Dahlia Heights Elementary PTA Association
R E S O L U T I O N on ARTS EDUCATION
ADOPTED on May 8, 2012
Whereas the qualities of team collaboration, critical thinking, oral and written communication, perseverance, risk-taking, focus, and problem-solving abilities are skills parents regard as essential for success in school, life and the workplace, and
Whereas, parents want all students to have access to instruction from credentialed arts teachers, and
Whereas, parents support teachers who teach arts, raise up the value of the arts, and give time to arts instruction, and
Whereas, parents support teachers who are open to how the arts can accelerate other academic instruction, and
Whereas, parents are willing to support follow-through with students in all subject areas, including the arts, and
Whereas, visual and performing arts are defined as core subjects at the state and federal levels, and
Whereas, school is the only place where some students may have meaningful arts experiences, and
Whereas, improving writing skills are a stated goal of local district superintendents, and
Whereas, the above named qualities and writing opportunities are uniquely offered through the arts, and
Whereas, we need our children to have many pathways to achievement, and often success in the arts opens the door to success in other academic areas, and
Whereas, students who engage in the arts are six times more likely to be successful in other academic areas, and
Whereas, arts at a school enhances the school’s culture and gives the school an identifiable character, and
Whereas, there is an over-reliance on standardized tests as a measure of success, and
Whereas, parents support leadership that allows for time for the arts to be taught, and
Whereas, parents will communicate these values to supervisors and all necessary personnel who question the value of arts education, and
Whereas, results from surveys 2009-2011 showed that parents supported the arts at the school,
Therefore, the Dahlia Heights PTA declares that all efforts be made to preserve and sustain arts education at Dahlia Heights, and that ‘the arts’ continue to be valued and sustained as an integral part of the school, and that a high value be placed on cultivating the skills of collaboration, critical thinking, communication, perseverance, focus, and problem solving through the arts.