty standard, right? It would be — for an English class. But Bezaire teaches math. The novel is part of a unit on number sense. (KQED)