Mission
The mission of the Arts|Learning Networking and Advocacy Group is to educate about, advocate for, and support the importance of lifelong learning in and through the arts by building an alliance and creating a network among individuals, organizations, and institutions.
Vision
A|L envisions a society which embraces the arts as an essential component of all aspects of living: culture, family life, work and leisure.
This vision is embodied in the following principles, which assert that the arts play a central role in the development of human potential, community life and society:
- The arts are core academic curricular subjects which are skill-based, sequential, multi-cultural, interdisciplinary and rigorous.
- Quality arts instruction and programming is planned and executed by arts specialists in collaboration with artist/teachers, classroom teachers and community arts and cultural institutions.
- Successful arts programs have parity with other academic subjects and are supported in regards to funding, philosophy, and policy making.
- The arts are essential vehicles of communication, reflecting and recording cross-cultural and cross-generational understanding through knowledge of civilizations past and present.
- The arts play a central role in teaching higher-order thinking and creative problem-solving skills, providing models of interdisciplinary exploration and multiple intelligences learning.
- An essential component of arts learning includes authentic assessment (portfolios, videos, performances, exhibits, auditions, visiting judges and critics, competitions, and contests) which complements traditional norm- referenced and paper-and-pencil tests.
- The arts nurture, enrich and improve the quality of life, encouraging life-long learning.