This forum post is to share an update on the Arts ARE Education K-12 advocacy campaign and to ask for your help in supporting K-12 dance and dance education by signing the Pledge and sharing the Resolution with your school board.
If you do not teach in a K-12 school, you can still sign the Pledge and share this information with others. So far, Dance has 167 signed Pledges, ahead of the Theater, Visual Arts, and Media Arts, but far behind Music.
This goal of this advocacy campaign is to maintain and grow arts education programs (including Dance) in the 2021-2022 school year in our nation’s public Pre-K-12 schools. It was organized by NCCAS (National Coalition of Core Arts Standards) leadership group which includes the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO).
As the 2020-21 school year moves toward an end, we must prepare to meet challenges that lie ahead for 2021-22 if arts education is to remain central to every student’s well-rounded education. School districts will be facing budget shortfalls due to state and local deficits caused by the pandemic recession. These cutbacks -- along with the costs associated with the continued need for Personal Protective Equipment in performing arts classrooms, a focus on remedial curriculum, and scheduling modifications to address learning loss -- will likely impact student access to dance and other arts education.
I am asking that you do three (3) things before the end of March to help ensure that funding for (dance) arts education is maintained to support the well-being of all students and their school communities. If you have already completed these steps, thank you!
1) Get familiar with the Arts ARE Education K-12 advocacy campaign: www.artsareeducation.org. You can also learn more from a recent NDEO e-Bblast that highlights the background of this advocacy project: click here.
2) Sign the Arts ARE Education Pledge! https://www.artsareeducation.org/sign-the-pledge
3) Share the Arts ARE Education Resolution with your (K-12) school board! https://www.artsareeducation.org/our-resolution
We know this to be true: Arts are education, as fundamental to student success as any other subject area — right now, more than ever. But not everyone knows this. As educators, parents, community members, and advocates, we must make our voices heard to ensure that arts education remains central to a well-rounded education and fully funded to support the wellbeing of all students and the entire school community.
If you have any questions please let us know. Thanks for your support of the field of dance education and this advocacy campaign.
Regards,
Melissa Greenblatt
NDEO Managing Director