Parents for Arts Education
Mission:
Parents for Arts Education brings together current and former parents, students, teachers, administrators and arts enthusiasts to encourage, support and advocate for strong music, dance, theater and visual arts education in our local schools and communities.
Vision:
A community that encourages and supports parents to involve their children in fine arts at every age as part of a well rounded education. Every school in this community offers strong fine arts education with qualified teachers where all students can benefit from these programs and graduate with the soft skills needed for success in any field.
History:
Knowing there were hundreds of parents like us in our community that have watched their children flourish due to participation in these programs (not to mention the latest research that is proving how these programs improve test scores, graduation rates, social and emotional learning and build 21st century skills) several Central Texas parents, teachers and administrators decided now was the time to act.
Parents for arts education was created in 2021 as a nonprofit organization to unite parents, students and educators to encourage, support and advocate for the future of fine arts education in our schools and communities. We are committed to listening and evolving with the changing education landscape while ensuring that our voices are heard.
Future:
In 2023, we look to expand beyond central Texas. One example is a collaboration with Texas PTA and the Texas Cultural Trust. Our founder, Trina Martin, worked closely with both organizations to create a “Connect” meeting called Arts in Education that will be available to all PTAs across Texas. As we start the 23/24 school year we hope to coordinate parents in each district to help facilitate this meeting and create dialog across all disciplines to encourage the next generation to enroll their children in these beneficial programs. We have also filed for 501(c)3 status to increase funding for future programs.