Synthesizing extensive research of arts education practice across the United States, this handbook is a guide to designing arts education professional development for K-12 classroom teachers and provides a searchable database of 50 arts learning communities. Explore this interactive resource online or download the full handbook.
Arts Education/Youth
Access to Arts Education: Inclusion of Additional Questions in Education’s Planned Research Would Help Explain Why Instruction Time Has Decreased For Some Students
Excerpt from GAO report on Watching Politics website:
Because schools may spend more time improving students’ academic skills to meet NCLBA’s (No Child Left Behind Act) requirements, some are concerned that arts education might be cut back. To determine how, if at all, student access to arts education has changed since NCLBA, the Congress asked: (1) has the amount of instruction time for arts education changed and, if so, have certain groups been more affected than others, (2) to what extent have state education agencies’ requirements and funding for arts education changed since NCLBA, (3) what are school officials in selected districts doing to provide arts education since NCLBA and what challenges do they face in doing so, and (4) what is known about the effect of arts education in improving student outcomes? GAO analyzed data from the U.S.
According to data from Education’s national survey, most elementary school teachers–about 90 percent–reported that instruction time for arts education stayed the same between school years 2004-2005 and 2006-2007. The percentage of teachers that reported that instruction time had stayed the same was similarly high across a range of school characteristics, irrespective of the schools’ percentage of low-income or minority students or of students with limited English proficiency, or the schools’ improvement under NCLBA. Moreover, about 4 percent of teachers reported an increase. However, about 7 percent reported a decrease, and GAO identified statistically significant differences across school characteristics in the percentage of teachers reporting that the time spent on arts education had decreased. Department of Education (Education), surveyed 50 state arts officials, interviewed officials in 8 school districts and 19 schools, and reviewed existing research.
The effect of piano lessons on the vocabulary and verbal sequencing skills of primary grade students
According to a just-published study in the journal Psychology of Music, the reading skills of young children who received structured training in music were clearly superior to those of their peers who did not have the benefit of such instruction. The finding is particularly striking because both groups of kids took part in comprehensive literacy training, in which lengthy periods of their school day were dedicated to reading and writing.
Arts Education Policy Review (subscription journal)
Arts Education Policy Review discusses major policy issues concerning K-12 education in the various arts in the United States and the rest of the world. Addressing education in music, visual arts, theatre, and dance, the journal presents a variety of views and emphasizes analytical exploration. Its goal is to produce the most comprehensive and rigorous exchange of ideas available on arts education. The candid discussions from multiple viewpoints are a valuable resource not only for arts educators, but also for administrators, policy analysts, advocacy groups, parents, and audiences–all those involved in the arts and concerned about their role in education. Subscription ranges from $61-64 (individual) and $146-176 (institution), and discounts are available.
Signs of Progress Are Evident Despite Budget Cuts (in Arts Ed)
Janet Eilber, the artistic director of the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance who serves as advisor for Arts Education in the News, writes an article about arts education information and trends in May of 2008.
An Unfinished Canvas: Large Scale Assessment
Although California’s Education Code calls for all students to be offered a course of study in the four arts disciplines (dance, music, theater, and visual arts), findings from An Unfinished Canvas (initial study released in 2007) reveal a large gap between policy and practice. California’s State Board of Education adopted content standards for the visual and performing arts in 2001, but the Education Code neither requires schools to follow state arts content standards nor mandates any student assessment in the arts. Recent experience has shown that large-scale assessment used for the purpose of accountability can be effective as a force for implementing standards-based K-12 curriculum and instruction in mathematics, science, social studies, and English/language arts. It is not at all clear, however, whether large-scale assessment could or should be used to support the implementation of K-12 standards-based arts education. This paper provides a review of the status of large-scale arts assessments and current practice in statewide arts assessment for the purpose of K-12 education accountability.
