A back-to-school vision

At Arts Ed Collaborative, we believe that all children deserve the chance to become the best versions of themselves. So, we must equitably equip our schools to make this possible regardless of what our children look like or where they come from. We envision a diverse network of educators in Southwestern Pennsylvania that immerses young people in powerful, personally relevant arts learning that transforms their sense of self, ability to share thoughts and feelings, and capacity to shape communities. We collaborate with educators to unlock the transformative power of the arts.

Unfortunately, too many politicians want to restrict or even ban discussions of, or access to information about, race, gender identity, or sexual orientation in the K-12 curriculum. They try to turn us against our schools and teachers, or point the finger at parents, to keep us from coming together to demand that every school has the resources necessary for all children to succeed.

As artists and educators, we know that by taking care of one another and voting in every election, we can make our schools places of belonging. We can make our schools places of robust learning. We can make our schools proud examples of what it looks like in this country to respect and support each other across our differences.

We wish all students, families, teachers, and administrators in Southwestern Pennsylvania a school year full of curiosity, collaboration, and creativity.