|
|
|
From the Desk of Bill Cirone...
February 12, 1999
Doing more for the arts
The Santa Barbara County Education Office was deeply honored that its program, the Children's Creative Project, was among 91 school arts programs nationwide recognized in a report by the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and the Arts Education Partnership, Advantage: Lessons From School Districts That Value Arts Education.
It is the first national study to examine the success strategies of school districts in building and sustaining strong district-wide arts education. These programs were cited as models for others to follow.
The Children's Creative Project, and particularly its annual I Madonnari street painting festival fund-raiser, is a prime example of partnerships at their best. Dozens of organizations and agencies join hands to make the program a success and help bring arts education into local classrooms countywide. Director Kathy Koury should be saluted for her efforts and achievements in coordinating all that is involved.
This year's PTA Honorary Service Awards highlighted arts educators and projects, also underscoring the partnership effort in making successful projects viable.
These partnerships all demonstrate the power of joining hands, rolling up our sleeves, and devoting our energies to an important goal.
As the president's committee reported, "the presence and quality of arts education in public schools today require an exceptional degree of involvement by influential segments of the community which value the arts…"
As the state arts task force I chaired two years ago so carefully documented, however, we are still very far from our vision of providing equal access to excellent art education to every student in every classroom. Inequities continue to flourish in this area as a patchwork of community partnerships tries to fill the vacuum of inadequate base state funding.
The link between arts and student achievement&emdash;and in today's world, between arts and career&emdash;is striking. Plus, students involved in the arts are taking part in learning activities that require the use of higher-order thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
I believe it is time for the state to heed the recommendations of the state arts task force as part of the next major component of the overall school reform package of efforts. It is time for the state to acknowledge the critical role that arts education plays in the lives of young people.
In the arts education programs envisioned by the task force report, all students will develop literacy in the arts; they will all take part in arts-related career experiences, and they will have access to the arts through a variety of educational experiences and technologies both in and out of school.
It is time for the state to provide an infusion of resources for the art and music teachers, facilities, and materials needed for districts statewide to have excellent art programs. All students deserve the benefits of access to the arts.
© Santa Barbara County Education Office
<.shtml>