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Delaware celebrates National Arts in Education Week

In July of 2010, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution designating the second week of September as “Arts in Education Week.” ";s:

Five years ago, the U.S. House of Representatives designated the second week of September as National Arts in Education Week, stating that art is an "essential element of a complete and balanced education for all students."

Paul Weagraff, Director of the Delaware Division of the Arts, says the week-long observance is an opportunity to showcase the role that arts education plays in students’ success, particularly to elected officials and education leaders.

“So what we intend to do through our information and through the work of the Delaware Arts Alliance is to just continue to relay that message and encourage them in their thinking to keep the arts in the mix of what’s happening in education and education reform today,” he says.

Arts educators and advocates around the country are taking this fifth anniversary of National Arts in Education Week, to call for more investment in such programs.

Weagraff agrees the observance is helpful in attracting the attention of elected officials and educational decision makers.

“It raises the visibility of arts education and to promote to its importance in the context of the larger education scheme and what’s important for children to learn and know and be able to do.”

Governor Jack Markell has signed a proclamation marking this week as Delaware Arts in Education Week.

This piece is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

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