NEA Selects Ohio as Key Partner in Education Leaders Institute
by Stephanie Dawson
A team of arts professionals and educators from Ohio has been selected to participate in the latest Education Leaders Institute, a major arts learning initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts. The Institute will bring together decision-makers from five states to develop coordinated state arts education strategies to design public education with arts at the core. It will be held in Chicago, Illinois, from July 26-28, 2010. The five state teams that will be part of the Institute are the Oregon Arts Commission, Washington State Arts Commission, New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, Arts Alliance Illinois and the Ohio Arts Council.
Launched in 2007, the Education Leaders Institutes bring together policymakers, educators, advocates and artists to design arts education plans for their respective states. With this upcoming Institute, the NEA will have gathered policy teams from 23 states and the District of Columbia in the past three years.
“We are very excited and honored to be a part of this critically important discussion,” said OAC Executive Director Julie Henahan. “We know now, more than ever, that the arts play a crucial role in the development of the imagination and creativity needed to fuel innovation in all fields of study and all career paths. It is imperative that we continue to foster this dialogue for a coordinated approach that benefits young people all across the country.”
“The arts provide new ways of thinking, new ways to draw connections,” said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. “They are important social capital, and they help maintain our competitive edge by fostering innovation and creativity.” Landesman announced the five state teams today as he gave remarks alongside U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at the Arts Education Partnership’s Spring 2010 Forum. The Arts Education Partnership is a collaboration between the Arts Endowment, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Council of Chief State School Officers. The Arts Education Partnership supports national conversations and policy dissemination among 130 arts education, general education, and private sector entities. Remarks by Chairman Landesman and Secretary Duncan will be available.
The NEA Education Leaders Institutes convene state teams to discuss a shared arts education challenge, and create strategies to strengthen their state’s arts education policies. State teams may include state department of education officials, governor’s cabinet members, superintendents, district-level school leaders, artists, arts advocates, philanthropists and business leaders. Each group includes a “team lead,” the organization that has convened the other partners to address shared challenges. These teams will discuss solutions for intractable issues, such as enhancing arts training for generalist classroom teachers; improving networks of educators and arts professionals; arts education policy for middle schools; and the role of the arts in developing 21st century skills.
Since its inception in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts has provided leadership to develop and sustain an agenda for arts education. The agency has led efforts to make the arts a part of the core education for all K-12 students and to increase arts education opportunities outside of school settings. The Arts Endowment provides direct grants in arts education, collaborates in federal, state, and public-private partnerships, and conducts research on arts education for the K-12 community and lifelong learners. Many NEA programs combine the presentation of arts with arts education to foster the next generation of artists, audiences, and patrons. Visit the Arts Education section of the NEA website for more information.
About the National Endowment for the Arts:
The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest annual national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. For more information, please visit www.arts.gov
About the Ohio Arts Council:
The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically.
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