One of the NDEO’s primary goals is to strengthen the national voice and vision for dance and advocate for dance education in the arts. Visit the Advocacy Forum to discuss the four primary activities NDEO uses to accomplish this goal:

Current Initiatives

Advocacy Tools

• Develop and strengthen networks at the national level with federal and state agencies, arts and education associations, businesses, corporations and philanthropic foundations.
• Advocate for dance education for the arts and dance education research.
• Strengthen communication and dissemination of information among the teaching arts workforce in dance education in the arts.
• Encourage and support local, state, and federal policies and legislation which advance dance as arts education.

^{Senator Hillary Clinton on Dance Education}

Advocacy Forum

Liaisons & Partnerships 

^{Congresswoman Louise Slaughter on Arts Education}

As an advocate for dance and dance arts education, NDEO seeks to influence policy and resource allocation decisions within the federal government. Along with liaisons and partnering organizations, NDEO participates in setting the national agenda for arts education, defining the significant issues, developing strategic plans, lobbying lawmakers, and drafting legislation and policy recommendations.

Recent and current initiatives include the following:

• Working on the Arts Education Partnership Legislative Affairs Working Group to draft policy and language recommendations for legislation such as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
• Helping develop the strategic goals for the College Board's National Task Force on the Arts in Education.
• Working with the Council of Chief State School Officers: State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards-Arts to develop, deploy, and conduct field training for dance assessments.
• Co-sponsoring American's for the Arts "Arts Advocacy Day."
• Providing policy suggestions for the Obama transition team on how the federal government can inspire and support creativity in the US.

NDEO's commitment to dance education has launched systematic change at local, state, and national levels. The advocacy tools NDEO utilizes to influence change and impact policy are available on this site for members to use in their own advocacy efforts.