Coffee shop conversations, community meetings, town halls, school board meetings, state education committees, and federal agencies are discussing the approaches to preparing today’s youth for tomorrow’s workforce. In addition to basic education skills, arts education is vital in developing the thinking skills and capacities key to a successful 21st-century workforce. Creative thinking, problem-solving abilities, collaboration, communication skills, leadership capacity, and visual thinking are all benefits of a rich arts education. Research supports arts education integrated into traditional classrooms and Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs for growing industries such as graphic design, media arts, sound engineering, and multimedia production.
CTE programs are often only associated with trades and vocations such as plumbing, culinary arts, auto repair, welding, and construction. However, CTE is a viable and growing partner with the arts in dance, digital arts, jazz, visual arts, game design, game integration, production, and managerial arts. Today, artists from many fields, such as CTE teachers, visiting artists, and guest instructors, enhance school programs, increase creative potential, and support growing fields. Practitioners of the arts can obtain a CTE teaching credential (license) through practical experience and a school organization that values CTE.
“The CTE credential allows people with 1,000 hours of experience in the field to come into teaching and bring all that experience, that wisdom they’ve got into the classroom.” — Linda Darling-Hammond, President of the California State Board of Education
San Luis Obispo County is fortunate to have many avenues of arts outreach for our schools that depend upon the support and advocacy of our residents to thrive and grow. If you are in South County, the Clark Center Arts in Education Outreach Program provides programming for the students of the largest school district in our county, Lucia Mar Unified. The Poly Arts for Youth (PAYF) program is Cal Poly Arts’ education enrichment program for students of all ages throughout the county. Studios on the Park in Paso Robles and the Paso Robles Youth Arts Center partner with the community to provide arts outreach programs that enrich our community. Multiple arts nonprofits such as Opera San Luis Obispo, Wine Country Theatre, Orchestra Novo, Drum and Perk, local arts associations, local chambers, the San Luis Symphony, Festival Moziac, and San Luis Obispo County Office of Education stoke the embers of San Luis Obispo County’s creative spirit. Each of the nonprofits dedicates resources for arts education in our schools and community.
San Luis Obispo County arts and arts-related activities enhance our local economy with approximately 27 million in funding and expenditures annually. The arts are among the most popular Career & Technical Education (CTE) pathways selected by San Luis Obispo County students. The Central Coast Economic Forecast refers to the arts’ positive impact on our local economy. Our county is growing in cultural and artistic vibrancy because of the dedicated individuals who make the Central Coast their home. It is an honor to serve as your county superintendent. I hope this article will spark discussion among all educational stakeholders about the power of becoming involved in arts outreach as a volunteer, patron, or participant.
“Opera is for a lifetime, not just a minute.” — Kiri Te Kanawa
