NEA FAC Introduces RA's New Business Item #1: Creating Partnerships with Education Arts Organizations & Creating the Arts Advocacy Resource Guide

Due to the wonderful work of a dedicated caucus, the NEA FAC will speak to its modification of a new business item intended to implement some of the recommendations of the NEA Fine Arts Task Force from 2010-2011.  The cost impact is .0045 cents per NEA member.  That's less than one-half of one-hundreth on once cent.

Let's hope that the budget cruch keeps doesn't blind our delegates into believing that we need not invest in anything because of a financial crisis.  The arts are encountering their own crisis nationally and we need to share tools to protect these vital program's for our nation's students.

THE RA TODAY FOR 7/2/2012 READS

NEW BUSINESS ITEM 1

The NEA will advocate for arts education through these means:

• Acting as a partner with fine arts education organizations, including the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA); the National Association for Music Educate (NAfME); the National Art Education Association (NAEA); the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) and Americans for the Arts to collect and disseminate existing arts advocacy tools to create an electronic "NEA Arts Advocacy Resource Guide".
• Devoting portions of NEA TODAY to arts education and promoting the electronic "Arts Advocacy Resource Guide" in the NEA TODAY, on the NEA website and in social media.

The electronic "NEA Arts Advocacy Resource Guide" will address the importance of the arts in a student's comprehensive education and the need for the arts to be represented in curriculum reform, highlight models of effective advocacy campaigns and provide specific tools for students, arts educators and supportive patrons to use as they advocate for arts education.
Rationale/Background
It is our responsibility to protect educational arts programs from further disproportionate elimination and reduction, unreasonable consolidation of staff and programs and the slashing and elimination of arts budgets. Educators and community members need guidance and support to keep arts programs as a vital part of a student's comprehensive education. The NEA Fine Arts Caucus will assist NEA communications-as needed--in gathering information from educational fine arts organizations.

Submitted by
50 Delegates

Contact
Tom McLaughlin, IA

Relevant Core Service or Strategic Goal
CS1 Research, Policy & Practice,CS3 Advocacy and Outreach,CS4 Communications

Cost Implications
This NBI can be accomplished at an additional cost of $13,670.