Category: Board News

DESE Guidance on Arts Courses

Commissioner Riley shared DESE guidance for arts and physical education courses on July 24. We encourage arts educators to look over this guidance as they being to prepare for the fall. Please note, this guidance is being released in late July 2020 and may be revised as DESE continues to monitor COVID-19 trends and the latest medical research. On pages 3-4 you will find details regarding shared equipment and on page 7 you will find specific details related to the visual arts.

After you review these recently released guidelines, for those of you teaching in public schools, we also suggest you continue to connect with your education association (locally and at the state level) for continued updates regarding advocating for the safety of children, families AND educators.

Renewal Promo from NAEA & SchoolArts Magazine

Be two steps ahead for back-to-school with a FREE subscription to SchoolArts and a renewed NAEA membership! Act now to make sure you receive the SchoolArts back-to-school issue and the support provided to NAEA members as part of our vibrant professional community.
If you haven’t already taken advantage of this offer, don’t wait! Renew today and connect to thousands of visual arts educators worldwide and all that NAEA membership provides to enhance your career, inspire your creativity, and enrich the educational experience of your learners—in person and from a distance.
Hurry, this offer is only available if you renew online using
this special link or over the phone (make sure
to mention the SchoolArts offer) at 800-299-8321 before July 21, 2020!

MA Arts Guidelines – Drafted by the Massachusetts Arts Coalition

The Massachusetts Arts Coalition* shared the guidance document Arts Education in the Time of a Pandemic: COVID-19 Reopening Guidelines for Massachusetts PreK-12 Arts Programs with Governor Baker and Commissioner Riley on June 30, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, who shared a similar document specific to health, PE, recreation, and dance. This document is meant to serve as guidance for PreK-12 schools, administrators, and arts educators as they plan for the 2020-2021 school year, to ensure that arts educators can continue to provide meaningful arts instruction for all students in Massachusetts. Drafted by the *Massachusetts Arts Coalition: Arts|Learning, Boston Area Kodály Educators, Massachusetts Art Education Association, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, MASSCreative, Massachusetts Dance Education Organization, Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild, Massachusetts Instrumental & Choral Conductors Association, Massachusetts Music Educators Association, and The New England Chapter of American Orff Schulwerk Association.
The Massachusetts Arts Coalition will share discipline specific guidance soon.

Message from the MAEA Board of Directors

On Tuesday, MAEA stood in solidarity with those protesting police brutality and the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and every other black life lost. We paused our advocacy for arts education and helped to amplify those whose voices are silenced by white supremacy.

We also reflected on our own work relating to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Following the direction of NAEA, the MAEA Board of Directors began this work last summer, but we have been working too slowly. The MAEA Board of Directors recognizes that we need to do better. In order to best serve the students and art educators of Massachusetts, we must do better.

In the coming days, MAEA will be updating our website to include resources related to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. The MAEA Board of Directors are also in the process of hiring a consultant to help us with the work of making our organization inclusive. In the future we will do trainings around antiracist practices. We will be seeking educators to join us in this work and recognize this work requires labor, consistency and accountability.

I invite you to visit our social media accounts for the work we amplified on Tuesday and most importantly, I invite you to view the tribute in honor of George Floyd and every other black life lost on the Black Lives Matter website.

In Solidarity,

Melissa Mastrolia
MAEA President
On Behalf of the MAEA Board of Directors

Definitions of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Developed & Approved by NAEA Board

Equity: Refers to conditions that support fairness and justness based on individual needs and circumstances whereas all members have opportunities to thrive and realize their best within the NAEA community (adopted December 2017).

Diversity: The term ‘diversity’ describes both observable and non-observable individual differences (life experiences, work context, learning and working styles, personality types among others) and group/social differences (race, gender identity and expression, age, social class, country of origin, ability, beliefs, intellectual and cultural perspectives, among others) that can contribute to organizational vibrancy and a dynamic professional community.

Inclusion: The term ‘inclusion’ describes proactive, intentional, and thoughtful engagement with diversity to the extent that all have the ability to contribute fully and effectively throughout the NAEA community.

NAEA SchoolArts Membership Promotion

NAEA has teamed up with Davis Publications to offer a free 1-year subscription to SchoolArts magazine to art educators who join NAEA or renew their existing/lapsed membership using the special promotional link or over the phone with NAEA (and mentioning the offer) before June 30, 2020.

Here are the details:

Ø  WHAT
NAEA and Davis Publications are offering a FREE 1-year subscription to SchoolArts magazine (a $24.95 value!) to anyone who joins NAEA as a new member, or renews an existing or lapsed membership before June 30, 2020, using the methods outlined below.

Ø  HOW
To receive the FREE 1-year subscription to SchoolArts magazine, educators must use the special link for the promotion when joining or renewing online or call the NAEA Member Services Team at 800-299-8321 and mention the offer when they join or renew over the phone.

Special link for new members who are joining: https://www.arteducators.org/promo/join20

Special link for existing members who are renewing their current membership or rejoining after their membership has lapsed: https://www.arteducators.org/promo/schoolarts20

Ø  DEADLINE
June 30, 2020

IMPORTANT FACTS

  • Educators with existing memberships can renew now (even if their membership doesn’t expire for months) to receive this special offer. A year of membership will be added on to their existing membership expiration date. They’ll be ahead for the upcoming school year!
  • To receive the offer, educators must complete the join or renew process fully either online using the special links above, or over the phone with the NAEA Member Services Team and mention this offer when doing so.

See more information here.

Advocate for Arts Education During COVID-19

During these uncertain times, MAEA members are working hard to advocate for the continuation of rigorous arts education programs and educators. There are advocacy resources available here to help support and advocate for your local and state arts programs. In addition, use these images to help promote the arts on your websites, blogs, and social media pages.

Right click to download the image below and share using the hashtag #ArtsEdIsEssential #VisualArtsEdMatters #wickedsmART and tag @NAEA or (@WhyArtMatters on Instagram) and @MassArtEd.

Join us for our 1st MAEA Virtual Confab

MAEA wants to hear from art educators across the state during this time of remote learning. Join Melissa Mastrolia, MAEA President, as well as other MAEA Board members on Thursday, June 4th at 7:30pm to check in and speak about your experiences with remote learning and teaching. The virtual confab (informal conversation) will be held on Zoom, details below. Can’t make this virtual confab? We plan to host more in the future!

Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 831 8024 7150  Password: 544206
Dial by your location: +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)