We all know that it takes a village to develop and sustain a successful arts program.  That includes having a highly motivated and competent teacher at the helm, student buy-in, support from parents, support from the community and support from school and district administration.  If any one of these components is lacking or missing it is likely that achieving success, whatever that might be defined as, will be hard to come by.  In our blog today we are going to take a look at support from school and district administration – what it looks like, is it given or earned, developing professional relationships and how to handle situations where you might not feel supported.  

School and district administrative support for arts programs is going to look different from district to district, school to school, program to program and teacher to teacher depending on the scenario and a million different variables.  That means there is not just one clear cut answer.  What one district or school can do to support teachers might or might not be possible in other places.  However, here are universal supports that can be provided by school and district administration, in my opinion.

• Be visible – visit classrooms, rehearsals and attend performances.
• Be available to meet if needed.
• Provide financial support.
• Be willing to listen with an open mind – even if you can’t fix the problem.
• Advocate for arts programs at the local, state and national level when appropriate.
• Provide honest feedback to teachers that articulates your expectations.
• Provide adequate facilities and supplies.
• Work to ensure the arts are scheduled with fidelity.
• Provide access to content specific professional development to teachers.
• Protect instructional time.
• Respond to emails, phone calls or conversations in a timely manner.
• Be a cheerleader for arts programs – celebrate successes and be encouraging.
• In difficult situations always have your teacher’s back if they are right and help them understand and navigate situations if they made a mistake. 
• Be open to expanding arts programs.
• Have extremely high expectations of your teachers and the quality of their programs.
• Ensure the highest quality personnel is hired to teach your arts programs.
• Be consistent in all things you do.
• Provide explicitly clear communication.
• Ensure that each school has a cohesive master calendar that does not allow for overlapping, conflicting events where students and parents must choose.
• Treat all teachers with respect – even in difficult situations.
• Make equitable decisions.
• Be 100% Professional, 100% of the Time.

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Is it possible for every administrator to provide all of these supports to all teachers every single day? Of course not.  However, it is a great place to start and a good way to do some self-reflection as an administrator to see if you are providing support to arts programs in the way it’s needed the most. 

The answer is very simple.  BOTH!  Some of the supports listed above are simple and come very natural to administrators.  However, many of the supports listed above only come with trust.  Trust is built when teachers demonstrate over time that he or she is highly competent, dependable and a team player.  Remember, actions speak much louder than words.  If you want a high level of trust and support from administration you’ve got to be sure you are 100% professional, 100% of the time too.  Be on time, be organized and always be willing to be a team player.  That means that you are willing to work with others outside of your arts area and do whatever is needed to be done.  One last thing that will help you earn the trust of administration is to be FLEXIBLE.  That can sometimes be hard for arts teachers but your flexibility helps the administration carryout initiatives that are important to them.  Your willingness to help and your flexibility will make you a valuable team player.  In the long run that builds credibility and trust and as a result you will feel valued and supported by school and district administration at a higher level.    

​Get to know your school and district administration.  Communicate with them on a regular basis about all of the great things going on in your program.  They should hear from you, know you and know your program long before a problem comes up.  Watch this great video to hear more about this from a teacher’s perspective. 

This is not a concrete list and I’m sure all of you could come up with just as many if not more suggestions.  However, here are my thoughts on what you can do if you feel that you or your program is not supported by school and district administration.

1. Always work hard and do your personal best, no matter what! Often your work speaks for itself and even though the administration might not shout it from the rooftops they really are very proud of what you and the students are accomplishing.  
2. Always communicate in a kind and professional manner.  Be able to clearly communicate your vision and what is needed.  Do your very best to leave emotion out of professional conversations.  Understand that Rome was not built in a day and it is most likely going to take time to achieve all of the great plans you have in place.  Work together with your administration to achieve those plans and be open to achieving the goals they have in mind too.   
3. Find ways to positively interact with your administration.  This will go a long way in building a two-way reciprocal professional relationship. 
4. Know where your program is at the moment in terms of achievement and develop a clear plan of where you want to take them over the next several years.  Have a good understanding of what is needed in terms of financial and administrative support.  Share the vision and what you will need with your administration (via email) and ask if you can meet so you can discuss what their vision is for the program.  In the meeting have an open, honest discussion where you find common ground and hash through things that might be in conflict.  Then get to work towards meeting those common goals.  Be sure to communicate with your administration as you meet the goals.       
5. Ask for ongoing honest feedback in terms of teaching and learning, the development of your program and any other input your administration might feel is important for growth and expansion.  However, you must but be prepared for the sometimes raw truth.  Even the strongest of strong teachers has room for growth and improvement.  Don’t take their feedback as a personal attack – view it as a learning opportunity for you, your students and the well-being of your program.  
6. Take the time to educate administration about what achievement looks like in your arts world – don’t assume they know.  Be knowledgeable about local, state and national measurements of arts programs and regularly compare your program.  Be sure to share that information and how you stack up with your school administration.  They love to see growth and improvement.  
7. Understand that sometimes things works out in your favor and sometimes they don’t when it comes to the support you expect from school and district administration.  Keep a good attitude, keep working hard to ensure the success of your students and eventually everything will fall into place. 
8. Understand that you are a piece of the pie – not the whole pie when it comes to the school environment.  Work to be viewed as a team player who is willing to work for the greater good of the school while you are building your own program.  Volunteer to work on committees, volunteer to cover classes during planning if needed, volunteer to do the things that no one else wants to do.  This will pay huge dividends in the long run.  It will give you a much more global perspective of the school environment outside of your program. 
9. Take every opportunity to showcase achievements your students have earned – big and small.  This will build a reputation of excellence for your program outside of the 4 walls of your classroom, it will boost student morale and will create a since of identity for your program in the community.  This helps administration tangibly see the fruits of what you are providing for students and makes it easier to support you.   
10. Understand that administrators really do want strong programs.  Sometimes they need your help in understanding what strong arts programs look like.  Have open and honest conversations with your school administration. 

We in PSAE celebrate the creativity of our young people every day in all that we do! But nationally, the month of March is designated as Youth Art Month.

Youth Art Month is a celebration of the visual arts through student exhibitions, public artworks, art festivals and school events which raise awareness and support of the visual arts to local and state education officials, business and community leaders, and state and federal legislators.

The Art & Creative Materials Institute (ACMI) created Children’s Art Month in 1961 as an event to emphasize the value to children from participating in visual art education. In 1969, the celebration expanded to include secondary school students, and the Children’s Art Month event officially became known as Youth Art Month. In 1984, ACMI created the non-profit organization The Council for Art Education (CFAE) to advocate for visual art education.

Communities throughout the country celebrate Youth Art Month in many ways. In Spartanburg, SC, the Chapman Cultural Center hosts a student exhibition with works from every public and private school in the county, grades K-12. It’s a wonderful tapestry of colorful and imaginative artwork filling two floors of our exhibition building! Each year, a different Spartanburg School District hosts a reception, and the local SunTrust Bank sponsors the exhibit, providing volunteer greeters at the reception, which is usually attended by over 1,000 people! The 2018 reception will be the evening of Monday, March 19th hosted by Spartanburg School District Four.

​According to the CFAE, Youth Art Month exists to:

1. Recognize art education as a viable factor in the total education curriculum that develops citizens of a global society.
2. Recognize art is a necessity for the full development of better quality of life for all.
3. Direct attention to the value of art education for divergent and critical thinking.
4. Expand art programs in schools and stimulate new art programs.
5. Encourage commitment to the arts by students, community organizations, and individuals everywhere.
6. Provide additional opportunities for individuals of all ages to participate in creative art learning.
7. Increase community, business and governmental support for art education.
8. Increase community understanding and interest in art and art education through involvement in art exhibits, workshops, and other creative ventures.
9. Reflect and demonstrate the goals of the National Art Education Association that work toward the improvement of art education at all levels.

To find out more, visit councilforarteducation.org. Join with others in your community and celebrate Youth Art Month in your own unique way! And share your celebrations with PSAE!

I was in graduate school when I wrote my first “big grant application” and was so confident I decided to share it with an advisor about 24 hours before it was due. You know, to get a little pat on the back before submitting. So imagine my shock when she called and asked, “Have you submitted this to the University’s Department of Sponsored Research?” Cue record scratch. No. No I had not submitted it to the Department of Sponsored Research. I had no idea what the Department of Sponsored Research was or how it was about to make the next 24 hours one of the biggest learning experiences of my life.

What I soon discovered was that our University’s internal process involved approval by the Department Chair (who was out of town) and the Dean (who was out on medical leave), more paperwork than the actual grant application itself (including a waiver for biomedical test subjects), and an average processing time of 2-3 weeks. The University recommended submitting grant applications to the Department of Sponsored Research a full month before they were due, and I had 24 hours. Over those 24 hours I made a lot of people angry, broke a lot of trust, and learned a lot of lessons.

Now that I am on the other end of grant making I try to share those and other lessons with teachers and arts organizations. I get how frustrating, confusing, and overwhelming grant writing can be and understand the urge to give up. But I also understand that grants can mean a child experiences the magic of theatre for the first time. They can mean an art teacher acquires the supplies to teach print making to a future designer. Grants can help narrow gaps, improve equity, and be the reason a child holds an instrument in their hands and thinks “I can do this.”

Below are my top tips for navigating the world of grants. Grant writing is a skill that improves with practice. So don’t give up – because you never know the impact your next grant can make in your program or classroom. Oh, and that first big grant I wrote? We did end up receiving funding. And I got to see firsthand how this frustrating, overwhelming, and confusing process can lead to life-changing experiences for students.

Since its inception in 1987, Palmetto State Arts Education has been constant in its belief that the study of the arts is essential to basic education and has worked tirelessly to fulfill its mission to advance learning in and through the arts for all students. 

Throughout the course of the year, PSAE is actively involved in projects that support this mission. This new blog will highlight the many ways in which PSAE develops awareness to ensure support for arts education, equips educators to successfully develop and deliver arts education, and acknowledges outstanding achievement and innovation in arts education. We will also keep you in the know about notable South Carolina artists and educators, as well as features and interviews of the board, staff, and South Carolina educators that make PSAE's mission possible.

Be sure to check back often or subscribe to our RSS feed so you can stay in the loop on arts education in South Carolina!