PRINTER'S NO. 3321
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
750
Session of
2020
INTRODUCED BY WARREN, BIZZARRO, ULLMAN, DONATUCCI, KORTZ,
LONGIETTI, VITALI, HARKINS, T. DAVIS, HILL-EVANS, ZABEL,
MILLARD, BURNS, PASHINSKI, SCHMITT, RYAN, DRISCOLL, MURT,
KINSEY, THOMAS, FREEMAN, KIM, HOWARD, CIRESI, READSHAW,
BROWN, ROEBUCK, NEILSON, SCHLEGEL CULVER, CONKLIN AND
EVERETT, FEBRUARY 24, 2020
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, FEBRUARY 24, 2020
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing the month of March 2020 as "Theatre in Our Schools
Month" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, "Theatre in Our Schools Month" is an annual event
dedicated to raising public awareness of the positive impact
that theatre education has on students and highlights the need
for increasing access to quality programs; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 50 million people attend one of more
than 37,000 school theatre performances annually in the United
States; and
WHEREAS, Theatre education teaches invaluable skills needed
to be successful in the workforce such as soft-skills, including
the ability to listen, artistic sense, nonverbal communication,
enthusiasm and storytelling; and
WHEREAS, Drama activities help enhance children's social-
emotional development by allowing them to develop an enhanced
understanding of the responses, emotional expressions and
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actions of other people as well as strengthening their own
confidence, creativity, resiliency, agency and sense of
community; and
WHEREAS, Drama instruction integrated into elementary
classrooms improves students' social and emotional development
and contributes to a positive classroom culture; and
WHEREAS, English language learners in kindergarten through
second grade who received weekly drama lessons demonstrated
increased listening and speaking skills on standardized tests;
and
WHEREAS, Students who took four years of art classes in high
school scored an average of 92 points higher on their SATs than
their peers; and
WHEREAS, Students with high levels of arts involvement are
less likely to drop out of school; and
WHEREAS, Reading play scripts out loud has been found to help
at-risk middle school students become better readers; and
WHEREAS, Disadvantaged students who receive an arts education
are three times more likely to earn a bachelor's degree than
students who lack those experiences; and
WHEREAS, Only 28% of public high schools in high-poverty
areas offer theatre instruction; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
month of March 2020 as "Theatre in Our Schools Month" in
Pennsylvania; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
positive impact that theatre education has on communities and
students across this Commonwealth and help raise awareness
regarding the need for access to quality programs for all
students.
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