JUST iMAgINE Findings and Next Steps from the Maine Arts Education Census

Background  Origins  Support from Betterment Fund, Kennedy Center, Maine DOE, Maine Arts Commission Goal: A clear statement of “what is” on which to build campaigns for what could be

The Basic Facts  Two year, voluntary online survey  Responses from all counties  More than a third of all arts teachers  44% of the schools  A strong overview of arts learning throughout the state

Map 1

Much To Be Proud Of  Arts are taught by certified arts teachers  Good infrastructure  Strong beginning  Evidence of very strong programs  Dedication

Much to Work Towards  Very little theater and dance  Enrollment drops  Overall inequity  Isolation and lack of support  Broken paths

Next Steps  Phase III: iMAgINE Communities  A closer look at a diverse set of Maine communities  with outside team  Community-wide “audit”  Tool from the Kennedy Center adapted to Maine’s geography and strengths

To Build iMAgINE Campaign  Teachers created “community maps” at conference  Determine criteria and select communities  Visits Winter and Spring 2010

Why Does This Matter?  Partnership for 21 st Century Skills  New York report - the arts and graduation  Daniel Pink-preparing students to use the whole brain  Sir Kenneth Robinson-”creativity is as important as literacy”

iMAgINE  Maine needs students who are inspired and motivated.

iMAgINE  Maine needs communities with a revived culture of creativity.

iMAgINE  Maine students, regardless of the income levels of their parents and community, deserve equity of access to a full and creative education.

What You Can Do  Consider equity issues when funding education. Will the funds help to address this issue?  Use the Census tools to help communities set standards for what can be achieved.  Join us as we study how selected Maine communities provide rich offerings of arts education opportunities for their students.

See the Census Results Visit to access the full report, including all maps and charts, of the Maine Arts Education Census. Visit to access the full report, including all maps and charts, of the Maine Arts Education Census.