Arts Advocacy Success

The following message about the importance of arts education was; created by the Community/Schools Partnership for the Arts; (C/SPA) of Sarasota County, Florida:; A Community Arts Advocacy Success; THE MESSAGE; "We are a special interest group. Our special interest is the; students, the future citizens of Sarasota County. As a coalition of; parents, community organizations, and businesses, we believe that; all Sarasota County students MUST receive a complete and; balanced education including, at minimum, the comprehensive; study of music from a qualified music teacher and art from a; qualified art teacher.; We believe education in the arts is vital for ALL OUR; STUDENTS because:; - Children who study the arts are better overall students.; - Children who study the arts are more employable after; graduation.; - Studying the arts emphasizes innovation, problem-solving,; communication skills, personal discipline and responsibility,; collaboration, and teamwork - universally recognized skills for the; future.; - Studying the arts balances education through experiences; fostering the creative imagination with experiences using logic and; analysis.; - Sarasota is known as the 'County of the Arts' and we are proud; of the significant impact of the arts on our economy. We must; have an education system which reflects the prevailing cultural; values of our community.; Our goal is to join with the Sarasota County School System to; provide the best, balanced, fiscally responsible education for all; our students."; Copyright Sarasota County Arts Council, Sarasota, Florida.; All rights reserved.; -----; The statement above was developed by the Community/Schools; Partnership for the Arts of Sarasota County, Florida, or C/SPA.; This organization consists of arts organizations in Sarasota County,; including the Asolo Theater Company, the Florida West Coast; Symphony, the John and Mable Ringling Museum, and the; Sarasota Ballet. Teachers, school district administrators, parents,; students, and community foundations are also part of C/SPA.; The Community/Schools Partnership for the Arts was founded in 1995,; when the Sarasota County School District eliminated almost all of its; arts teachers. Using a three-point plan, the group worked to; successfully restore arts education programs.; 1) TAKE A PROACTIVE STANCE; Instead of defending the existing arts program or trying to restore; the arts program to its pre-budget cut status, C/SPA started at; ground level. C/SPA members envisioned a new arts program; achieving new goals, and they enlisted the assistance of the school; administration in creating the arts program.; Despite early setbacks in dealing with the school administration,; C/SPA remained positive, persistent, and united. Eventually; a true partnership was established. Although struggles persisted,; there were more arts teachers and more arts course offerings in the; Sarasota County School District in 1999 than before the budget; cuts in 1995.; 2) CREATE AND FOLLOW A MISSION STATEMENT; C/SPA members spent a great deal of time discussing, drafting,; and revising a mission statement. (Their statement is called THE; MESSAGE and is featured at the beginning of this article.); After all members of C/SPA voiced their opinions, they developed a; concise, easily understood "Message" that the public and school; officials could comprehend. This "Message" served to guide all; actions and decisions of C/SPA. Surprisingly, the goals stated in the; final draft of the "Message" were very different from those in the; first draft. Through discussion and revision, points that at first; seemed insignificant became important, and other goals became less; relevant.; 3) MAKE ARTS EDUCATION THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE; SCHOOL DISTRICT; The arts organizations in C/SPA agreed to assist and augment the arts; education program of the Sarasota County School District only if the; school students received regular arts education from teachers; certified in the arts. C/SPA would not opt for a quick fix, and their; decision held true to their mission statement or "Message."; ----; Of course, the three principles above did not, by themselves,; restore arts education to Sarasota County. The efforts and; achievements of the Community/School Partnership for the Arts; (C/SPA) required a great deal of organization, cooperation, and; action. Many "movers and shakers" in the community shared their; expertise and power. A local movie theater showed slides before; movies promoting the school arts program. At a performance of; the Florida West Coast Symphony, all the musicians who began; studying music in the public schools were asked to exit, and only; two musicians remained on stage.; In the federal study "Gaining the Arts Advantage," the school; districts with the strongest arts programs typically have a great deal; of community involvement and support for those programs. The; circumstances that surround each community, school district, and arts; program are unique. However, Sarasota County, Florida sets an example; of successful community support for a school arts program.; Sources:; "Back from the Brink: The Community's Perspective" by Bruce E.; Rodgers. Published in "Teaching Music," February 1999, pp. 40-; 42, 62.; "Gaining the Arts Advantage" from the Presidents' Committee on; the Arts and Humanities. http://www.pcah.gov