Join PTA members around the country the second week of October to embrace, celebrate, and advocate for the arts. PTA believes that all children deserve a quality arts education. An arts education enhances a student's intellectual, personal and social development.
PTA Start the Art Week, October 8–12, 2007, is an opportunity to provide your school’s students with arts experiences. It’s also an ideal time to inform families of the benefits of arts education and gain the support of the community. Show your PTA’s commitment to arts education by observing PTA Start the Art Week with a one-day event or a weeklong celebration.
2007-08 Theme: I Can Make a Difference By ...
View the 2007-2008 award recipients here.
What is the Reflections Program?
National PTA's Reflections Program is designed to enhance, rather than replace, quality arts education for grades K-12. In its 30-year history, the Reflections Program has encouraged millions of students across the nation and in American schools overseas to explore their artistic talents. More than 600,000 students participate in the Reflections Program through their local PTAs each year. The program helps parents encourage the creativity and lifelong learning of their children. It provides opportunities for children's creative self-expression, and recognition for their artistic endeavors. Parents, teachers, and community members all play a critical role in fostering a positive learning environment for children. Supporting the Reflections Program is one way you can promote the arts in your home, school, and community.
Categories
- Photography
- Visual Arts
- Literature
- Musical Composition
- Dance Choreography
- Film/Video Production
2006-07 Award Recipients
"My Favorite Place ..." -- the Reflections Program booklethas all of the 2006-2007 program winners, artwork, and literature.
Dates to Remember
All materials MUST be postmarked to the Massachusetts PTA office no later than January 4, 2008. Materials received after January 7th will NOT be considered for judging.
Forms, Form, Forms
If I am a student and want to submit an entry, what forms do I need?
- Student Entry Form received from your Local Unit Reflections Chair
- Student created entry per the rules
- You should read and follow the General Student Participation Rules, as well as the specific Arts Area Rules for your work before creating and submitting an entry.
If I am a local unit Arts Chair, what do I do?
- Be familiar with the Arts Area Rules, Massachusetts PTA Checklist, the Massachusetts PTA Participation Form, and the deadline to Massachusetts PTA (postmarked by January 4, received no later than January 7th).
- Set a deadline for local entries and have entries judged. Keep in mind the State deadline for submission (January 4, 2007).
- Copy and distribute Arts Area Rules and Student Entry Form to students in your school and/or community. Type or print your name, address, phone number, and email address on each sheet before copying for distribution. There are many occasions where communication is necessary and this information becomes vital.
- Send three (3) entries per category, the original Student Entry form signed by the students, the Massachusetts PTA Requirements Checklist 07 , and the Local Participation Form to the Massachusetts PTA Reflections Chair postmarked on or before the deadline January 4th. All submissions MUST be received by January 7th to be considered for judging.
Questions? Here are answers to a few frequently asked questions.
Forms for local unit Arts Chair:
Linking the Arts to Student Achievement
A growing body of studies presents compelling evidence connecting student learning in the arts to a wide spectrum of academic and social benefits. Research has shown that what students learn in the arts may help them to master other subjects, such as reading, math, or social studies. Students who participate in arts learning experiences often improve their achievement in other realms of learning and life.
There are six major types of benefits associated with study of the arts and student achievement:
- Reading and language skills
- Mathematics skills
- Thinking skills
- Social skills
- Motivation to learn
- Positive school environment
One convenient way to sum up how study of the arts benefits student achievement is the recognition that learning in the arts is academic, basic, and comprehensive. It is as simple as A-B-C.
Learning in the Arts is Academic. Learning experiences in the arts contribute to the development of academic skills, including the areas of reading and language development, and mathematics. Certain forms of arts instruciton enhance and complement basic reading skills, language development and writing skills. Certain types of music instruction help develop the capacity for spatial-temporal reasoning, which refers to the ability to understand the relationship of ideas and objects in space and time.
Learning in the Arts is Basic. Arts learning experiences contribute to the development of certain thinking, social, and motivational skills that are considered basic for success in school, work, and life. Reasoning ability, intuition, perception, imagination, inventiveness, creativity, problem-solving skills and expression are among the thought processes associated with study of the arts.
Learning in the Arts is Comprehensive. Integration of the arts as a critical component of the school curriculum affords students a complete and well-rounded education. The benefits associated with study of the arts are inclusive of all students. An arts-rich learning environment can have far-reaching effects that extend to the entire school and surrounding community.
The evidence is clear: study of the arts contributes to student achievement and success. Its multiple benefits are academic, basic, and comprehensive. Despite convincing research and strong public support, the arts remain on the margins of education, often the last to be added and the first to be dropped in times of strained budgets and shifting priorities.
More about parent involvement in promoting arts education.
Article From National PTA Newsletter, Winter 2006