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ACTION ALERT! - It is time to Mobilize
7/30/07 We can be proud of the long list of professional
entertainers, musicians and artist with their roots planted deeply in
Georgia soil. Names like Julia Roberts, Lynn Yearwood, Brenda Lee, Holly
Hunter, Spike Lee, Laurence Fishburne, Little Richard and literally
hundreds more actors, writers, musicians, artist, poets began their
careers as students in our schools.
Now our State Board of Education, upon the recommendation
of Superintendent Kathy Cox, is considering the removal of the Fine Arts
option as a graduation requirement.
Allowing this to happen will impact hundreds of students
who apply for admission to Universities seeking a degree in the Arts.
Traditionally, the Fine Arts Programs at the better Universities select
very few for admission - only the best can hope to get into schools like
Julliard, Carnegie Mellon, New York University, University of Southern
California, Florida State and others. They increasingly look to
secondary schools with strong Fine Arts programs from which to make
their selection. Removal of the Fine Arts option as a graduation
requirement can not enhance the chances for acceptance.
Below is what the Arts Leadership League of Georgia has
to say on the subject. Please read and follow by contacting our
Legislature and the State Board of Education.
Let's not short change the talented youngsters who are
the future of the Arts, not only in Georgia, but throughout our country
and the world!
Georgia is experiencing a systematic
dismantling of arts education in our public schools.
Currently, Georgia high school students have a choice to make
in fulfilling their requirements for graduation. They may choose one unit of
fine arts or one unit of computer technology.
Now, Georgia's Superintendent of Schools, Kathy Cox, is
recommending that the fine arts option be eliminated from this choice.
This means students who choose to take visual arts or music or
drama or dance will not be able to count their choice toward graduation. If
approved, the implications for this action are profound.
Omitting fine arts graduation requirements will be detrimental
to student choice and opportunity. It will also be devastating to fine arts
programs across the state.
As school boards and administrators seek to fill positions and
balance budgets, the fine arts are always an easy target for cuts. If the
Department of Education (DOE) does not identify a unit of Fine Arts as an
option for meeting graduation requirements, many arts programs will disappear
from our public schools, simply because they don't fulfill the state's new
basic curriculum.
Other factors point to a serious erosion of support for arts
education in Georgia.
Within the last few years, the Georgia DOE has eliminated the
position of arts specialist in its offices. This loss of a position (and
supporting staff) silenced the voice for the arts at the state level. As a
result, many counties now have few, if any, fine arts specialists.
Additionally, the new Georgia Performance Standards released
last year by the DOE do not include a visual arts curriculum - despite the
fact that the fine arts are listed as a specific core academic subject under
the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.
The Georgia Department of Education has a responsibility to
provide the best possible education for all the students in our state. We as
parents, educators, concerned residents, business leaders and voters also have
a responsibility to the students of Georgia. We are the ones who elect these
policy makers and now we must raise our collective voice in support of the
arts and arts education. It is regrettable that we must advocate so hard just
to maintain the most minimal national standards for arts education.
Other states are moving forward to broaden arts education
offerings for their students. That's because research shows that the arts
enhance student performance. Read recent Wall Street Journal column on the
topic (www.allga.org)
Please join us in supporting the eligibility of fine arts as a
graduation requirement option for Georgia's public high school students. In
two minutes and four easy action steps, you can do the following:
1. Contact key decision makers and tell them how you feel about arts education. Write an email or letter in your own words and based on your own experiences (we ask that you share a copy of your correspondence with us so that we can quantify our collective response. Each and every contact will be important in making our case). Just click on the blue email address to send your email.
* Georgia State School Board Members ( available on
http://www.allga.org)
* Contact Governor Sonny Perdue - Hannah Heck- hheck@gov.state.ga.us * Contact Lt. Governor Casey Cagle - Irene Munn- irene.munn@lt.gov.ga.gov * Contact Dean Alford, Chairman - IE2 - Governor's Task Force - Investing in Educational Excellence- deanalford@alliedutility.com * The official email address for input on the Graduation Rule it is: policy@doe.k12.ga.us * Copy ALL-GA - jan@allga.org
2. Please share this information with your friends, family,
neighbors, colleagues, civic associations, church members, and parents. We
must have an overwhelming, broad-based grass-roots response. Please forward to
those you know have an interest in quality education. (this is easy)
3. Attend the public meeting of the State Board of Education
scheduled for September 12.
The meeting will be held at Georgia Department of Education, State Board Room, 20th Floor - East Tower, 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE, Atlanta, GA 30334 (this meeting date could change please check for updates in the schedule at: http://public.doe.k12.ga.us/pea_policy.aspx?PageReq=GradRules2
All of the above information and more, including the current
Graduation Rules and the new proposed Graduation rules are on our website:
www.allga.org.
The Arts Leadership League of Georgia thanks you in advance for
taking the time to let our leaders know how important the arts are to
providing Georgia students with a well-rounded education.
Respectfully,
Jan
Jan Selman
Executive Director ALL-GA 404.373.8360 Courtesy of Southside Arts Agenda. If you would like to receive notification of events like these via email, be sure to sign up below for the Southside Arts Agenda!
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