(RALEIGH)—A team of education and arts leaders from North Carolina has been selected by the National Endowment for the Arts for an arts education institute that could lead to statewide reform on how arts education is provided to students in K–12 public schools, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the Department of Cultural Resources recently announced.North Carolina was selected from a field of 20 applicants from 19 states across the country to participate in the first Arts Education Leaders Institute, scheduled March 2008 in Chicago. Other selected states are Alaska, Kentucky, Nebraska and Wisconsin.North Carolina’s team includes Dr. June St. Clair Atkinson, Superintendent of Public Instruction; Linda Bamford, Arts in Education Director, North Carolina Arts Council; Becky Carney, North Carolina House of Representatives; Howard N. Lee, Chairman, North Carolina State Board of Education; Christie M. Lynch, Arts Education Consultant, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction; and Karen Wells, Executive Director, ArtsNC. “North Carolina’s goal is to prepare students to be successful in the 21st century, and that includes arts education,” said Atkinson. “Success in this new century requires people to be creative problem-solvers. Arts education is an excellent way to help students gain the critical skills they will need for success today.”
The five teams were selected by a panel of representatives from the NEA in partnership with the Illinois Arts Council, who will implement the Institute. The NEA panel cited several reasons for North Carolina’s selection, including the state’s ongoing dialogue among teachers, artists, arts and education administrators and policy makers in regard to arts education. The state exemplifies best practices in arts education, including the A + Schools program at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, a nationally-recognized program rooted in the arts and dedicated to learning through the arts.
“Education is vital to the mission of the Department of Cultural Resources. We provide a variety of tools for teachers, students and parents, including the placement of artists in schools and offerings for online learning materials,” said Lisbeth C. ‘Libba’ Evans, Secretary. “The NEA recognized the value of Cultural Resources” vision and commitment to education. The Education Leaders Institute will continue the partnership between our programs and those of the Department of Public Instruction.”
The NEA Education Leaders’ Institute is modeled on the successful Mayors’ Institute of City Design (MICD), a 20-year partnership program of the National Endowment for the Arts, The U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the American Architectural Foundation.
“The partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and our state Arts Council is one of the richest and most productive partnerships you’ll find anywhere in the arts,” said Mary B. Regan, Executive Director of the N.C. Arts Council. “Many of the state Arts Council’s finest programs were either launched with NEA funds or inspired by NEA leadership. We’re optimistic that the Education Leaders Institute will impact every child in North Carolina through the leadership, advocacy and inspiration of this important team.”
The Education Leaders Institute seeks to provide a platform for school leaders, legislators and policymakers to discuss the challenges of arts education and develop concrete strategies to strengthen their states’ arts education policies and programs. Participants of the program will: explore ways to strengthen educational leaders’ support of the arts; determine next phases of state development to support arts education; create a network dedicated to an ongoing definition of education leadership in which arts has a firm foundation; build new teams of influence for systematic change to include colleagues who have not been traditionally in the arts; develop a call to action specific to each sate; and articulate a mission specific to each participating state, including a document of individualized snapshot projects, with priorities, for completion.
NEA Learning in the Arts
Since its inception in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts has maintained support for arts education programs in and outside of school, has provided leadership in the federal sector and among arts, education, business, and government organizations to develop and sustain an agenda for arts education improvement. The agency has led efforts to make the arts a part of the core education for all Pre K-12 students and to increase opportunities outside of school settings for additional arts learning. The Arts Endowment provides direct grants in Arts Learning, collaborates in federal, state, and public-private partnerships, and conducts research on arts education for the Pre K-12 community and lifelong learners.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
The NEA is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts — both new and established — bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases.
The mission of the North Carolina Arts Council is to make North Carolina a better state through the arts. The Arts Council is a division of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources and celebrates those who create and enjoy art in all 100 counties.
The mission of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction is to support school districts and schools in educating children with the goal of every student graduating from high school, globally competitive for work and postsecondary education and prepared for life in the 21st century. The Department’s work includes developing the Standard Course of Study, student assessments and school accountability, providing financial services, teacher licensure and school and district support services.
Education Leaders Institute Biographical Highlights
The North Carolina team members were selected jointly by the N.C. Arts Council and the N.C. Department of Public Instruction based on their knowledge, experience and power to affect statewide change.
Dr. June St. Clair Atkinson, Superintendent, Public Schools of North Carolina, was elected as the N.C. State Superintendent of Public Instruction in November 2004. She serves as a member of the Council of State and heads the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, an agency which she served for nearly 28 years (1976-2004) as a chief, consultant and director. Atkinson has been involved in instruction and curriculum development throughout her career and initiated the Balanced Curriculum Philosophy, which addresses the importance of a comprehensive curriculum for all children, to include arts education. She has a passion for ensuring that students graduate from North Carolina schools well-prepared for work or higher education. Her role on the team will be to represent and solicit input and/or support for arts education programs with various audiences including educators, superintendents, principals, central office staff, State Board of Education members, students, and various advisory groups, task forces and other forums for interacting with stakeholders.
Linda Bamford, Arts in Education Director, North Carolina Arts Council has served in this position since November 2000. She has more than 30 years of experience in arts, education, and non-profit management. Bamford taught high school and college; served as Executive Director of a community theater; consulted with school systems and arts organizations; and worked as the Arts in Education Director for an urban county arts council. Bamford has an MA in Dramatic Art and has served as a reviewer for the US Department of Education’s “Model Development and Dissemination” grants and the Arts in Education State Partnership Grants for the National Endowment for the Arts. Bamford’s role will be to engage the state’s arts community, including Teaching Artists, Directors of Education, local arts councils, and non-profit organizations in the development and implementation of the statewide plan. During the Institute, she will represent the state arts council and the education programs of local arts councils and arts organizations.
Becky Carney, N.C. House of Representatives, has served three terms in the N.C. General Assembly where her duties currently include being chair of Transportation, vice chair of Commerce, Small Business and Entrepreneurship and vice chair of Financial Institutions. She serves as a member of the Education Committee; the Education Subcommittee on Pre-School, Elementary and Secondary Education; the Finance Committee and the Financial Institutions Committee. She is also a member of the N.C. General Assembly Women’s Caucus, the Women’s Forum of N.C. and the Environmental Caucus Steering Committee. As a previous County Commissioner for Mecklenburg County, Carney served as the Education Liaison to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. She also has been instrumental in ArtsNC’s efforts on behalf of arts education. As a team member, Carney will provide a legislative perspective and conduit to other North Carolina legislators.
Howard N. Lee, Chairman, N.C. State Board of Education was appointed to this position by Governor Michael F. Easley in May 2003, and unanimously elected chair of the state board by its members. Lee, the first African-American to hold this post, is a former mayor of Chapel Hill and a former state senator. During his tenure in the Senate, he gained a reputation as an education advocate and led various education efforts. Most notably, Lee shepherded legislation through the General Assembly that established the ABCs Accountability Program and the Excellent Schools Act in North Carolina. Lee is active on the Southern Regional Education Board and the Education Commission of the States. Lee has publicly cited the value of the arts in his own development as a leader and supported the inclusion of arts education opportunities for North Carolina school children. His role on the team will include sharing information and soliciting support from State Board of Education members, legislators, and other stakeholders.
Christie M. Lynch Arts Education Consultant, N.C. Department of Public Instruction(NCDPI), has served in this position since 1999. Prior to joining the state education agency, Lynch worked for Wake County Public Schools as an arts educator and as a member of an instructional assistance team under the school system central office. Lynch’s primary roles have been with curriculum development and support including the development of and assistance with implementation of the state level Arts Education Standard Course of Study. She has also chaired and served on various cross-functional teams, such as the N.C. Balanced Curriculum initiative. She has served on various boards for arts education professional associations and collaborated with external partners to promote and provide professional development for arts education. Lynch’s role will be to represent arts education in K-12 public and charter schools and to provide input and coordination of the statewide plan with various stakeholders including arts educators, administrators, professional associations, and members of higher education.
Karen Wells, Executive Director, ArtsNC, has led this statewide service organization and served as a Registered Lobbyist since 2001. In that capacity, she orchestrated an industry response to North Carolina’s new high school curriculum framework to include an arts education credit requirement. Under her leadership and in collaboration with award-winning documentarians Georgann Eubanks and Donna Campbell, ARTS North Carolina has recently completed an arts education video and awareness campaign, “ARTS EDUCATION = More Than You Think.” She previously served for five years as Performing Arts Director for the North Carolina Arts Council and for eleven years as Executive Director of the Arts Council of Wilson, North Carolina. Wells has an M.F.A. in Theatre and a B.A. in Education. She brings extensive advocacy experience and knowledge to the team and success in convening statewide groups around issues of common interest, especially arts education.
For more information contact Jessica Orr at (919) 807-6520 and Rebecca Moore at (919) 807-6530.