OTHER PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES

Programs:

Poetry Out Loud — National Poetry Recitation Contest

Poetry Out Loud is a growing nation-wide recitation contest for high school students in public, private, parochial, independent, court, community and charter schools.  The recitation contests begin in the classroom and progress to the school, county, state and national finals.   As part of the program, each school receives 5 hours of instruction and/or judging from regional poets, and all the required orientation and written materials.

Thousands of teachers attest that this contest fits into their curriculum, stimulates an appreciation for poetry and performance and strengthens school community.

Participation has grown in the past three years and now includes over 20 Counties in California alone.  Sacramento County currently has 26 high schools with over 1200 students participating. This national initiative is part of an effort to bring literary arts to students – a critical need in our schools with their dramatic decline in literary reading.

The contest is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council, The Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, the Sacramento County Office of Education, California Poets in the Schools, and the National Poetry Foundation.

Local Poets: The sponsors of Poetry Out Loud will pay you to share your unique expertise with high school students in their classrooms and at their competitions! 

For more information about the history and success of Poetry Out Loud log onto the website.

Please contact Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission Arts Education staff Chelsea Hunt to answer questions regarding the program at 916-566-3979 or Chelsea Hunt OR the Sacramento County Office of Education at 916-228-2371 or Arts Coordinator.

InnerSpark; California State Summer School for the Arts
The California State Summer School for the Arts (InnerSpark) seeks the most talented high school-aged visual, literary, media and performing artists in California.  The teenagers who are selected are designated California Arts Scholars, and attend one of the country's premier summer arts institutes on the campus of the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia from July 12 through August 8, 2008.

InnerSpark represents a unique opportunity to spend four weeks studying and working with professional artists, writers and performers of national stature in the fields of animation, music, dance, film and video, theatre, creative writing and visual arts.

For more information about InnerSpark, visit their website.
For application questions call or email at 916-274-5815.

Congressional Art Competition

In the spring of every year, the United States House of Representatives hosts a Congressional Art Competition for high school artists.  Members of Congress hold contests within their districts to choose winning pieces of art by high school students, and the winning entries from all districts are displayed in the Cannon Tunnel at the U.S. Capitol for a period of one year.  The winning student from each district is invited to Washington, DC for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Information about this year’s competition, organized by Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui’s Office and co-sponsored by the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, will be available  Please check back.

Resources and Updates from the Field:

Advocacy
The California Alliance for Arts Education (CAAE) promotes, supports, and advocates visual and performing arts education for preschool through post-secondary students in California schools.  Visit their web site for a wealth of information about the value of arts education, funding for arts education programs and arts education policy. 

CA County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA) Arts Initiative has a wealth of advocacy information at their web site.

Funding Sources

California Visual and Performing Arts Education Block Grant Funding
This is the second year of historic funding for California Public Schools through the State Visual and Performing Arts and Physical Education Block Grant Funding.  The first year of funding provided:

• $500 million in one-time funding for the purpose of visual and performing arts and/or physical education professional development, standards-based supplies and equipment.
• $105 million in ongoing funding for visual and performing arts standards-based instruction.
• $40 million for hiring of credentialed K-8 physical education teachers.

The second year of funding provided another $109.7 million in ongoing fund for instruction.  The dedicated funding challenges school districts to make long-term strategic investments to ensure quality standards-based physical education and visual and performing arts educational programs for all students in California.

Information about how the funds can be spent, timelines and payment amounts, reporting requirements and how state budget deficits may impact the funding are available through the following links:

California Alliance for Arts Education

California Department of Education

To see how schools are spending this Block Grant funding, go to The California Arts Project (TCAP) web site.

Other Funding Sources

The California Arts Council lists California funding opportunities for the arts at their web site.  Click here.

California County Superintendent’s Educational Service Association (CCSESA) has a good list of possible funding sources for arts education programming at their web site.

Current Arts Education Research

California County Superintendents’ Educational Services Association Arts Initiative Research site.

Community Arts Network; current research in the community arts field

Arts Education Partnerships: Lessons Learned from One School District

Arts in Education Research Compendium

Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts On Learning

Improving Arts Education Partnerships