Legislation Quick Search
03/29/2024 08:29 AM
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20190&cosponId=30910
Share:
Home / House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

Subscribe to PaLegis Notifications
NEW!

Subscribe to receive notifications of new Co-Sponsorship Memos circulated

By Member | By Date | Keyword Search


House of Representatives
Session of 2019 - 2020 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: January 14, 2020 01:21 PM
From: Representative Perry S. Warren
To: All House members
Subject: Resolution Designating March 2020 as Theater in Our Schools Month
 
Theatre in Our Schools Month is an annual event dedicated to raising public awareness of the positive impact that theater education has on our students and to highlight the need for increased access to quality programs. Sometimes the perception exists that the arts are secondary to core subjects like math and reading. Although those subjects are indeed important, schools also can and should teach self-confidence, self-worth, creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. This is where theater education comes in. The positive emotional and academic impact that theater programs have on young Pennsylvanians of all grade levels is incalculable.

For example, research has shown that K-2 English Language Learners who received weekly drama lessons demonstrated an increase in listening and speaking skills on standardized tests. Middle school students who are taught lessons that integrate drama into instruction are more likely to voice their own ideas and actively participate in the classroom. For high school students, the benefits from theater education are part of the strong foundation that is necessary for them to be successful after graduation. Research has found that students with high levels of arts involvement are less likely to drop out of school, and that students who take four years of art classes in high school have been found to score an average of 92 points higher on their SATs than their peers.

As a father and advocate for quality education, it is my privilege to introduce a resolution designating the month of March 2020 as Theater in Our Schools Month. I hope you will join me in this effort to highlight the benefits of having theater programs in our schools and bring awareness to the need for increased access to quality theater programs for all Pennsylvanian students.

View Attachment


Introduced as HR750