Friday, May 6, 2016
The California State Senate Education Committee heard testimony today on SB 916, the Theatre and Dance Act (which legislators have dubbed "TADA!") that would establish single-subject credentials for dance and theater. The committee members voted in unanimous support, 9-0, and one senator called it "absolute[ly] awesome."
It's a surprising fact in the home of Hollywood: Although California requires teachers to earn credentials for music and visual arts, it's one of just two states in the country that does not offer teaching credentials in dance and theater.
Actress Annette Bening testified in support of the bill, along with a dance and theater student from Palo Alto High School.
The California Teachers Association had previously been the biggest source of opposition because of concerns about excessive credential requirements, which could create more obstacles to teaching. But Ginger Rose Fox, an itinerant dance teacher in LAUSD and the CTA arts education caucus chair, said dance teachers, as well as P.E., theater, and English teachers, launched a major lobbying effort to gain support within the union.
If passed, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing would work to roll out and implement the new credential process. In the next few months, the bill must move through the Senate, and the assembly, before going to the governor for a signature. The legislative session ends on August 31.