Arts in Education

Arts Education is Central to Positive Change

Contributed by Carol Trimble

Arts education has an important role to play in many of Maine's government and education issues of 2004, from the Creative Economy and the Governor's REALIZE! Summit, to specific education issues, such as school reform, Learning Results, assessment and teacher certification.

During the coming year, the Maine Alliance for Arts Education (MAAE) and the Arts are Basic Coalition (a coalition of statewide arts education advocacy organizations, including Dance Education in Maine Schools, Maine Drama Council, Maine Music Educators Association, Maine Art Education Association, VSA arts of Maine and public partners, Maine Arts Commission and Maine Department of Education) are participating in planning the Blaine House Conference on the Creative Economy and the Governor's REALIZE! Summit on youth migration. We are looking at the connections between arts education and the Creative Economy, as well as arts education's role in helping teens to connect more deeply with the culture, issues and resources of their communities so that they are aware of opportunities for successful futures in Maine. In addition, MAAE will work with the Maine Arts Commission to convene a Creative Economy focus group on arts education.

Arts education also has a central role to play in the major issues faced by Maine schools. As a member of SuperEd (the collaborative of Maine's education nonprofits addressing all content areas), MAAE is working, through the Great Maine Schools Project and the School Learning Laboratory Project, to find needed solutions and services, making sure arts education is at the heart of school reform.

MAAE is also working with the Arts are Basic Coalition (ABC) to encourage Maine's Department of Education (MDOE) to continue refining Maine's Learning Results in the visual and performing arts, specifically to work toward specifying standards and performance indicators for each arts discipline individually.

Last year, MAAE and ABC were successful in having certification for dance and drama teachers included in the proposed changes to teacher certification. This year's follow-up will ensure that the proposed changes are implemented. Monitoring all certification changes to ensure that Maine continues to have well-qualified teachers is another ABC goal for 2004.

Assessment of the visual and performing arts (VPA) is a key education issue for Maine, especially now that the arts are not included in the Maine Educational Assessment tests. School districts are now responsible for developing local assessments, which accurately demonstrate what students are learning in the arts. MAAE is working with ABC and MDOE to provide the resources school districts need to develop these assessments. The initial steps to follow-up on Maine's first Arts Education Assessment Summit in October 2003, (presented by MAAE in collaboration with MDOE and ABC) will be to create a state leadership team in the visual and performing arts and a web-based resource list.

MAAE continues to lead ABC in advocating for arts education. Successful advocacy last year resulted in inclusion of funding for a VPA position at MDOE in this year's budget that Commissioner of Education Susan A. Gendron submitted to the Governor. Arts Education advocates will focus this year on making sure the funding remains in the budget and that a VPA position is created by July 2004. This position is critical in making sure that Maine's students have the education in the arts that they need and that schools can meet the requirements of the Learning Results and assessment.

On March 15, 2004, arts education supporters will gather for MAAE's annual Arts Education Advocacy Day to celebrate the successes and advocate for the needs of arts education in Maine. Special guests will include the Governor and First Lady, Commissioner Gendron, Maine Arts Commission director, Alden C. Wilson, as well as MAAE's Arts Advocate Award Winners (to be announced on Advocacy Day). Student performers from around the state will demonstrate their musical and dance skills and arts organizations will present booths showing off their work. All arts education supporters are invited to participate in this lively day which lasts from 11 a.m to 1:30 p.m. in the Hall of Flags of the State House; the awards ceremony will take place from noon to 12:30 p.m.

Carol Trimble is executive director of the Maine Alliance for Arts Education. For more information on arts education, contact her at artseveryday@adelphia.net.