Arts Ed NJ was founded in 2007 with the mission to provide a unified voice for a diverse group of constituents who agree on the educational benefits and impact of the arts, specifically the contribution they make to student achievement and a civilized, sustainable society.
A major component of Arts Ed NJ’s work is the Arts Ed Now campaign which offers customizable grassroot tools to increase participation in arts education at a local level and garners public support to ensure every NJ child receives the quality arts education mandated by the state.
Arts Ed NJ’s Arts Education and Social Emotional Learning Center supports the advancement of practices that are healing centered, culturally responsive, and grounded in the best practices offered by our social emotional learning framework.
CORE VALUES AND PURPOSE
Arts Ed NJ is a diverse group of constituents who agree on the educational benefits and impact of the arts, specifically the contribution they make to student achievement and a civilized, sustainable society.
Core Values (What we stand for):
a) Arts Education is essential to basic knowledge and a fundamental right of every citizen in our schools and across our communities.
b) The collective voice of diverse stakeholders is the most effective means for advancing the arts in education.
Core Purpose (What we are trying to achieve):
• The Arts have an essential role in education both for their intrinsic value and for the ways in which they enhance general academic achievement and improve students’ social and emotional development.
• To further the impact of arts education in New Jersey we want to:
• Create an environment where every preschool through a post-secondary student in the state will have an education in the arts and the arts must be included as serious, core academic subjects taught by highly qualified, certified teachers.
• Empower education policymakers to incorporate recent research on the value, impact, and unique contribution of arts education on the overall educational development of all of our children.
• Ensure that, as part of any basic education, arts education is fully funded at the district and state levels.
• Highlight the role and impact of high-quality arts education in lifelong learning.
• Highlight the unique role and service of highly trained professional artists to assist teachers, schools and communities in meeting their goals.
• Create and strengthen partnerships among schools, arts, and community organizations to enhance arts education and arts participation of all citizens.
