Sample Letter - President of the United States

(your address)
(date)

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20500

I am the parent of a __ grader at (name of school) in (your city), (your state). I am concerned that s/he is not getting a strong enough education in the arts.

The arts are a powerful set of disciplines to use in the effort to "leave no child behind," as you say. Research studies (Champions of Change, 1999) show that students with high levels of involvement in the arts improve their performance at school in many ways, and that the arts are also a means of reaching students not currently being reached, such as those at-risk youth. The arts help narrow the gap between low socioeconomic status (SES) students who are not highly involved in the arts and their higher SES peers. The arts bring families, communities, and schools together through a common sense of pride.

I want to thank you for your support of the U.S. Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Arts. Please help them support state departments of education, state arts agencies and school districts, and local arts agencies in ways that will provide arts-based programming and education for our nation's youth based on challenging standards.

Thank you for all that you do on behalf of the people of America.

Sincerely,
(sign and print your name)