Advocacy and Public Policy

National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts, 520 8th Avenue, Suite 302, New York, NY 10018, (212) 268-3337

This handbook outlines best practices that arose from the Partners in Excellence Initiative to promote arts education partnerships between community and public schools. The guide begins by defining a partnership, continues with how to build and sustain one, and concludes with a chapter on evaluation and assessment. PDF available for download at website.

Beginning in 1999, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launched a global initiative to strengthen arts education. In 2003, Portuguese delegates to the United Nations called for a global conference to address this aim, resulting in the first-ever World Conference on Arts Education. The World Conference brought together 1,200 artists, educators, policy makers, and researchers from over ninety-seven countries in Lisbon, Portugal from March 6-9, 2006.

These thoughts were sparked by attending the Council on Foundations 57th Annual Conference, "Philanthropy: Investing in the Vision of Progress." I was especially engaged by the plenary remarks of George Soros and Newt Gingrich.

Steve Gunderson is the new president and CEO of the Council on Foundations. After serving three terms in the Wisconsin State Legislature, Gunderson served sixteen years in the U.S. Congress, where he focused on agriculture, education, employment policy, health care, and human rights. After not seeking re-election in 1996, he served as senior consultant and managing director for the Washington office of the Greystone Group, a Michigan-based strategic management and communications consulting firm.

2005, 158 pages. Arts Education Partnership , One Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20001-1431, 202-336-7016, aep@ccsso.org

The Arts Education Partnership's new book, Third Space: when learning matters, should be required reading for anyone involved in what promises to be a lively and contentious debate around the 2007 reauthorization of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

2006, 114 pages. Published by the University of Minnesota, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, Project on Regional and Industrial Economics (PRIE). Funded by the McKnight Foundation and the Fesler-Lampert Chair in Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota.

2005, 67 pages. Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law, 161 Avenue of the Americas, 12th floor, New York, NY 10003, 212-992-8847, www.fepproject.org

Download PDF: www.fepproject.org/policyreports/WillFairUseSurvive.pdf

2005, 12 pages. Americans for the Arts, 1000 Vermont Northwest, 6th floor, Washington, DC, 20005, 202-371-2830, www.artsusa.org

This monograph explores the role of culture in diplomacy with a specific focus on international cultural exchange. Case histories and examples of successful efforts are used to make the case for greater public support of cultural exchange programs.

2005, 28 pages. California Alliance for Arts Education, 495 East Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA, 91191, 626-578-9315.

This briefing paper describes the benefits of arts learning for all students, current policies in the state of California and nationwide supporting arts education in public schools, and current implementation practices affecting access and equity. It also offers policy recommendations.

A few years ago, Laura Penn, managing director of Intiman Theatre in Seattle, met me for coffee at the Saint Francis Hotel. I was between sessions of the Independent Sector's (IS) national conference in San Francisco. Laura had never heard of IS and was curious about it. The Independent Sector is a coalition of corporations, foundations, and private voluntary organizations that works to strengthen nonprofit organizations and is committed to advancing the common good in the U.S.