[NEohioPAL]Artists Interested in Reforming Cleveland Schools

[Bodwin Theatre]

List: Most likely, everyone on this list got involved in theater or arts as 
a result of some spark, perhaps first ignited in school, long ago.  Maybe it 
was a teacher who first instilled the value of art or opened up avenues for 
learning and education in a whole new way.  But whether you are an active 
artist or gave up those activities long ago, I think everyone would agree 
that arts deserve important priority in schools.  If you share these views, 
please consider signing the attached letter, by emailing me your support, 
supporting a strong role for the arts in Cleveland schools.

Lately, we've heard a lot about artists participating more actively in the 
public life of the city. Most often, the issue is public arts funding, 
supporting a convention center or opposing admissions tax proposals by the 
state legislature.  However, there is another public process in which 
artists can stand up for arts and education. The Cleveland schools are 
currently going through an exhaustive process to choose their future school 
board and now is the time to point out the value of art in public education. 
Below is a letter to the School Board Nominating Committee, which I hope 
members can support and co-sign.  Art is not just for magnet schools, but an 
education tool for all subjects at all levels.  A strong letter with wide 
support can focus attention on this important priority.  Please consider 
signing the note below, which will be sent by the end of the month.

Bodwin Theatre Company
bodwin_theatre at hotmail.com
On the web: http://bodwin _theatre.tripod.com
Cleveland, Ohio

________________________________________
Nominating Panel of the Cleveland
Municipal School District
737 Bolivar Road, 4th Floor
Cleveland, Ohio 44115

April x, 2003

Dear Panel Members:

As you review candidates for the Cleveland School Board, we encourage you to 
provide significant consideration for the role of the arts in public 
education. In national surveys, more than 90% of parents believe the arts 
are important in preparing children for the future, contributing positive 
attributes to their children as an important part of a well-rounded 
education (July 2001; Americans for the Arts Public Opinion Survey), yet the 
arts are disappearing from America’s schools.

Arts are not simply an issue for magnet schools, but an important element of 
education for all Cleveland children.  The arts teach children to be more 
tolerant and open and express themselves creatively, bolster self-confidence 
and are linked to improved academic performance for troubled youth. All 
children can benefit from a stronger arts presence in our schools.

Last month, Dr. Elizabeth Broun, Director of the Smithsonian American Art 
Museum, addressed a Cleveland audience, commenting that “art is mirror for 
our aspirations and dreams,” not merely an enrichment or a frill, but a 
basic and core part of our lives.  Cleveland schools should engage children 
at all levels with the arts, as a way of connecting with children over the 
full range of academic subjects:

* Art education makes a tremendous impact on the developmental growth of 
every child and has proven to help level the learning field across all 
income levels. (Involvement in the Arts and Success in Secondary School, 
James S. Catterall, UCLA Imagination Project, Graduate School of education 
and Information studies)

* Arts has a measurable impact on youth at risk in deterring delinquent 
behavior and truancy problems, improving attitudes towards school and 
increasing overall academic performance among those youth engaged in after 
school and summer arts education targeted toward delinquency programs. 
(YouthARTS Development Project, 1996 US Department of Justice, National 
Endowment for the Arts)

* Elementary students who attended schools in which the arts were integrated 
with classroom curriculum outperformed their peers in reading who did not 
have an arts-integrated curriculum. (Chicago Arts Partnership in Education, 
Champions of Change, 1999; Imagination Project at University of California 
Graduate School of Education & Information Studies)

* Theater arts enhance social skills and academic development, with studies 
demonstrating that sustained student involvement in theater is linked with 
gains in reading proficiency, improvements in self-conception and 
motivation, and higher levels of empathy and tolerance for others. 
(“Involvement in the Arts and Human Development: General Involvement and 
Intensive Involvement in Music and Theater Arts;”  Champions of Change, 
1999)

* Arts study is linked with improved academic performance.  Students of the 
arts continue to outperform their non-arts peers on the Scholastic Aptitude 
Test (SAT), with 2001 SAT takers with more than 4 years of arts study 
outscoring students with one-half year of arts study or less, by 57 points 
on the verbal portion and 43 points on the math portion. (The College 
Entrance Examination Board)

Regional political leaders and planners have increasingly discussed the 
priority of developing skills and habits that are important for workers in 
the new idea-based economy should look to the importance of the arts as a 
critical element of our strategies for economic growth. “Young people who 
learn the rigors of planning and production in the arts will be valuable 
employees in the idea-driven workplace of the future." (Labor Secretary's 
Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills, or SCANS Report 2000)

All Cleveland children can benefit from a stronger arts presence in our 
schools. We live in a visual age and art is a critical link for our 
multi-cultural, multi-ethnic community.  A strong commitment to the arts in 
Cleveland schools help schools reach students who are not currently engaged 
or reach students in new ways, connecting students to others, as well as 
themselves, strengthening the environment for learning in Cleveland schools.


Sincerely,


_________________________________________________________________
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