As parents and members of the PTA, our role is to advocate for the best educational experience possible for our kids and I firmly believe that the best education possible includes the arts. Painting, dancing, acting and singing provide our children with numerous benefits.
For instance, did you know students involved in the arts have a dropout rate five times lower than their peers?
Did you know that 72% of business leaders say that creativity is the number one skill they’re looking for when hiring?
So what can we do to encourage creativity in our schools? As the arts education program manager at Americans for the Arts, I oversee the creation of tools and resources to help parents understand the benefits of arts education and to then, in turn, convey that importance to our principals, school board members and elected officials.
This year, Americans for the Arts launched a suite of tools called “Encourage Creativity: Teach the Arts.” The site includes four distinct videos that show the important role of the arts in every child’s education. The videos are inspirational, visually stunning and emotionally and intellectually compelling.
Encourage Creativity Image by Scott Cronan Photography
And since this week (September 13 – 19) is National Arts in Education Week, there’s no time like the present to get started with using the Encourage Creativity suite! This year marks the 5th anniversary of National Arts in Education Week—a national celebration recognizing the importance of dance, media arts, music, theater and visual arts to a well-rounded education. Through House Resolution 275, the week of the second Sunday in September is designated to bring attention of this cause to our educational decision makers.
You can download and use this logo for free at: NationalArtsInEducationWeek.org
Not sure how to join in the celebration of National Arts in Education Week? Here are three easy ideas:
- Familiarize yourself with the tools. We’ve built an entire suite of tools to help you celebrate National Arts in Education Week and Encourage Creativity in your school communities. Parents can use all of our tools in tandem—you could prepare talking points via our Facts & Figures e-book and then inspire your school leaders with one of the videos.
- Host an event or make a presentation. Local events are a great way to bring attention to the cause of arts education. You could host a performance, exhibit or open house. Or you could prepare a presentation for a town hall, PTA meeting or school board meeting. We’ve got step-by-step instructions on how to use the Encourage Creativity tools for any of these scenarios.
- Join the conversation. You can see what other parents and educators are doing to Encourage Creativity in their schools by following the #ArtsEdWeek hashtag all week long: September 13 – 19. You can add your story to the conversation using the following hashtags: Share a picture of student artwork or a performance and tag it with #EncourageCreativity. Or tell a story about an arts educator who has made a difference in your school community and tag it with #TeachTheArts.
Get creative! Watch the videos, share your stories and join in this celebration of National Arts in Education Week. Help spread the idea that the best way to encourage creativity in our schools is to teach the arts!
Encourage Creativity Image by Scott Cronan Photography
Kristen Engebretsen is the arts education program manager for Americans for the Arts. She also is a member of the Takoma Park Elementary PTA in Maryland.
Speak Your Mind