Dear Alameda County Parents,

Many of us believe that cultivating arts programs in our public schools is the best, maybe the only, way to heal our society. The skills needed to succeed in the 21st century are the skills of an artist: creative problem-solving, independent critical thinking, self motivation, persistence and patience, inventive imagination, flexibility, and comfort with new experience. Our children must be able to manage ambiguity, to communicate peacefully even when they cannot agree, and to have the personal courage to be agents of change in a complacent world. They must learn to imagine the unknown as an exciting challenge, not a threat. They must develop vision without rigidity, and be able to accomplish reform without repression.

If this were an easy task, we would already have accomplished it. Since we don't have the answers for our children, all we can do is give the kind of education that may launch them beyond what we already know and understand. Standards and tests get a lot of attention, but it is reflective learning in and through the arts that will create the kind of thoughtful, responsible citizens we want as voters in our democracy.

As a society and as a community we are struggling with issues of equity - why does one school seem to thrive and flourish with all the programs and materials they need while another one a couple of miles away is a hopeless place with trashy facilities, discouraged staff, and little sense of community and purpose? Since we know that kids who are enrolled in arts program 3 or more hours a week are more likely to be engaged by high school activities and more likely to graduate, more likely to go to college and less likely to go to prison, more likely to attain professional careers and give back to their communities - since we know all this, what's taking so long?

I think we'll look back on 2006 and 2007 as a time when things began to change for the better. The research has caught up with what we already knew: All kids need arts, and the more disadvantaged the kids are in their home lives, the bigger the positive impact of school and community arts programs on their futures. Many states have finally established standards for arts education, and our own great state of California has designated the largest sum in any state budget, ever, specifically for arts education.
Public support for arts education continues to grow, and I encourage you in 2007 to think of yourself as a disseminator of the dream - talk about what you know to other parents and community members, ask candidates their positions on arts education in public schools, and most of all support the arts programs at your child's school with your presence and contributions.

Here are some websites to visit, to learn more about the benefits of arts education and what is happening in your community and the world:
http://www.artiseducation.org/
http://www.artsusa.org/
http://www.artsed411.org/
http://www.capta.org/sections/programs-smarts/index.cfm
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/connect/aes.cfm

FREE UPCOMING EVENTS
FOR ARTS ACTIVE PARENTS

These events will educate and inspire you. You'll have a chance to hear from some of the most fascinating people in your community, to become more knowledgeable about how arts education improves communities, and become an agent of positive social change.

• January 9 Public Forum
Opportunities Abounding: The Language of Change
Tuesday, January 9, 6:15 - 8:00 pm
Chapel of the Chimes Oakland, 4499 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland
Everyone welcome, rsvp requested, more information here: http://www.artiseducation.org/aall/aall.htm

• January 20 Belief Statement Workshop
Your voice is needed to help articulate the value our community places on our kids' educations. Explore your ideas about arts education with other Arts Active Parents, write a belief statement together, and receive free materials that will let you do the same with your parent group or committee. Also receive a free admission for the day to the Oakland Museum of California, including festivities relating to the 100 Families Oakland exhibit, opening that day. The belief statement is lobbying action step you'll be hearing a lot about this spring. Come to this workshop to be among the first to learn about this powerful new program.
Saturday, January 20, 9:00-10:30 a.m., Museum Café
Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak Street, Oakland
Please pre-register with Kathy at aparents@artiseducation.org