Feed your kids the Arts. Studies have shown that involvement in the arts helps kids increase test scores and promotes academic achievement. For 10 Simple Ways to get more art into your child’s life, visit AmericansForTheArts.org.
Feed your kids the Arts. Studies have shown that involvement in the arts helps kids increase test scores and promotes academic achievement. For 10 Simple Ways to get more art into your child’s life, visit AmericansForTheArts.org.
AftA post
This is reprinted from the ARTS Blog, November 12, 2019, Americans for the Arts written by Narric Rome.
Yesterday, an Education Commission of the States staff member with the memorable name of Claus von Zastrow published a blog reporting the findings of an arteducation question included in the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in Math. It’s a substantial discovery—akin to when new stars are detected in a constellation, or a new species of insect is identified. His blog post and the accompanying data tables are a must-read. My blog here is about the context that must be considered in his discovery.
Since 2001, the “arts,” comprising the disciplines of dance, music, theatre, and visual arts, have been named as one of ten Core Academic Subjects (No Child Left Behind Act) and currently are one of the 18 subjects listed in the definition of a Well-Rounded Education (Every Student Succeeds Act). In theory, this should mean that the U.S. Department of Education and its research arm, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), should provide ongoing and detailed data into how arts education is resourced in the country—right?
No. Longtime Department of Education watchers know that since 1995, there have been just two kinds of arts education research by the federal government. A few federal research “access” reports (1995, 2002, 2012) asked principals and teachers in just 1,800 schools about who is receiving, or being offered, arts education in their schools. Relatedly, there have been three NAEPs in the Arts (1997, 2008, 2016) which measure knowledge and skills in the subject, but is severely limited in its scope. How and why is it limited? That’s a story for another time, but not one of these tests over 25 years has ever captured arts education data on a state-by-state basis.
As Claus mentions, the federal agency tasked with administering the “Nation’s Report Card” (the National Assessment Governing Board or NAGB) decided to terminate one of these two federal studies this past July, which immediately alarmed arts education advocates and education staff in the U.S. Senate who were frustrated by this unexpected development. It appears that federal arts education research has been cut by 50%.
So when eagle-eyed Claus spotted in the Math NAEP released in October 2019, among the 40 multi-part questions asked of the eighth grade test takers, that Question #21 was about art education—he must have been floored. As I am.
This question, put to the 147,000 students that were a part of the 2019 Math NAEP sample, must be the single largest arts education data point in the history of federal education research.
Now, the question only refers to one discipline, (visual) art education—I’m sure my friends at the National Art Education Association and the Arts Education Partnership will be excitedly digesting this data for quite some time—so it’s in no way capturing the full arts education picture. But here are three simple highlights I’ve spotted from this single question, with thanks again to Claus for assembling the data.
In the graphic below, the darker the state, the greater the participation in art education. Vermont has the highest at 68%; some states, like Montana, South Dakota, Utah, Colorado, and Alaska, didn’t get enough students in the sample to count; and Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana provided the least art education, between 16% to 18% of eighth graders.
In Indiana, 40% of students eligible for the National Free & Reduced Lunch program (an indicator of household income) were in an art education course, compared to 50% of (wealthier) students not eligible for the lunch program. There’s a similar 10 point gap in Rhode Island, an 11 point gap in New York, a 12 point gap in Pennsylvania, and a whopping 21 point difference in Connecticut! On the other hand, Iowa, Nebraska, West Virginia, and Wisconsin by this measure present very little wealth disparities in who receives art education in their states.
Arkansas is among a handful of states that provides significantly more art education in its rural areas, surpassing city, suburb, and town categories. The largest state, California, demonstrates equal particpation in art education among these location categories. This set of data, comparing provision of art education in varying population densities, is also the first time federal data of this kind has ever been shared nationally.
Like a singular and brief shooting star, the “von Zastrow discovery” leaves us with so many more questions, some about the data and some about the federal research efforts.
Arts education advocates, and Congress, have begun to respond to the proposed demise of the Arts NAEP, and innovations and advances in collecting arts education access and participation data may result from this effort. In fact, significant progress continues to be made in several states that have tapped into their state longitudinal data systems for annual state-level data on arts education—see California, New Jersey, Ohio, and Arizona. But if the U.S. Department of Education’s purpose is anything, it’s to report on education access on a national level—not just passively leave this task to states and nonprofits to cobble it together.
So, while we can celebrate this beautiful shooting star of a data point tucked away in the Math NAEP, we need more. We need the arts to be treated as a full constellation in the sky.
Arts Action and Funding
The latest news from Americans for the Arts.
The Arts Action Fund launched the new podcast series “ArtsVote 2020 with BenFolds” in order to generate a national discussion with 2020 presidential candidates and political leaders about the arts, arts education, and tax policies to advance nonprofit charities in America. The Arts Action Fund has specifically invited every Presidential Candidate to have a one-on-one, 30-minute conversation with Ben Folds about their personal background and views in the arts and arts education. Candidates are encouraged to share their previous policy efforts to transform communities and states through the arts, and their vision for advancing support for the arts and the charitable sector in the future.
Ben conducts the podcast series in person or by phone with candidates and other political leaders as they travel across the country on the campaign trail. These podcasts are conversations about public policy and the arts and are not endorsements for a candidate. All podcasts are posted online at ArtsActionFund.org/podcast along with additional resources like our 2020 arts policy platforms and candidate questionnaire. Subscribe to the podcast on the Anchor app or your favorite podcast app.
Funding information
Funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities information is below including a link to more details.
The U.S. House of Representatives completed its appropriations process in July for fiscal year 2020. The House approved funding increases to every federal cultural agency and program and even included a first-time ever allocation of $5 million for arts therapy programs in the military’s budget. Specifically included in the bill is a $12.5 million increase for both the NEA and NEH, bringing their funding levels up to $167.5 million each. This funding level increase matches the ask we made to Congress on Arts Advocacy Day this past March.
With Congress now back in session after the August recess, the Senate has now begun its appropriations process. Unfortunately, the Senate Subcommittee on Interior made an inital allocation of only $157 million each to the NEA and NEH ($10.5 million less than the House-approved level.) As the bill moves through the full Senate, Arts Action Fund members can weigh in on this issue by contacting their Senators through our online Arts Action Center. It’s a quick and easy way to email your Senators with a customizable, pre-written message urging them to match the House allocated funding levels. Please visit www.bit.ly/SenateNEA.
Looking for leaders
Americans for the Arts is looking for arts leaders across the country to serve on four of our Advisory Councils. These Advisory Councils are comprised of field leaders who help guide Americans for the Arts’ programs and services that will build essential capacities, spark necessary conversations, and forge deeper connections in the arts field. Nominate yourself or a colleague today! Deadline for nominations: October 4, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. EST. You must be a member of AFTA to be nominated.
The Arts Education Advisory Council advises Americans for the Arts’ staff on trends in the field to create programs and services that will build a deeper connection to the field and the Arts Education Network. Council members are involved in:
More information on the councils is located at THIS LINK.
I presently serve on the Arts Education Council; don’t hesitate to contact me at meartsed@gmail.com if you have questions.
Americans for the Arts celebrating
Gather online with arts education supporters with this year’s National Arts in Education Week Virtual Conversation. Take a look at the current state of arts education with the“Reflecting on the State of Arts Education” Virtual Conversation on Monday, September 9, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. EST, and envision the future of arts education with the “A Look Forward into the Future of Arts Education” Virtual Conversation on Friday, September 13, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. EST. Learn from educators and leaders throughout the week on Americans for the Arts’ARTSBlog posts celebrating National Arts in Education Week. Stay up to date on all the week’s news and events by joining the National Arts in Education Week Event on Facebook. Tag tweets using #ArtsEdWeek and #BecauseOfArtsEd through National Arts in Education Week, and use these hashtags to read and share stories about the impact of arts education. Join the National Arts in Education Week social media campaign using our How-To Guide. Work with your elected officials and decision-makers to share the value of the arts in education using our resources, including sample resolutions and videos. Send an op-ed to your local newspaper using relevant talking points about the importance of arts in education. Use our online guided tool, the Arts Education Navigator, to craft a personal advocacy plan. Host a celebration in your community, whether big or small, an existing event, or a new one. Check out local #ArtsEdWeek events on ArtsMeet, a national arts event calendar. Download the 5 Ways to Partner Packet for other ideas of how to celebrate in your community!Americans for the Arts
AFTA has tons of resources on their website. Like many outstanding sites there are too many resources to locate. Over the next few weeks I will provide resources on the blog that you can include in your summer independent learning or perhaps use when coming together with colleagues for collaborative learning. I encourage you to share them with others. And don’t hesitate to email me at meartsed@gmail.com with resources that you find useful so I can share them with others on the Maine Arts Education blog.
AFTA has a collection of videos called “Encourage Creativity: Teach the Arts”. Who to use each video ‘with’ and ‘what for’ is included with each description to help you determine if they will work for you. They provide the length of each video and they are each downloadable. The four videos range from 42 minutes to a documentary that is 7 hours and 19 minutes long. They are filled with stories, facts and figures to use for advocacy, and voices of learners of all ages.
They are creative documents that are very well put together. Please check them out at THIS LINK.
Americans for the Arts
Americans for the Arts believes that every American should have access to high-quality arts education. The principal tasks of this position are to create the tools of advocacy, research, and professional development to strengthen the network of arts education supporters and particularly local arts agency membership of Americans for the Arts who can then affect change in arts education programs and policies at the local, state and federal levels through work with Americans for the Arts’ members and the field at large.
The Arts Education Program Manager is a member of the Government & Public Affairs Department, which is responsible for promoting public policies that advance the arts and arts education. The Program Manager will oversee the professional programs and services for Americans for the Arts’ members including arts education networks and their elected Arts Education Advisory Council. The Program Manager will also work cross-departmentally at Americans for the Arts to ensure connectivity of arts education through shared programming with all departments and will assist the Vice President in identifying funding sources and earned income opportunities on an ongoing basis. The Program Manager will implement field education programming and communications directed to empower arts education supporters to become effective advocates. The Program Manager will build and maintain strategic partnerships to implement initiatives to bring public awareness to the impact of arts education for the field.
The Program Manager is aware of key arts education programs and initiatives at the local, state, and federal levels, and is knowledgeable about broader arts, cultural, and education policy, research, and practice. The Program Manager will understand how to articulate the benefits of arts education to diverse audiences and be able to demonstrate how arts education relates to critical issues in education reform valued by diverse stakeholders.
The Program Manager will oversee the professional programs and services for Americans for the Arts’ members including arts education networks and their elected Arts Education Advisory Council. The Program Manager will also work cross-departmentally at Americans for the Arts to ensure connectivity of arts education through shared programming with all departments and will assist the Vice President in identifying funding sources and earned income opportunities on an ongoing basis.
The Program Manager will implement field education programming and communications directed to empower arts education supporters to become effective advocates. The Program Manager will build and maintain strategic partnerships to implement initiatives to bring public awareness to the impact of arts education for the field.
To learn the key responsibilities and responsibilities and the qualifications please CLICK HERE.
ARTS EDxchange
Americans for the Arts is home to the International Arts Education Research and Resource Exchange – or ARTS EDxchange – a digital platform fostering engagement and collaboration between arts educators and practitioners from around the world. Open to Americans for the Arts members and non-members alike, ARTS EDxchange is the first international arts education listserv, allowing subscribers the opportunity to share their work with a global audience and access resources on the cutting edge of arts and cultural education. Learn more.
This is the first-of-its-kind international arts education listserv, allowing subscribers the opportunity to share their work with a global audience and access resources on the cutting edge of arts and cultural education.
You can sign up for ARTS EDxchange here and please share with others!
Message from Robert Lynch
Even though National Arts in Education Week has come and gone for another year we know that the work taking place at the heart of arts education continues throughout the year. It is in large and small classrooms and communities across Maine where educators and artists are making a difference in the lives of learners of all ages. Many of you go about this work and play quietly and go unnoticed. You are the heroes of arts education!
I ask you to pause for a moment and consider what it would be like if you took the time to let others know about your work. Would it make a difference in your community and/or school? Could it provide a brighter future for that individual you are teaching or perhaps hundreds of others?
We need effective educators and supporters of arts education to use their voices beyond National Arts in Education Week. Think about stepping up and asking for a seat at the table – taking on a leadership role so the voice of arts education is recognized. It can make a difference for one learner and many learners.
Robert Lynch, the President and CEO of Americans for the Arts (AFTA), put out a call on this very topic. AFTA is committed to “empowering diverse leadership across the education field, in every state and every community from coast to coast.” READ MR. LYNCH’S BLOG POST and consider what your role is beyond teaching and supporting arts education.
An exciting week it was
Arts in Education is over for another year. Thanks to Jeff Poulin and the team at Americans for the Arts for providing information, resources, and day to day opportunities to jump in and be inspired.
Below you will find the last of the #ArtsEdWeek and #BecauseOfArtsEd social media posts that were shared yesterday.
Blog salon topic of Broadening and Diversifying the Arts Education Leadership Pipeline. See below for links to the posts which have been posted so far:
I hope you had a great Arts in Education Week and were able to participate and celebrate arts education in your community. Someone said to me yesterday, “I’m already planning for the 2019 Arts in Education week!” September 8-14 – mark your calendar!
me arts ed 