The National Center on Education and the Economy is a nonprofit organization created to develop proposals for building the world class education and training system that the United States must have if it is to continue to be a world class economy. Tough Choices or Tough Times is a monumental analysis of the future global workforce and the U.S. Part of that world-class education and training system must focus on innovation in order to remain globally competitive — and arts advocates note the importance of arts education and community arts for a healthy creative economy. The National Center engages in policy analysis and development and works collaboratively with others at the local, state and national levels to advance its proposals in the policy arena.
Arts Education/Youth
An Unfinished Canvas. Arts Education in California: Taking Stock of Policies and Practices
California’s goals for educating our children in and about the arts already are on the books. But as the new data from SRI make clear, we are not giving our students the kind of understanding of the arts that our own standards envision. So the question today for all Californians is this: Are we willing to lower our standards and view our goals as unreachable – or use this report to spur a commitment to provide high-quality arts education to all students?
Visual And Performing Arts Framework For California Public Schools
This framework is designed to help classroom teachers and other educators develop curriculum and instruction in the arts so that all students will meet or exceed the content standards in dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts. In chapter 1, the framework presents guiding principles for instruction in dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts. The following chapter guides the planning, implementation, and evaluation of comprehensive, standards-based visual and performing arts education programs. Chapter 3 presents the key content standards for kindergarten through grade 8 that provide a beginning point for standards-based instruction; the complete content standards in dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts for kindergarten through grade 8; and the content standards for the beginning or proficient level and advanced level for grades 9 through 12. Chapter 4 guides curriculum development for comprehensive, standards-based visual and performing arts education programs. Information on the purpose and forms of assessment in the arts is provided in chapter 5. This is followed by a chapter presenting details on teacher preparation and professional development for each arts discipline. Finally, criteria for the evaluation of instructional materials in the arts for kindergarten through grade eight is provided in the closing chapter. The framework also includes a glossary of terms and an extensive list of selected references and resources. Appended are: (1) Education Code Sections Governing Arts Education Programs; (2) Recommendations for Clarification of the New Visual and Performing Arts Requirement for Freshman Admission to the University of California and the California State University; (3) Careers in the Visual and Performing Arts; (4) Continuum for Implementing Arts Education Programs; (5) Copyright Law and the Visual and Performing Arts; (6) Guidelines for the Safe Use of Art and Craft Materials; and (7) Funding for Arts Education Programs. The original print version is accompanied by a CD of the artwork featured throughout the book.
This publication is available from the California Arts Council. See: http://cac.ca.gov/artsinfo/files/Pubs-order-form-2010.pdf
NYC’s First Annual Arts in Schools Report
In March 2008, New York City’s Department of Education released its first Annual Arts in Schools Report, which provides the most comprehensive analysis of arts education in New York City public schools ever produced. The new report documents the comeback of arts education since it was nearly eliminated during the 1970s, and identifies areas where schools are excelling, as well as where targeted interventions are needed to improve results. It provides student participation and access to arts programs data during the 2006-07 school year — the year before the City’s ArtsCount initiative began — and will therefore serve as a baseline for measuring performance under ArtsCount, which was announced last summer to enhance and provide greater accountability for arts education in New York City.
What Matters, What Works: Advancing Achievement After School
This brief underscores the potential of after-school programs to advance children’s academic achievement. It shines a light on what matters most for programs that strive to promote academic success–namely, program quality and youth engagement–and it suggests what works by linking these program attributes to academic benefits. Based on the full outcomes report “Advancing Achievement,” by Public/Private Ventures, the brief draws lessons from the Foundation’s Communities Organizing Resources to Advance Learning (CORAL) initiative. CORAL was an eight-year, $58 million after-school initiative aimed at improving education achievement in low-performing schools in five California cities.
Advancing Achievement: Findings from an Independent Evaluation of a Major After-School Initiative
This report presents full outcomes research on CORAL (Communities Organizing Resources to Advance Learning initiative), an eight-year, $58 million after-school initiative aimed at improving education achievement in low-performing schools in five California cities. Findings in this report demonstrate the relationship between high-quality literacy programming and academic gains, and they highlight the potential role that quality programs may play in the ongoing drive to improve academic achievement. Commissioned by Irvine, this report was written by Public/Private Ventures. This is the main document that provides information for the brief What Matters, What Works.
