Resources
REPORTS
Below are recent reports Arts Connect Houston has generated around our advocacy efforts.
COVID-19 INITIAL
IMPACT REPORT
To better understand the impact of COVID-19 on arts education providers, Arts Connect conducted interviews in March and compiled an initial impact report. In this report, Arts Connect also provides recommendation for the philanthropic community regarding the support that Houston’s art education community needs now and in the coming months to ensure that our work can continue to reach all students.
STATE OF THE ARTS IN EDUCATION
This impact report is a companion to our inaugural State of the Arts in Education event. At this event, we celebrated the successes of the last few years and investigated where the arts are headed in education.
TOOLKITS
Arts Connect Houston has created the following toolkits as a resource for arts education advocacy efforts at the teacher, family, and community levels. Each toolkit highlights key facts and figures related to arts education in HISD and beyond and tips for how to strengthen advocacy efforts at each level.
TEACHER TOOLKIT
As a teacher, you understand the needs of your students and school better than anyone. As such, you are positioned to be one of the strongest advocates for the expansion of the arts within HISD.
FAMILY TOOLKIT
As family of a child, your number one priority is ensuring they have access to the strongest educational opportunities possible. So, there is no one better to advocate for your student's education, particularly the benefits of an arts-rich education, than you.
COMMUNITY TOOLKIT
As a community member, there are many ways to get involved in advocating for arts education in Houston. From supporting arts education programs to getting involved in elections and fighting for positive policy change, there is truly something for everybody.
ONE-PAGERS
Arts Connect Houston has created the following one-pagers for general use.
Feel free to utilize language and/or information from these documents to
supplement your own advocacy efforts.
THE CREATIVE LEARNER: IN SCHOOL AND BEYOND
Polls have consistently shown that parents and educators agree: the arts are a vital part of a complete education. Now, however, cutting edge research is able to show us just how beneficial the arts are, both inside the classroom and well beyond it, into college and though one's career.
THE CREATIVE LEARNER: IN SCHOOL AND BEYOND
Arts Education has broad-reaching and powerful benefits for Houston students. This one-pager highlights talking points useful for nearly any audience, as well as some of the current inequities that Houston area students are facing.
CLOSING THE ARTS IN EDUCATION GAP IN HISD
Arts education in Houston ISD is historically inequitable. As recently as last school year, nearly 20,000 of the district’s highest-need elementary schoolers received no arts opportunities in their schools despite state law defining the arts as a required core academic area. This fact is particularly shocking in light of clear data that demonstrates student performance and engagement improves when they are provided access to the arts.
SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES SHARE THEIR POSITION ON ARTS EDUCATION
Arts Connect asked the sixteen Houston ISD school board candidates to share their vision for the future of arts education ahead of the 2021 election. Their answers are presented unedited.