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Home > Resources > Target Audiences
Overview for Arts Education Advocacy:
Target Audiences and What We Want Them To Do
Arts education advocates should carefully consider the target audiences for their communications and what it is they are asking them to do. To jumpstart this process, we have prepared a suggested list with initial thoughts about approach. Audience targeting should be considered in conjunction with the other framing and messaging guidelines provided on this Web site.
While this is a generalized audience list, it will likely provide a solid framework for most advocacy efforts. Given available staff and resources, most advocates will need to narrow down the list to four or five, prioritize (primary and secondary, for example) and plan a reasonable time frame with benchmarks to measure how audiences are being reached and engaged.
Please click on an audience below for targeting tips
“Arts smart” parents
We want parents to be active voices and contributors to the cause of increased arts education in public schools. There is emerging research that parents who are involved and interested in the arts with their children can be organized into a constituency for advocacy, particularly if there is a structure for them to join. Local arts advocates can develop strategies to engage parents in writing letters to officials, holding positions on schools boards, mobilizing other parents, and speaking publicly for the cause.
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State education policymakers, governors’ offices, state legislators
We want them to make the connection between education reform efforts and high quality arts education. Ultimately, we may want policymakers to support sequential, standards-based arts education. This would require appropriating adequate resources and prioritizing integrated arts education in all school districts. Moreover, it requires attention to arts education independent of voting cycles or who happens to hold political office.
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The “education” establishment
This includes select organizations such as the state departments of education, teachers’ unions/associations, school board leaders, county and district level leadership and principals. We want them to become aware, convinced, and supportive of the need for system-wide reforms and ultimately assume ownership in providing quality, sequential arts education opportunities to all students. Ultimately, the goal is discipline-based arts instruction AND quality integrated arts instruction as part of the core curriculum.
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Business leaders and arts/entertainment industry professionals
We need them to support state efforts for arts education in public schools and to articulate the larger policy objectives that can be achieved with arts education, i.e. promoting a skilled creative workforce to compete in the 21st century.
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Funders
We obviously need funders to continue providing important financial resources but recognize they are also influential leaders for other target audiences. Funders support research and data collection products that will inform the field. Local and regional funders are often interested in the whole community and their perspective can help bridge arts education advocates to other important groups. Major national funders are becoming increasingly interested in this work, and should be cultivated as partners who can drive credibility and support throughout the arts education community and to new audiences.
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Arts, culture and arts education partners
We want them to continue to provide assistance and leadership while leveraging any and all resources to meet the tremendous needs around the region/state. These partners add to the ranks of what is usually limited staff. We want trained and effective spokespersons in the communities they serve to articulate the value of arts advocacy work. Furthermore, we need arts providers and partners to be knowledgeable about the education environment and be able to articulate how the arts fit within existing education policies.
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Parent teacher associations
We need state PTAs to use their broad network to advocate for sounder and more sustainable arts education policy at the public school level. Arts education advocates should strengthen ties with these groups.
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School based educators, curriculum experts and classroom teachers
We want them to push for more arts education internally within schools and school districts, to conduct regular needs assessments, and to find opportunities within constantly changing school priorities to put arts education front and center.
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Student and community organizations
We want to link other issues of community building and vitality to strong schools that provide arts education. We want them to understand the real impact that arts education has on learning and preparing students to become successful in life. We want their voices to drive the efforts for quality, equity and access.
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