Arts Education Advocacy

Arts Education Advocacy = PAC2 + PAC

Arts Education policy and funding can be incredibly complex to advocate for because education decisions are made at many levels including; individual schools, local school systems and governments, state education agencies, legislatures and Governors, the US Department of Education, Congress, and even the President of the United States. That is why it is so important to know what you want and why, be patient and persistent, and to find allies in your cause and method in your advocacy. Here are some strategies to help you be an effective advocate:

Principals and Planning

  • Principals have the most direct control over Arts Education at each school. Schedule a meeting with your Principal about how Comprehensive Arts Education is addressed at your school. Find out what your school’s assets and barriers are for implementing effective arts education. Ask how you can help to empower the assets and remove the barriers
  • Planning is essential to making sure you deliver the right message to the right person. Your Principal should be able to help you know which officials can make decisions on which issues as well as what you can do to help at your school.

Alliances and Advocacy

  • Alliances are necessary to bring about change. First, do your research and find organizations (such as Arts NC) that align with your goals. Sign up for emails and join their network. Use them as a resource for information. Also, find others in your own community that share your priorities and enlist them to work with you.
  • Advocacy is speaking up for a cause or idea. This can involve emails, letters, phone calls, or personal meetings. Answering calls to action from advocacy organizations is a great way to get started in this work and to join your voice to a network of like-minded individuals to affect policy, practice, and funding.

Communication and Coordination

  • Communication is everything. When you know what you want, why you want it, and who can help you achieve it, then it is time communicate and build relationships. Start by writing a letter or an email to the appropriate official or elected representative about your issue. It is a great way to lay out your position on an issue and the facts that support it. Then you can meet up with the official, or their staff, and have a polite conversation.
  • Coordination with others is the key to success. The more people that deliver the same message to the appropriate individuals, the more effective your advocacy will become. This takes leadership. Lead with your purposeful actions and passionate advocacy.

PLUS the other PAC

  • Positive: Always deliver a positive message with a positive attitude. Remember, you are building a relationship. If you treat an official like a friend, then they will become one. You do not have to agree, but you should be polite and listen as well as speak. Communication goes both ways.
  • Appreciative: Be sure to thank officials for their service. These are difficult positions, and rarely come with thanks. It is an easy way to set the tone for a productive conversation. Also, be sure to follow up afterward with a hand written thank you note.
  • Cautious: Remember to always be mindful of what you say and how you say it, in writing, on social media, on the phone or in person. You may be expressing your own opinions, but what you say and do reflects on the entire Arts Education Community.

 

Who Does What?

Principals and other School Administrators

Individuals responsible for the day to day operations and hiring of faculty and staff for each individual school within the guidance of the Local Education Agency and Local School Board.

School Improvement Team or School Leadership Team

A group of teachers and parents that works with school administrators to assist in decision making and governance at the individual school level.

Local Education Agency (LEA)

Agency that leads all public schools in an individual school system, usually a county, and oversees all operations including facilities, faculty, staff, and student safety.

Superintendent of LEA

Hired by the Local School Board, the Superintendent is responsible for the oversight of operations of the LEA, and for providing programmatic and funding recommendations to the Local School Board.

Local School Board

Elected officials that create local policy to implement state and federal policies and laws, as well as setting additional policies that govern operations at the local level (LEA) which may include funding for programs, faculty and staff, additional graduation requirements, and student fees.

District Arts Education Coordinator

A designated person within the LEA who is responsible for the implementation or guidance for arts education programs within that school system. This position may also include other responsibilities and may report to other curricular leadership.

County Commissions

Elected officials that set budget at local level for the LEA and provides additional funding for teachers or other resources not covered in their NC appropriation as determined by the state’s funding formula.

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI)

Serves and leads all 115 school districts, over 2500 public and charter schools, approximately 117,000 teachers and administrators, and more than 1.4 million students in North Carolina, providing assistance with implementation of education laws of the NC General Assembly and policy requirements of the State Board of Education.

North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction

Is the elected head of the NC Department of Public Instruction, which oversees all public school systems in the state, and also works with the State Board of Education to implement NCDPI policy.

North Carolina State Board of Education

Creates state level policies for implementation of state and federal law.

North Carolina General Assembly

Creates laws that govern education policy and oversees appropriation of all state funding for education.

Governor

Appoints North Carolina State Board of Education and can support initiatives in NC General Assembly.

US Department of Education

Creates policy, administers and coordinates most federal education assistance, collects data on, and enforces federal educational laws for all schools in the United States.

US Secretary of Education

Appointed by the President of the United States as head of the US Department of Education.

US Congress

Creates laws, such as Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), that govern national education policy and oversees appropriation of all US funding for education.