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February 1, 2008 ARTS ADVOCACY LESSONS FROM THE 2008 IOWA PRESIDENTIAL CAUCUS: #1 Take-Away – Let the Candidates Hear From You! As the caravan of Presidential candidates withers in number and each one heads for your state, how can the issue of a well-rounded, complete education that includes the arts continue to reach the next President of the United States? I have a few observations to make and hope they will help you feel empowered to ask questions of the candidates as they appear in your state. In December 2007, when all of the Presidential wannabe’s came to Iowa’s doorsteps, parked in Iowa coffee shops, wandered Iowa streets and gave speech after speech extolling their opinions on every subject imaginable, the opportunity presented itself to ask them any question. For a moment and a half, they wanted to please Iowans in hopes of obtaining that convert who would stand for them on caucus night in the school cafeteria, city library or fire station and give them the boost to move on to New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida and the world. Each and every candidate on both the red and blue side of the aisle gave the same message about education: “Our children need more reading, math and science skills in order to be competitive in a world economy.” As for NCLB, they were all over the map as to what to do with this experiment in American education. Emphasize the Importance of a Complete Education That Includes the Arts But, what really caught them off-guard was my question, one that never varied in its structure: “With so much emphasis being placed on math, science and reading, should parents still expect educators to provide a well rounded curriculum that includes a strong arts component so they can anticipate a well rounded adult walking across the stage to pick up their diploma?” I never received a yes or no response. What I did get was a defense of their stump speech position followed by a statement designed to appease my concern: “The arts are very important for this country.” At this point, I left the candidate to believe that his/her point had been understood and that they were “off the hook,” just as they hoped. Step Two was ahead…look for a staff member accompanying the candidate who didn’t appear to be a foreign policy wonk, and start to cultivate their attention by letting them know I would like to know more about their boss’s thoughts about the role of the arts in a child’s education. I asked them for their card, told them I would call them, and asked if they had a position paper on the role of the arts in American society. This exchange helped me to begin a conversation that often ended in more information flowing to the staff and possibly on to the candidate as they headed to the next stop in their rented van. A Few Pointers on How to Raise the Arts Education Issue By the time you read this, the caucuses and primaries may be over. But, as advocates for music and arts education, we can still have an effect. Formulate your question about arts education policy (or use mine above) and be ready to ask it of candidates at campaign appearances. In addition, you can also do the following: • Organize your state’s arts advocates to be at each of the candidate’s stops to ask your question about arts education each time the candidate appears. Stand close to the front. If candidates are not taking many, or any, questions, find their highest-ranking staff member and present your question to them. Follow up until you receive an answer. • Within a day of seeing the candidate at a rally, give their State office a call….there will be no response….another call……no response……make another call until you get a response; let them know you are serious. You can find the name of the State campaign coordinator on a web site; now, ask who is in charge of communication. It is unlikely you will get the State coordinator, but the communication director will most likely give you a call. If not, call again and again. Have in mind what you want to ask them to do once you talk to the contact. • Ask to receive a copy of the candidate’s statement on the arts. I can tell you from experience that Richardson has one, but he has dropped out of the race. Huckabee has one; Obama too. The rest do not, as of this writing. Be Persistent: Help Bring Arts Education to the Forefront in the ’08 Campaign Even if you do not feel you have gotten anyone’s attention, you have made a statement that, if repeated over and over between now and the November 2008 Election, will have the cumulative effect of helping to shape the arts education policies of the new President. As the field of candidates shrinks, the opportunities to make direct contact will diminish too. Only in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina and a few other states with caucuses, do we chosen few have the opportunity to speak one-to-one, with the next President of the United States, over a cup of coffee or in small, relatively intimate, groups. What an opportunity to relish, and then want again in four years. Larry Brandstetter, a retired theatre teacher, is a Past President and current Board member of the Iowa Alliance for Arts Education, former Board Chair of the Iowa Arts Council, past board member of NASAA, and an ardent arts education advocate. |
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