BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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Date of Hearing: March 21, 2011
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, SPORTS, TOURISM, AND
INTERNET MEDIA
Nora Campos, Chair
ACR 25 (Campos) - As Introduced: February 17, 2011
SUBJECT : Arts Education Month
SUMMARY : Proclaims March 2011 to be Arts Education Month,
encourages all elected officials to participate with their
educational communities in celebrating the arts, and would urge
all residents to become interested in, and give full support to,
quality school arts programs for children and youth.
Specifically, this resolution makes the following legislative
findings:
1)Arts education, which includes dance, music, theatre, and the
visual arts, is an essential and integral part of basic
education for all pupils in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten,
and grades 1 to 12, inclusive.
2)The arts are crucial to achieving a state educational policy
that is devoted to the teaching of basic academic skills and
lifelong learning capacities with the goal of truly preparing
all children for success after high school regardless of
gender, age, economic status, physical ability, or learning
ability.
3)A systematic, substantive, and sequential visual and
performing arts curriculum addresses and develops ways of
thinking, questioning, expression, and learning that
complement learning in other core subjects, but that is unique
in what it has to offer.
4)Pupils benefit from arts learning in the areas of cultural
understanding, readiness for learning and creative thinking,
cognitive outcomes, emotional intelligence and expression,
social interaction and collaboration, and preparation for the
workplace and lifelong learning.
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5)Arts education in California is mandated for pupils in grades
1 to 12, inclusive, by Education Code Sections 51210 and
51220, which provide, in part, that the adopted course of
study shall include instruction in "Ýv]isual and performing
arts, including instruction in the subjects of dance, music,
theatre, and visual arts, aimed at the development of
aesthetic appreciation and the skills of creative expression"
6)The arts are recognized as part of a quality education, and
the University of California and the California State
University have instituted a policy that includes visual and
performing arts as a college preparatory subject for all high
school pupils wishing to enter California's institutions of
higher education.
7)In 2006, the Legislature passed and Governor Schwarzenegger
signed into law a landmark investment in music and arts
education programs, including a block grant of $105 million to
support standards-aligned instruction in kindergarten and
grades 1 to 12, inclusive.
8)In 2006, the Legislature also passed and Governor
Schwarzenegger signed into law an additional $500 million to
be distributed on a one-time basis for the purchase of visual
and performing arts and physical education professional
development supplies and equipment.
9)This ongoing investment in arts education plus a
cost-of-living increase was passed by the Legislature and
signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger.
10)The Legislature intends this funding to help implement a
comprehensive vision for arts education at the local level, to
ensure that every pupil in California benefits from this
investment. This funding is the first step in investing in
quality visual and performing arts programs for all California
pupils.
11)Many national and state professional arts education
associations hold celebrations in the month of March, giving
California schools a unique opportunity to focus on the value
of the arts for all pupils, to foster cross-cultural
understanding, to give recognition to the state's outstanding
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young artists, and to enhance public support for this
essential part of the curriculum.
FISCAL EFFECT : None known
COMMENTS :
1)Author's Statement and Support : According to the author, "To
succeed in today's economy of ideas, students must master the
use of words, images, sounds and motion to communicate. The
arts provide the skills and knowledge students need to develop
the creativity and determination necessary to succeed in
today's global information age." She adds, "Effective arts
education is one of the most important long-term issues and
opportunities facing the arts world and California. Since
2005, all students entering the University of California and
the California State University are required to satisfy the
visual and performing arts admission requirement by completing
an appropriate course in dance, music, theatre, or the visual
arts in high school. The arts are considered core subjects in
No Child Left Behind. Despite severe budgetary concerns,
several local districts and county offices of education
throughout the state have demonstrated long-term commitment to
restoring arts education."
The measure's sponsors state in further support, "Research
shows that the arts are a critical link in student success.
Arts education is linked to higher test scores across all
subjects, as well as lower dropout rates. It fosters
creativity and imagination, hallmarks of careers in the 21st
century. Beyond the classroom, the arts are shown to nurture
collaboration and civic engagement in young people."
2)Prior related legislation :
ACR 26 (Davis), Res. Chapter 44, Statutes of 2009, declared
the month of March, 2009 to be Arts Education month.
SCR 82 (Maldonado), Res. Chapter 26, Statutes of 2008,
declared the month of March 2008 to be Arts Education month.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
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Support
California Alliance for Arts Education (Sponsor)
California Educational Theatre Association
California Park and Recreation Society
California School Boards Association
LEAP
Los Angeles County Arts Commission
Streetside Stories
Young Storytellers Foundation
Opposition
None known
Analysis Prepared by : Dana Mitchell / A.,E.,S.,T. & I.M. /
(916) 319-3450