As Congress prepares to debate reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, the Pennsylvania Art Education Association is organizing a local letter-writing campaign to stress the importance of art and music programs in the classroom.
Heide Sheetz and Wendy Milne, elementary art teachers in the Hempfield Area School District, are inviting teachers and parents from the region to pen notes to federal legislators describing how the arts have made a difference in their lives or the lives of their children.
Hempfield's school board gave the two teachers and PAEA advocacy co-chairs permission to play host to the letter-writing campaign at Fort Allen Elementary School from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Monday.
The No Child Left Behind legislation, which is in its fifth year, was intended to improve student performances at primary and secondary schools.
In calling Wednesday for the often-criticized act's reauthorization, President Bush said the program is "working" because fourth- and eighth-graders are scoring higher on standardized tests for math and reading.
However, some districts across the country are reporting that an emphasis on the tested subjects has left students with less time for programs like art.
In July, the Center on Education Policy in Washington reported that 16 percent of surveyed school districts have decreased their instructional time for the arts since the act's implementation.
Regionally, the Blairsville-Saltsburg School District eliminated its two elementary art teacher positions in the 2004-05 budget, although homeroom teachers have taken on the role of teaching art, said the district's business manager, Eric Kocsis.
While the legislation hasn't hurt the curriculum in Hempfield, Sheetz said, PAEA is concerned about the scheduling pressures other districts in the U.S. have faced.
"We just wanted legislators to know art education is working in Pennsylvania, and it's making a difference," she said. "I think it's an unintended consequence of No Child Left Behind because of the push for literacy and mathematics."
A parent of two children in the Hempfield district, Scott Deutsch said the arts stimulate a child's brain beyond math and reading.
The graphic designer credited Ken Cutway, his former Hempfield Area High School art teacher, with encouraging him to go to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.
"In this age, where we're spending more for some things and less for others, it seems the arts certainly deserve their fair share," said Deutsch, president of the Caring Parents and Teachers organization at Stanwood Elementary School. "It broadens all people's minds."
The program coordinator of the education department at Frick Art Museum in Pittsburgh said at least one of her staff members will be at Fort Allen on Monday.
Susan Bails said art helps students learn about problem-solving, teamwork and critical thinking.
"We all feel very strongly about the importance of Wendy doing something like this to get the word out there," Bails said.
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