For Immediate Release
April 10, 2006
Illinois State Board of Education announces new funding
for arts education and foreign language programs
Springfield, IL – The Illinois State Board of Education
today (April 10), announced a new grant program to assist
school districts in providing arts and foreign language
programming. The funding, appropriated in the FY06 budget,
will assist districts with engaging in a planning process
to develop new or strengthen existing arts education and
foreign language curricula. The annual grants will range
from $10,000 to $50,000 depending on the size of district,
the scope of the program, and the level of planning required.
The Illinois State Board of Education has been discussing
with Illinois Creates, a statewide arts education coalition
led by the Illinois Arts Alliance, how to ensure all students
receive a well-rounded education that includes instruction
in subjects such as art and music. The Arts and Foreign
Language grant program is the State’s first step
in demonstrating its commitment to the arts and foreign
languages as core learning areas. Other states that support
district-wide arts education planning, including California,
Maryland, South Carolina and Washington, have found that
school systems that go through a strategic planning process
typically transform their arts education programs and
see improvement in student achievement in the arts and
beyond.
“The benefit students get from a curriculum that
requires students to create, examine, explore, interpret,
and respond goes way beyond the payoffs that come just
from academic improvement and test scores. We need to
encourage creativity in all schools and provide opportunities
for our students to demonstrate and deepen their understanding
of the arts,” said Randy Dunn, Superintendent, Illinois
State Board of Education. “Not only do the arts
provide for a broader and more well-rounded education,
but we have even more evidence that the arts create new
mental pathways that contribute to a deeper understanding
in fields like engineering, technology, and medicine,”
he said.
A survey released on March 28, 2006 by the Center on
Education Policy in Washington, D.C. found that since
the passage of the federal No Child Left Behind law, 71
percent of the nation's 15,000 school districts had reduced
the hours of instructional time spent on history, music
and other subjects to open up more time for reading and
math. This national research is consistent with a study
done by the Illinois Arts Alliance in 2005 that found
that 20 percent of Illinois principals reported having
no arts program of any kind in their school.
“Even though the arts are recognized as a core
learning area in Illinois and a core academic subject
in No Child Left Behind, there has been a steady erosion
of arts education programs throughout the state,”
says Alene Valkanas, Executive Director, Illinois Arts
Alliance. “The new grant program will provide legitimacy
for the arts as a core subject and offer districts the
opportunity to develop the means to measure the effectiveness
of their arts education programs and identify areas where
improvement could occur.”
Districts seeking these funds must demonstrate need and
plans for continued implementation in future years with
local funds. Funding in subsequent years will be contingent
upon a sufficient appropriation for the program and satisfactory
progress in the preceding grant period. The Illinois State
Board of Education has recommended a $1 million increase
or total appropriation of $3 million for the Arts and
Foreign Language grant program in the FY07 budget.
Districts can find more information on the Arts and Foreign
Language grant program at by calling Lou Berkman at 312/814-3853
or Joyce Krumtinger at 217/577-7323 in the Division of
Curriculum and Instruction. For more information on Illinois
Creates, please visit www.IllinoisCreates.org.
There will be bidders conferences at the following times
and locations:
SPRINGFIELD – From 1 to 4 p.m. April 18 at the
Illinois State Board of Education, 100 N. First St.
Springfield, Illinois
CHICAGO – From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 20 at
the James R. Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph, Chicago,
Illinois.
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