NEA Fine Arts Caucus On-Line Advocacy Kit

GENERAL ARTS ADVOCACY

• Advocacy for Arts in General
• Advocacy for Community Schools
• Americans for the Arts
• Arts Education Advocacy
• The National Guild

SPECIFIC ARTS ADVOCACY SITES

Each of the discipline specific arts education service organizations’ websites contain a great deal of information on how to advocate for the arts as a part of education. These sites are a great starting point for finding statistics, research reports, sample speeches, letters and the like.
American Association of Community Theatres http://www.aact.org/advocacy.html

The American Alliance for Theatre & Educationhttp://aate.com/

ArtsEdge, the Kennedy Center’s arts education website includes three advocacy essentials: “Exercise Your Influence on the Arts,” “State Champions for the Arts,” and “Why Arts Education Matters.” http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators.aspx 

The American Music Conference promotes the benefits of music making and music education. The site includes many articles on the positive impact of music on the brain and the body, as well as its role in improving literacy and social skills. Also included are advocacy toolkits, PowerPoint presentations, research summaries, and sample advocacy letters. http://www.amc-music.com/  

ArtsLynx: Arts on the Line A wealth of links to articles, resources, speeches, economic impact studies, and other tricks of the trade that will help you make the case for the value of arts education. www.artslynx.org/aotl/index.htm  

Art Education Advocacy offers a sample letter to encourage school administrators to add elementary art teachers. www.goshen.edu/art/ed/help.html  

Building Artistic Communities, Keynote speech delivered by Alice Lovelace at the National Guild’s 2002 Annual Conference. www.inmotionmagazine.com/ac/al_build.html  

California Alliance for Arts Education The “Arts Learning in Action” toolkit is a how-to strategic guide for bringing elected officials to your School where they can see arts education first-hand. www.artsed411.org/involved/toolkit.stm  

Crayola Success Stories offering ideas on electing supportive boards, finding community partners, staging advocacy events, and lobbying legislators. www.crayola.com/educators/advocacy/success_stories.cfm

The Drama Education Networkhttp://www.dramaed.net/aboutus.htm

The Educational Theatre Associationhttp://schooltheatre.org/advocacy

Keep Arts in Schools: Where does the public stand on integrating the arts into the school curriculum?  Interviews with business leaders, a community brainstorming session, a national poll, and focus groups of parents and teachers are summarized. http://www.keepartsinschools.org/

The Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network (KCAAEN) includes 46 state Alliance organizations, operating in partnership with the Kennedy Center to ensure the arts are woven into the very fabric of American education. Link to the Alliance in the states and regions. www.kennedy-center.org/education/kcaaen

The Music for All Foundation works to expand the role and the public’s appreciation of music and the arts in education and to create a positive environment for the arts through societal change. http://music-for-all.org/index.html

Music Educators National Conference http://www.menc/.

National Assessment of Educational Progress. Known as the Nation’s Report Card, this document reports on how students across the nation perform in the various art forms. http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2009488

National Art Education Associationhttp://www.naea-reston.org/
http://www.ndeo.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=893257&module_id=53056

National Dance Association promotes dance education and contains several associated organizations including The American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. http://www.aahperd.org/nda

National Dance Education Associationhttp://www.ndeo.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=893257&module_id=53056

MusicFriends is an organization of music advocates working to support local school music programs through grassroots initiatives. The website offers success stories, speeches by important national advocates, and ten statements from congressional music advocates. http://www.musicfriends.org/

The Support Music Knowledge Base is an interactive tool that provides specific facts regarding budget, facilities, time and mandate issues, along with information regarding social and inherent values in music education. http://www.supportmusic.com/

Theatre Communications Grouphttp://www.aact.org/advocacy.html

Why Arts? Is an online advocacy presentation for the importance of art in schools and communities. http://www.kaea.com/arts_advocacy.htm