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Partners in Education: Art Education Passes With Flying Colors

Posted on: Sunday, 23 October 2005, 15:00 CDT

By TERI THOMSON RANDALL

Did you know that students are more likely to go to school on the days they have art class? That's what Sweeney Elementary discovered several years ago when it incorporated art education into every grade level. Not only did attendance improve, but parents also showed up at the school for performances and exhibitions. Furthermore, test scores went up.

There was a time in the not-too-distant past when our state had no money for visual-arts programs in the elementary schools. Schools in wealthy neighborhoods raised money for their art programs. Schools lacking those resources went without.

Fortunately, all that changed dramatically in 2003, when our state passed the Fine Arts Education Act. The act provides state funds for one visual-arts teacher in every public elementary school, as well as money for materials and supplies.

The act also pays for working artists to visit classrooms, so children interact with adults who have made careers in art, our regular art teachers receive professional development, and some artists in our community get a little paid work.

Another component of the act brings elementary students to the Lensic Performing Arts Center for a performance every spring -- alternating orchestra, chorale, theater, dance, poetry and story- telling -- with buses provided in part through Partners in Education. In addition, gifts from Las Campanas transport students to the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art.

I recently asked Amy Summa, the new arts-program specialist for Santa Fe Public Schools, how she would characterize art education in Santa Fe: "Healthy!" Summa said there are still ways that members of our community can help keep art education in Santa Fe thriving:

* Volunteer as a docent for student-outreach programs at one of our museums.

* Contribute to the field trip program of Partners in Education (which transports students to the Lensic and museums).

* Sponsor a teacher grant in the Arts through Partners in Education. Each year, donations from our community to Partners in Education provide for grants up to $1,000 to teachers in every public school, and for every subject category, including the arts.

We all know that art education enhances our children's lives. Even the folks who forged No Child Left Behind decreed that art shall be part of the core curriculum. Let's keep art education vibrant in Santa Fe.

For more information on the grant programs, call 474-0240.

Santa Fe Partners in Education's mission is to improve the quality of public school education by providing teachers and their students with the materials, equipment and services they need. Call 474-0240.

Source: The Santa Fe New Mexican

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