Arts in Education - What You Should Know

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ARTS EDUCATION

A Quality Education Includes the Arts. From the fiscal crisis of the 1970's to the mid-1990's, most City public schools were without arts teachers, and most children did not have dance, music, art or theater classes. In 1996, the Annenberg Foundation stimulated an arts education revival in New York City with its establishment of The Center for Arts Education, a non-profit organization that identifies, funds and supports exemplary arts partnerships and programs in the City's public schools. In September of the following year, the Board of Education launched Project ARTS (www.nycenet.edu/projectarts), funding that is dedicated to rebuilding basic arts education in public schools. For more information about The Center for Arts Education, please visit the web site at www.cae-nyc.org.

Why Arts Education? The arts improve learning, communication, and creativity. Studying dance, theater, music or visual art supports learning in all the subject areas and enhances critical thinking skills. To find out about the power of the arts, see Eloquent Evidence and Why Your Child Needs the Arts Advantage... Log onto the following Web sites: President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities at www.pcah.gov or the national Arts Education Partnership at www.aep-arts.org.

Project ARTS. Through the Board of Education's Project ARTS, all New York City public schools are eligible to receive funding to advance arts education for their students. Project ARTS provides $75 million annually so that schools may hire arts specialists, train classroom teachers in the arts, and purchase supplies. As a result, the number of arts teachers in New York City public schools has increased dramatically since 1997. To find out more, visit the Project ARTS Web site at www.nycenet.edu/projectarts.

New York State Learning Standards for the Arts. All public schools in New York State are required to create instructional programs built around the New York State Learning Standards for the Arts. Please see The New York State Learning Standards for the Arts in this packet or log onto the Project ARTS Web site at www.nycenet.edu/projectarts.

After School Arts Activities. Many public schools and community-based organizations offer after school arts activities for children and families. To find out more, call your school or contact the Partnership for After School Education at 212-571-5976 or through their Web site at www.Qasesetter.com.

Cultural Organizations. More than 300 cultural organizations and agencies in New York City offer arts education programs in schools and at their institutions; many provide special programs and discounted tickets for children and families. For a list of cultural organizations that serve the New York City public schools and communities, see the NYC ARTS Culture Calendar for Teachers and Parents in the right pocket of this folder or visit the Alliance for the Arts Web site at www.nyckidsarts.org. The United Federation of Teachers' Dial-a-Teacher offers a workshop that introduces the City's cultural institutions to parents. To schedule a workshop at your school, call 212-598-9205.

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