The Center for Arts Education Continues to Meet Needs of NYC Public School Principals in Light of Budget Cuts
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Professional Workshops and Grant Programs Help Identify Resources
THE CENTER FOR ARTS EDUCATION CONTINUES TO MEET NEEDS OF NYC PUBLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS IN LIGHT OF BUDGET CUTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 8, 2008, New York, NY - The Center for Arts Education (CAE), the leading voice in stimulating and sustaining quality arts education in New York City public schools, continues to serve principals and school support staff in identifying much needed resources and providing professional development opportunities so that they may strive toward providing a quality, well rounded education that includes the arts to our city’s children.
In light of the Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s recent announcement of system wide budget cuts of 1.75% of every school’s annual operating budget - which in some cases could equal as much as $400,000 per school - CAE’s diverse portfolio of programmatic and grant offerings have emerged as a valuable resource to our city’s public school educators.
In a statement released today, CAE Executive Director Richard Kessler urges the Department of Education, the Mayor, the Chancellor and all elected officials to work with parents, teachers and principals in their districts to ensure that arts offerings and other key curriculum are not cut from a student’s school day.
“The current system offers no incentive to prevent principals from looking to the arts as the first victim of reduced budgets,” states Kessler. “Parents, teachers, elected officials and the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) should declare that this outcome is plainly unacceptable and work to reverse this troubling development.”
Since it’s founding in 1996, CAE has been dedicated to improving the quality of and access to arts learning in our schools. Current CAE initiatives respond directly to the current budget crisis:
CAE Principals Institute: Expanding Skills and Capacity in Fundraising for Arts Education
Presented in collaboration with Dr. Eva Pataki and the NYC DOE Integrated Curriculum and Instruction Learning Support Organization (ICI LSO) for the Professional Learning Institutes for 21st Century Principals and Schools, this workshop is designed to introduce principals and other school administrators to the fundamentals of searching for funding and writing grant proposals.
School Arts Support Initiative
Launched in spring 2007 as a joint venture with The New York Times Company Foundation and the NYC DOE, this program provides $50,000 (each) and additional in-kind professional support services over two academic years to three New York City public middle schools with little or no arts education. The participating school principals have committed to making the arts a core part of education in their schools by supporting skill building in visual art, music, dance and theater, as well as enhancing rigorous work in English Language Arts and Math.
Parents As Arts Partners Grant Program
Created in response to research demonstrating the positive impact of parental involvement on a child’s success in school and the effectiveness of the arts as a means of cultivating that involvement, this popular grant program engages families in high-quality arts activities, including workshops with teaching artists and visits to cultural organizations, allowing even schools with limited arts offerings to explore the benefits of arts in education and, at the same time, build parent support for this means of improving the quality of education. Since the program’s inception in 1998, CAE has awarded more than 1100 grants to over 500 schools, totaling $4 million in funding.
Promising Practices II
This innovative web project (scheduled to launch September 2007) brings some of the best practices developed and fostered through CAE’s work in New York City public schools to a much wider audience. The site will feature “Arts Smart” school communities where both students and adults recognize the important role the arts play in learning. Interactive components will allow visitors to use tools and strategies to give them an inside look at what it takes to make an “Arts Smart” school.
For more information on these and other programs designed to help New York City public school educators deliver on the promise to our students, visit www.cae-nyc.org.
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About The Center for Arts Education (CAE)
The Center for Arts Education (CAE) is committed to restoring, stimulating, and sustaining quality arts education as an essential part of every child’s education. CAE provides information and resources that demonstrate the benefits of and need for arts education as part of a quality, balanced education. CAE also identifies and supports exemplary partnerships and programs that demonstrate how the arts contribute to learning and student achievement. CAE is dedicated to influencing educational and fiscal policies that will support arts education in all of the City’s public schools. Since its founding in 1996, CAE has awarded nearly $40 million in private and public funding to support arts education.
