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State of Alaska > Department of Education & Early Development > Alaska
State Council on the Arts > Arts in Education
Arts in Education
Every child in every school has the right to a well-rounded education, of which the arts are an essential ingredient. Beyond having great value in and of itself, the arts promote the health and well-being of children, including academic and personal growth, critical thinking and analytical skills, the motivation to stay in school and excel and movement skills to help combat childhood obesity. Quality arts education is central to a complete education. Experience with the arts gives children the opportunity to achieve their full potential and become artists, audiences, informed citizens, and professionals who are prepared for success in the 21st century economy.
Alaska’s artists and arts organizations are a rich resource that can help schools and communities become creative places where young people flourish and give voice to their personal creativity. The arts can transform the classroom environment, making learning a lively, invigorating experience. With their emphasis on creative discovery and their ability to stimulate a variety of learning styles, the arts engender the 21st century work skills that students can bring to any future employment. The arts also teach discipline, the value of sustained effort to achieve excellence, and the concrete rewards of hard work.
The Alaska State Council on the Arts is part of the Department of Education and Early Development. Accomplishing access to arts education by every child in every school will be done by:
- Increasing arts education experiences for K-12 students;
- Developing opportunities for lifelong learning through the arts;
- Supporting professional development for artists, arts educators and classroom teachers; and,
- Strengthening the Council’s relationship with state and federal agencies
that affect education policy
Arts Education Links
- On Thin Ice report on Arts Education in Alaska's Schools (2009): click
to download
- New Visions progress report on new models in three Alaska School Districts
(2012): click to
download
Artist in Schools
2011 Airport Heights AIS residency with Teaching Artist Stephen Blanchett, |
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The Artists in Schools program is supported by the State of Alaska and the National Endowment for the Arts with additional funding from the Rasmuson Foundation. Artists in Schools (AIS) residencies should provide arts experiences and training for students, teachers, and the greater community. Successful applicants will demonstrate how a residency will augment the arts curriculum and the Alaska State Content Standards for Art, connect to other core curricula, include a professional development opportunity for teachers in integrating the residency discipline into future teaching, and create engagement between the school and community.
An AIS School Guide is available on the Artist in Schools page of this website at to help with planning the residency and applying for the AIS grant.
Successful applicants serve as chief sponsor, designer and coordinator of the program. Technical assistance in the form of artist contract templates and procedure guidelines are available from the Alaska State Council on the Arts. If your district/school has not applied for an AIS grant in the past you MUST contact the program director, Laura Forbes, at ; (907) 269-6682 or toll free in Alaska at 1 (888) 278-7424.
Deadlines for submission are April 15 (for the following school year) and November 1 (for the current school year). Applications and guidelines are available online at . Please read all the guidelines and information carefully. If you have questions, please call or email the AIS program director.
Rock Band morning club at Glacier Valley School, Juneau 2010-2011.
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Rasmuson Cultural Collaborations
These grants are made possible by the Rasmuson Foundation. Project Grants provide funds to support nonprofit organizations and schools in partnership projects that occur outside the normal school day/year. Access Grants, bringing arts to kids, provide funds to support arts activities of less than two weeks during the school year/day. Excursion Grants, bringing kids to arts, fund travel assistance and admission costs for students to experience arts and cultural activities outside their schools.
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The guidelines, instructions and applications are available by clicking the link on the right. Please read the guidelines and instructions carefully. An organization may receive only ONE Cultural Collaboration grant during the state fiscal year (July 1-June 30). If you have any questions please call or email the Arts in Education staff: ; 907-269-6682 or toll free in Alaska 1-888-278-7424.
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Artists in Schools Teaching Artist Roster
Schools are encouraged to select artists for their residencies from the Alaskan Teaching Artist Roster. Teaching Artists provide classroom art experiences, teacher training, community workshops, and opportunities for students to observe an artist working as a professional. Through the involvement of school staff and community members, the program stimulates art activities beyond the residencies.
Artists who wish to be considered for the roster must be Alaskan residents and are required to participate in a Teaching Artist Academies. These Academies are designed to help the Teaching Artists better prepare themselves for classroom instruction. Teaching Artist Academies will be held in Juneau, Kodiak, Ketchikan, Fairbanks and Anchorage during the coming year. Contact the Arts Council or ASCA for exact times.
- PDF
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Artists may apply at any time for the Roster. There are two review times, September and March.
Questions on the AIS Program should be emailed to or by phone to: (907) 269-6682 or 1-888-278-7424 (toll free in Alaska).
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Poetry Out Loud
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SAVE THE DATE
Registration Deadline for 2012-2013 Alaska Poetry Out Loud: OCTOBER 15, 2012
Visit the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council website at to complete the registration form, opening August 15, 2012.
The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation have partnered with U.S. state arts agencies to support Poetry Out Loud, a contest that encourages the nation's youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.
After successful pilot programs in Washington, DC, and Chicago, Poetry Out Loud was launched in high schools nationwide in the spring of 2006 with tens of thousands of students participating. POL has grown every year with over 365,000 students competing in 2010-2011.
Contest Structure and Awards
Poetry Out Loud uses a pyramid structure that starts at the classroom level. Winners advance to a school-wide competition, then to a regional and/or state competition, and ultimately to the National Finals.
Each winner at the state level receives $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip with an adult chaperone to Washington to compete for the national championship. The state winner's school receives a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. The first runner-up in each state receives $100, with $200 for his or her school library. A total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends is awarded annually at the National Finals.
Awards are made in the form of lump sum cash payouts, reportable to the IRS. Tax liabilities are the sole responsibility of the winners and their families.
Program Materials and Schedule
Poetry Out Loud curriculum materials include the print and online poetry anthologies, a comprehensive teacher's guide, an audio CD featuring distinguished actors and writers, a DVD of National Finals performances, and promotional and media guides. Hard copies of all materials are free for teachers participating in the official program.
While teachers, students, and poetry lovers everywhere can use this website and its free materials to organize their own contests, the official contest is limited to the programs run by each state's arts agency. If you are interested in participating in the official program, please contact your state arts agency.
Materials are sent to high schools beginning in August, and the program is run through early winter. (Poetry Out Loud does not require full class periods and can be completed in 2-3 weeks.) States hold their competitions by mid-March. Following the state finals, the National Finals will be held in Washington, DC, April 29-30, 2013.
Check out the National Poetry Out Loud website for previous year's information on organizing a contest, teachers' materials and Poetry Out Loud on youtube at .
Aryeh Lax from Anchorage's Steller Secondary School, recites his final poem, "The End of Science Fiction" by Lisel Mueller, as Former Executive Director of the Alaska State Council on the Arts, Charlotte Fox listens Tuesday,
March 27, 2012. Photo by Seanna O'Sullivan Photography |
Arts Education Links
Alaska Arts Education Consortium:
Alaska State Arts Curriculum Standards:
Art is Elementary:
Project Articulate: resource site for visual arts integration
Dept of Education and Early Development:
Association of Alaska School Boards:
Perpich Center for Arts Education:
Kennedy Center in Washington DC:
Arts Education Collaborative:
Arts Education Partnerships:
Association of Teaching Artists:
Articles of Interest from Around the State
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