Why Arts in Education?

I've explained why I blarg and why I blog. Now I will explain why I'd like to start a career in development of nonprofit organizations, for those of you wondering how I was led into my areas of interest (listed in my profile on the left hand side of this page, interests include the arts in education, arts in community outreach, education equality in urban settings, the role of the arts in healing communities, and the nonprofit sector).

I just found the "perfect job for me" that required me to answer this exact question. Well, the education part at least. (The arts part will be a separate blog post because it involves a personal topic.) This position is a Development Associate position for an education reform organization based in NY that starts and manages urban charter schools that close the achievement gap and prepare low-income students to graduate college. Perfect, these are exactly the goals I'd like our state to focus on. Plus, it's about a ten minute bicycle ride from my house.

While the application process involved registering, creating a password, uploading documents, and filling in YES/NO boxes (all part of an incredibly dehumanizing process that is crushing my soul. BLARG!), it allowed for the applicant (me) to answer three brief, personalized, short-answer questions.

The first: Why are you interested in us as an employer? I cheated cut and paste the first two sentences and the last sentence of my profile for this blog. I've already spent a lot of time considering what I want to do with my education and training.

The second: Why are you interested in closing the achievement gap? I drew heavily on my experience with the Cooperative Artists Institute for this answer. As a result of working with them, I have strengthened my belief that all children have the ability to realize their academic and social potential, but only if the system works with them to allow it. I believe that the state, and students in the state, will not be able to compete in the rapidly changing global marketplace if schools do not enable students to become life-long lovers of learning by allowing them to succeed at a young age. I believe that the state's economy can recover, and even become self-sustaining, if all of our students are educated to the best of our ability, so they may work to the best of theirs.

The third: What have you done to contribute to these efforts already? I have volunteered with the Cooperative Artists Institute, which runs such successful programs as the Peace Drum Project and Tribal Rhythms. CAI is currently working towards instituting and arts-based education reform project called the Partnership for Whole School Change. I have also volunteered with the Eliot School in Jamaica Plain to research and write an article on their School Partnership Program, which works with underserved schools in the BPS system to bring arts back into the classroom in urban settings.

Having to spell out these answers helped me better understand why I desire to work with organizations focused on education equality. I hope my readers understand as well. If anyone wants to learn more about my the second answer, I encourage you to go to CAI's website and the PWSC website. Curtis (CAI's founder) has some profound thoughts on simple but effective education reform. We are working towards getting a bill passed in the senate to support his ideas.