Education Law

$10,000 for arts . . . sounds like a pretty good deal

BoardBuzz sends kudos to the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network (KCAAEN) for partnering once again with NSBA to recognize a local school board for outstanding support of the arts in education. Applications are now available on the Kennedy Center website, and the deadline to receive applications is December 1, 2009.  The winner will be awarded a $10,000 cash prize to help the district continue its work in strengthening arts education programs at NSBA?s 2010 Annual Conference in Chicago next April. One school board per state comprises the maximum national pool of nominees.

Nominations may come from the state school boards association, the state alliance for arts education or these organizations jointly. Either way, a letter of support from the state school boards association must be a part of the application since this award is recognizing the school board?s support of the arts. Contact your State Alliance for Arts Education for state nomination deadlines. For more information on the application process and past winners click here  or call 202-416-8817. 

BoardBuzz knows that applying for the award is not for the ?faint of heart,? but clearly the $10,000 prize can go a long way in enhancing an already top notch school district arts program. The reason the process is so comprehensive is that arts educators feel strongly that school districts should offer comprehensive, standards based arts programs in all four major artistic disciplines ? visual arts, music, theater and dance. To honor this strongly held belief, programming in all four major disciplines is a minimum requirement to be considered for the award. 

Arts education is of critical importance to the folks at the Kennedy Center as evidenced by one of the most extensive arts education programs in the world?reaching more than 11 million people across the nation each year. NSBA is pleased to be a partner in this program, now in its 12^th year, because it supports NSBA?s mission to foster excellence and equity in public and elementary and secondary education through school board leadership.

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on September 15, 2009 (boomark / email).