The Arts Rise Again for Seattle Public Schools

from SOWA Live (So Alive!)

by Virginia Eader, School's Out Washington MSW Student Intern

It’s happening folks. Slowly but surely we are beginning to realize that our young people are getting short-changed by the intense focus on standardized testing and lack of creativity in public education.

On Tuesday night, I had the opportunity to attend the first of five Arts Public Engagement Meetings hosted by Seattle Public Schools and Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs. The public meetings are providing parents, teachers, artists, community members, non-profit representatives, and youth a chance to come together and share ideas to help shape the Arts Plan in Seattle Public Schools. This is an important step in creating a more enriching and diverse educational experience for our young people. I encourage you to attend a meeting in your neighborhood and let your voice be heard!

Arts Public Engagement Meetings

North Meeting	Tuesday, March 13 6:30 - 8:30 pm	Ballard High School 1418 NW 65th St.
Central Meeting	Saturday, March 17 1:00 - 3:00 pm	Garfield High School 400 23rd Ave.
Southeast Meeting Translators for Spanish, Somali, Chinese, Vietnamese and Tagalog will be present.	Monday, March 19 6:30 - 8:30 pm	South Shore K-8 4800 S. Henderson St.
Southwest Meeting Translators for Spanish, Somali and Vietnamese will be present.	Thursday, March 29 6:30 - 8:30 pm	Chief Sealth International High School 2600 SW Thistle St.
Youth Meeting*	Saturday, March 31 1:00 - 3:00 pm	Meany Building (location of Nova High School and Seattle World School) 301 21st Ave. E.

For more Information, check out the City of Seattle website and this video of the Arts Education Forum which took place last month. The Wallace Foundation, who is funding Seattle’s planning efforts, also has some great resources on Arts Education.