The Note: July 25, 2014

Arts and Education News from the Education Policy and Leadership Center and the PA Arts Education Network

 

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In This Issue
Governor's Awards for the Arts
FY 2014-15 State Budget
FY 2015 Federal Budget
Fall Network Community Forums and Advocacy Training
Fall PAEA Conference
Harrisburg Briefing Call
2014 Arts and Education Symposium
PA Museums Call for Sessions
Governor's School Alumni Network
NCSL Arts in Education Legis Brief
SupportMusic Coalition Advocacy Webcast
Common Sense Arts Standards Workshop
STEM vs STEAM Infograph
Any Given Child Report
Register for AEP National Forum
Phila. Youth Orchestra Award
AFTA Trial Memberships
Best Businesses Partnering with the Arts
Art: The Universal Language Art Contest
PASA-PSBA Student Celebration Showcase
EPLC's Education Policy Fellowship Program
AEC's CLAE Professional Development for Administrators
The Fine Art of the Common Core Workshop
Share the Network's  Policy Agenda with your 
State and Local Leaders!
   
Read and share the Policy Agenda, hereand remember that your voice 
as a constituent is valued!
Please direct information about
upcoming events, research reports, awards, and all other news foinclusion on the Network website, Facebook page, calendar, or monthly Note to Laura Abbott at abbott@eplc.org.

 

All other matters about the Network, the Policy Agenda, and related advocacy should be directed to Ron Cowell at cowell@eplc.org.


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Governor's Awards for the Arts
  
Governor's Awards for the Arts Recipients Announced
On July 24, First Lady Susan Corbett, chair of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA), announced the recipients of the 2014 Governor's Awards for the Arts.

The Awards honor outstanding Pennsylvania artists, arts organizations, cultural leaders, and patrons who have made significant contributions to the advancement to the arts.

This year's honorees are:
  • Jennifer Higdon, Philadelphia - Distinguished Arts Award:  One of America's most acclaimed and most frequently performed living composers, received the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her Violin Concerto.
  • Robert Qualters, Pittsburgh - Artist of the Year:  American painter, installation artist and printmaker.  His work includes traditional painting, murals, and collaborations with other Pittsburgh-based artists.
  • The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh - Arts Innovation Award:  Globally recognized as an innovative and forward thinking institution, the Warhol is the largest museum dedicated to a single artist in the nation.  It celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
  • Myron Hay Tomb, Esq., Indiana - Leadership & Service:  A passionate advocate for the benefits of arts in education for all Pennsylvanians, his leadership on the PCA helped to build a robust infrastructure of regional partners delivering quality arts in education opportunities across the Commonwealth.
  • Mark E. Pasquerilla, Johnstown - Patron Award: A philanthropist who has supported numerous arts, historical and cultural organizations, including the Johnstown Area Heritage Association, the Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center at the University of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Opera, River City Brass Band, Manchester Craftsmen's Guild, and the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra.
Governor Tom Corbett will present the awards during a ceremony at Indiana University of Pennsylvania's Performing Arts Center on September 28 at 4 p.m.  The award ceremony is free and open to the public.

 
Budget Update
  
FY 2014-15 State Budget
On July 10, Governor Corbett signed into law the $29 billion General Appropriations Budget for Fiscal Year 2014-15, which began on July 1.  During a press conference, Governor Corbett repeated his dissatisfaction with the General Assembly for not sending him pension reform.  To show just how unhappy he was, he announced $72 million of line-item vetoes in the enacted budget, $65 million of which was the General Assembly's operating budget, and $7.2 million from various state departments for projects designated by the Legislature.

 

The enacted spending plan spends $11.9 billion in total education spending, which includes money for early, basic, and postsecondary education.

 

Highlights for arts, museums, and libraries:

  • The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts received a 1.4% increase bringing the total appropriation to $898,000. Grants to the Arts received a 5% increase, bringing the total appropriation to $8.95 million.  This is the first increase since 2007.
  • The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) received a 9.5% increase for General Government Operations, while Cultural and Historical Support was held level.  The total appropriation for PHMC is now $20.9 million.
  • Library items were held level with FY 2013-14.  This amounts to a total of $61.1 million for Pennsylvania's libraries: the Public Library Subsidy, Library Access, Library Services for the Visually Impaired and Disabled, and the State Library. 
  • $100 million of new money to be combined with the already existing $100 million from the Accountability Block Grant, for a total of $200 million in the Governor's new Ready to Learn Block Grant.
  • Basic Education Subsidy was held level with FY 2013-14 at $5.26 billion.
  • Special Education increased by $20 million, the first increase in six years.
  • Pre-K Counts increased by $10 million.
  • Higher education received a few small increases.  The State System of Higher Education, University of Pennsylvania, and three of the four state-related universities held level with FY 2013-14.  Penn State University, the fourth state-related university, will receive a $2 million increase for the Pennsylvania College of Technology; Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology will also receive a $2 million increase.  Community Colleges will receive a $3.5 million increase for operating support, and Regional Community College Services received a $1.2 million increase to support a rural regional community college pilot program.
  • The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency line items -- including Grants to Students, Internship Program Grants, and Institutional Assistance Grants -- were held level with FY 2013-14, but $5 million was added for a new merit-based Ready to Succeed scholarship program for middle-income students.

 

FY 2015 Federal Budget
On July 8, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee released the Fiscal Year 2015 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill.  The proposal included an $8 million (5%) cut to the National Endowments for the Arts (NEA).
 
On July 15, House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert (R-CA)  brought to the subcommittee amendments to the proposal that restored the proposed cuts to the NEA.

The full U.S. House will now consider the bill, which would hold level the NEA appropriation at $146 million.

The NEA and advocates have been urging Congress to support a budget of $155 million for the NEA.  It is important to note that NEA grants have significant reach and impact in local communities in Pennsylvania and around the country.  Every U.S. congressional district benefits from an NEA grant, and 40% of NEA funds are re-granted through state arts agencies.  Click here for additional points to communicate to your Congressperson.

  
Pennsylvania Arts Education
Network Updates
  
Network Community Forums and Advocacy Training Workshops Coming This Fall
Look for announcements soon about regional Community Forums and Advocacy Training Workshops to be conducted by EPLC and the Network this fall.  Details will be in a future Note and on the Network website.

Session at the Fall PAEA Annual Conference
The Pennsylvania Art Education Association (PAEA) will host its 2014 Annual Conference October 31 - November 2 at the Seven Springs Mountain Resort near Pittsburgh.  Online registration for the conference will be available soon!
 
This year's theme is "Art is Natural" and the sessions, keynote speakers, and ceremony and exhibition at Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater will engage art educators in a multi layered exploration of that theme.
 
EPLC and the Network will be presenting a session, "Informing and Supporting the Policy Goals of Your Statewide Network" the morning of Friday, October 31.  

Harrisburg Briefing Conference Call
The next Harrisburg Briefing call will be on August 21.  The Statewide Pennsylvania Arts Education Network briefing calls are held on the Third Thursday of every month at 4 p.m. to update network members and friends on statewide arts and education activities.  Anyone and everyone is welcome to call in!  Participants on the call also have an opportunity to ask questions, or share news from their communities, schools, or organizations.  The recording of the call is always made available for 30 days for those who are unable to join the live conversation.
 
Details about how to participate in future statewide Network conference calls can be found at www.ArtsEducationPa.org on the first tab under "Resources."

Online Registration now open for 2014 Arts and Education Symposium
The 2014 Arts and Education Symposium will be held on Thursday, October 2 at the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, PA.  Join us for a daylong convening of arts education policy leaders and practitioners for lively discussions about the latest news from the field.


The Symposium will include the following:
  • Act 48 Professional Development Credit
  • Keynote Speaker: Dennis Inhulsen, President, National Art Education Association
  • Student Entertainment
  • Presentation of the 2014 Arts Education School Board Leadership Award / 2014 Arts Education Policy Leader Award
  • Recognition of Featured Student Artist
  • Networking Opportunities
  • Policy Leader Panel
  • Concurrent Sessions
We are pleased to announce that, with the help of the Pennsylvania Art Education Association,
One-Eyed Ticking Fish by Zehen Zohra is the featured artwork for this year's Symposium.   Zehen created this multi-media piece in Mrs. Sharon Pastucka's 8th grade art class at Mechanicsburg Middle School, Mechanicsburg Area School District.

PA Museums Call for Sessions
PA Museums is seeking session proposals for the 2015 Annual Statewide Museum Conference, which will be held on April 12, 13, and 14 at the State Museum in Harrisburg.  The theme of the conference will be Partners in History: Telling the Pennsylvania Story.

PA Museums invites you to join them for their 2015 conference to share best practices in advocacy; economic and community development; education; cultural tourism; and other related areas.  Contact Chrisoula Randas Perdziola to request a Session Proposal Outline, for further information, or with any questions.

Governor's School Alumni Network 

To date, Governor Corbett has reinstated three of the Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence (PGSE): the Governor's School for the Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University; the Governor's School for Engineering and Technology at Lehigh University; and the Governor's School for Agricultural Sciences at Penn State University.  The final state budget for Fiscal Year 2014-2015 did not include the $350,000 Governor Corbett originally proposed for the PGSE.  However, on July 16, the Governor announced that the Team PA Foundation will provide $450,000 in funding for the three schools for the summer 2015 PGSE program.

 

Leaders from the Pennsylvania Department of Education have indicated unofficially a directive to work on the Governor's School for the Arts (PGSA) for next year, which would mean a possible PGSA opening in 2016.  Keep the pressure on your legislators to make sure state support is included in this envisioned Governor's School for the Arts.

 

As you know, those of you who have experienced the Governor's School for the Arts in the past are the most effective advocates to provide a similar opportunity to students in the future.  To support the advocacy effort to re-establish Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts, the Pennsylvania Arts Education Network continues to search for Alumni of the PGSA.  If you, or someone you know, taught at or attended the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts, please complete this form and share with others.  

 

Many of you submitted to us powerful advocacy statements about the value of the Governor's School for the Arts.  Continue to tell those stories.  Click here to find out how PGSA alumni can support PGSA restoration.

 

 
Policy and Advocacy News
 
NCSL Arts in Education LegisBrief
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) recently published a new Arts in Education LegisBrief available on the NCSL online store.  

Read how states are creating conditions that support arts education.  The digital brief is free for NCSL members and $5 for nonmembers.

SupportMusic Coalition Advocacy Webcast
On July 18, the SupportMusic Coalition hosted a webcast, "LIVE from Summer NAMM," the National Association of Music Merchant's annual summer industry conference.  The gathering highlighted NAMM members who are ramping up music education advocacy in their states and local communities, including Pennsylvania.  Click here to listen to the recording of the webcast.

 
News from the Field
 
Common Sense Arts Standards Workshop
On June 30 and July 1, visiting scholar Bruce Taylor presented to teachers and administrators Common Sense Arts Standards: Art in an Era of School Reform -- a workshop on how arts learning leads the PA Core Standards.  Taylor's presentation is now available to read online.

The workshop was sponsored by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association.

STEM vs STEAM Infograph
While inserting the Arts into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) appears obvious and necessary to the arts community,  trends in public education to push the STEM subjects without the arts are evidence that many others are not aware how integral an arts education is to learning in all fields, including STEM.

The University of Florida created an infograph illustrating STEM vs STEAM, and schools without the arts as opposed to schools with the arts.   

STEM and Arts should not be mutually exclusive.  An important point is made in the infograph that states, "When the arts are connected to STEM through mutually-reinforcing objectives, student learning deepens in both areas."
 

Kennedy Center Any Given Child Report
For several years, the Kennedy Center has been implementing its Any Given Child initiative, with the mission of assisting communities throughout the nation to strategically design, implement, and sustain arts education programs and resources that ensure access and equity for all students, grades K-8.  

The Kennedy Center released a new report, A National Mission: Ensuring the Arts for Any Given Child, in which Any Given Child communities describe seven outcomes that have resulted from their participation in the Kennedy Center's initiative.

The participating communities engaged in sustained, multi-year efforts to develop and carry out plans to ensure arts education for all students.  The results were increased student access; a foundation of robust data; a shared community vision and a commitment to act; a collective impact; increased capacity; improved ability to leverage support; and a growing national network.  Click here to read the report.

To read more about the Any Given Child initiative, click here.

 
Announcements
 
Register Now for AEP National Forum in Pittsburgh
Register now for the 2014 National Forum: Preparing Students for the Next America in and through the Arts, which will take place September 11 - 12 in downtown Pittsburgh

The National Forum, hosted  annually by the Arts Education Partnership, will convene some of the nation's most influential leaders to explore arts-centered solutions as states and school districts across the country implement higher learning expectations aimed at ensuring America's young people leave high school ready for college, career, and citizenship.  

Click here to register and to view the titles of the 21 concurrent sessions.

Wissahickon Teacher wins Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Award
Congratulations to Wissahickon band director William Cain, who last month was awarded the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Ovation Award.  The award honors outstanding leadership by music educators in the area.  Teachers are nominated by past and current students.
 
Click here to read more about Cain and the award.
 
AFTA Trial Memberships for New Arts Orgs
Americans for the Arts (AFTA), a national arts advocacy organization, is offering a special trial membership for arts organizations or arts service organizations new to AFTA's membership.

If you are considering becoming a new organizational member, you may be eligible for big savings through the special trial membership if you join before August 31.  Contact the membership team for details.
 
AFTA member organizations enjoy an array of benefits: valuable tools for professional development, networking opportunities, member-only savings and discounts, and access to resources and information from experts in the field.  
 
Whether an individual or an organization, you will be joining a thriving group of professionals who engage in and encourage an open exchange of ideas and knowledge to help advance the arts in America.
 
Click here for more information about AFTA memberships.
 
BCA 10: Best Businesses Partnering with the Arts
Every year, Americans for the Arts (AFTA), through the Business Committee for the Arts (BCA), recognizes ten U.S. companies for their exceptional commitment to the arts though grants, local partnerships, volunteer programs, matching gifts, sponsorships and board membership.

The 2014 BCA 10 honorees were announced in June and will be honored at a gala in New York City on October 1.  Among the honorees is the Philadelphia-based Exelon Company, PECO.  

PECO is the largest electric and natural gas utility in Pennsylvania, and serves Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia, and parts of York and Lancaster counties.  Click here to read more about PECO's partnerships with educational, environmental, arts and culture, and community development organizations.

 
Opportunities for Students and Artists
 
Art: The Universal Language Art Contest
The Arc of Pennsylvania is co-sponsoring, along with Governor Corbett and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, an art contest to recognize the talents, skills, and abilities of Pennsylvanians with disabilities.  "Art: The Universal Language Art Contest" is open to any Pennsylvania citizen with a disability.  

A team of judges including Governor Corbett and a panel from The Arc of PA will award winners based on originality, imagination, visual interest, and skillful use of materials.  
Prizes will be awarded in the following media categories and age divisions: pen/pencil, watercolor, acrylic, oil, sculpture, jewelry, photography, textile, and mixed media/other; ages 12 and under, 13 to 17, and 18 and older.

Entries will be accepted through Monday, August 25.  Click here for official guidelines.

PASA-PSBA Student Celebration Showcase
The PA Association of School Administrators (PASA) and the PA School Boards Association (PSBA) are presenting the third annual Student Celebration Showcase during the 2014 PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference.  The Showcase will take place on October 22 from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at the Hershey Lodge & Convention Center.

PASA and PSBA are looking for energetic, entertaining student groups or individuals to perform for 15 minutes each as a part of this celebration of public school students.  If you have an outstanding performing arts group or individual that you would like to share with others, from dance teams and jazz bands to orchestras and glee clubs, submit an application today.

Applications are due by September 19.

 

 
Opportunities for Arts Educators and School Administrators
 
EPLC's Education Policy Fellowship Program
While the class is quickly filling, applications are still being accepted for the 2014-2015 Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP).  The Education Policy Fellowship Program is sponsored in Pennsylvania by the Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC).

Past participants of the EPFP include state policymakers, district superintendents and principals, school business officers, school board members, education deans/chairs, statewide association leaders, parent leaders, education advocates, and other education and community leaders.  The 2013-2014 cohort included several individuals from different arts organizations or backgrounds who came together to submit a policy proposal related to the arts.  Fellows are typically sponsored by their employer or another organization.  

To read about the Education Policy Fellowship Program or get an application, click here.

Since space is limited to approximately 30 positions, it is advisable to submit an application as soon as possible.  The application may be copied from the EPLC website, but must be submitted by mail or scanned and e-mailed, with the necessary signatures of applicant and sponsor.

If you would like to discuss any aspect of the Fellowship Program and its requirements, please contact
Program coordinators Mattie Robinson at 717-260-9900 or robinson@eplc.org, or Ron Cowell at 412-
298-4796 or cowell@eplc.org.

AEC's Community of Learners for Arts Education Program
The Arts Education Collaborative (AEC) is now accepting applications for their Community of Learners for Arts Education (CLAE) program.  The CLAE program is a professional learning
opportunity for school and district administrators.  During the course of the CLAE program,
participants will explore three big ideas: 1. Quality arts education benefits students both in and out of school; 2. There are characteristics that all quality arts education programs share; and 3. Schools and districts have the ability to support quality arts education for all students.  Participants will receive 35 Act 45/PIL hours upon successful completion of the program.  The application deadline is September 5.  Click here for more information about CLAE and how to apply.

 

The Fine Art of the Common Core Workshop
Intermediate Unit 17, in the northeastern region of the state, will host  on Wednesday, September 24 a one-day "Fine Art of the Common Core" workshop designed for K-12 art teachers.  The workshop will explore the Core Shift in the new PA Core Standards and what that means for art education; how we can use PA Core Standards to accelerate student learning about art; ways in which the General Academic Vocabulary makes natural connections to art standards; and the future of standards-based art education.

For more information and to register for this event, click here.

Update your Profile
If you are interested in what is going on in the State Legislature regarding education policy generally, and other education-related news, consider updating your subscription profile via a link provided at the bottom of this AEI Note.  In addition to receiving information about the arts and Pennsylvania Arts Education Network activities, you can choose to receive information about any of the following Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC) publications, projects, or programs:

EPLC Education Notebook  A weekly online publication that tracks and translates Pennsylvania state policymaker activity regarding education issues.  Includes summaries of activities of the General Assembly, the State Board of Education, and the Department of Education.


Pennsylvania School Funding Campaign Coalition of advocates for adequate and equitable funding of Pennsylvania's public schools.

Legislative Candidate or School Board Candidate Workshops 
Regional programs for prospective candidates or interested, civically engaged citizens.