National Endowment for the Arts’ Post

A Win for Arts Education - U.S. Department of Education Issues a Letter of Guidance for Funding the Arts in Schools The Arts Action Fund reports today, the start of National Arts and Humanities Month, that the U.S. Department of Education issued a letter of guidance to Chief State School Officers encouraging schools on how federal education dollars can be used for arts education in developing a well-rounded education through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The letter states: “Arts education—including dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts—is key to equitable access to a well-rounded education and central to our shared commitment to ensure that every student receives high-quality instruction that prepares them to be active, engaged, and lifelong learners.” Bravo to that! The guidance goes further to discuss how other federal formula funds can be used to support arts education through professional development, in and out-of-school arts programming, support for children with disabilities, and career and technical education. The U.S. Department of Education had not distributed guidance to state school officers since 2013. The new guidance aims to bring educators, administrators, and advocates together to better understand what funding sources are available for enhancing arts education programs in their communities.  

At Perpich, we believe in the power of the arts. Why is arts education important? Here's one reason. #WednesdayWhyArtsEd "While arts programs often fall victim to budget cuts, they can be an important contributor to students' success at school. 'Good arts education is not about the product,' says Jamie Kasper, director of the Arts Education Partnership and a former music teacher. 'It is about the process of learning.' Policymakers, school administrators and parents alike may overlook the significance of arts education, but these programs can be a crucial component of your child’s school life. Whether they're practicing lines for a school play or cutting up magazine scraps for a collage, children can use art to tap into their creative side and hone skills that might not be the focus of other content areas, including communication, fine motor skills and emotional intelligence. Arts education can help kids: • Engage with school and reduce stress. • Develop social-emotional and interpersonal skills. • Enrich their experiences. • Handle constructive criticism. • Bolster academic achievement. • Improve focus." From U.S. News & World Report https://lnkd.in/g_vjwZkX

The arts are a lifelong passion. The following is great news: #nahm U.S. Department of Education has issued a letter of guidance to Chief State School Officers regarding the use of federal education dollars to support a well-rounded education—including the arts—through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The letter states: “Arts education—including dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts—is key to equitable access to a well-rounded education and central to our shared commitment to ensure that every student receives high-quality instruction that prepares them to be active, engaged, and lifelong learners.” The new guidance aims to bring educators, administrators, and advocates together to better understand what funding sources are available for enhancing arts education programs in their communities. Why does this matter? The letter clarifies that school districts can “use Title I, Part A funds to bolster arts education programs as a strategy to support students attending Title I schools with a high percentage of low-income families in meeting the State’s challenging academic standards.” The guidance goes further to discuss how other federal formula funds can be used to support arts education through professional development, in and out of school arts programming, support for children with disabilities, and career and technical education.

In addition to fostering community kindness through song - Acts of Kindness Cabaret is led by music instructors and educators who emphasize the importance of integrating arts into our programming. Check out this article on what we already know: Exposure to art can improve emotional well-being, enhance academic achievement, and cultivate essential teamwork and problem-solving.

For the first time since the 2019-20 school year, school-level data from the Creative Schools Certification is now available on Ingenuity’s arts education data platform, artlook®. artlook® tracks school-level and arts partner data to help Chicago arts education stakeholders expand arts education access, quality, and equity in every CPS school. The data from the Creative Schools Certification, or CSC, identifies the level of arts access and quality in every CPS school using a five-point scoring rubric. This rating appears on each school’s artlook® profile, along with other arts education data. The Creative Schools Certification is designed to help school personnel develop plans and partnerships to address gaps in arts equity, sustain the arts in their school, and develop innovative arts education models that can be replicated across the District. Over 600, or 94% of Chicago Public Schools have provided in-depth data about their arts programming for the 2022-23 school year. Ratings from the Creative Schools Certification are also displayed on CPS school profiles. Chicago Public Schools and Ingenuity - Chicago updated its arts scoring rubric in 2019-20. Along with the updated Creative Schools Certification rubric, there are four new elements shared for the first time: school-level data on arts learning standards, arts inclusion in school governance, per-student arts expenditures, and arts instructional approaches. The following information will also be listed on school profiles: 🔹Overall rating on the Creative Schools Certification 🔹Creative Schools Roadmap 🔹Arts staffing ratio 🔹Average weekly minutes of arts instruction (elementary schools only) 🔹Percent of students enrolled in art least one arts course (elementary schools only) 🔹Arts disciplines offered 🔹Arts partnerships 🔹Staff participation in arts-specific professional development 🔹Family/community engagement All this information provided on artlook® aims to encourage school leaders to both showcase their school’s strengths and explore other schools’ arts offerings across the District, better support families and students making decisions based on CPS arts programming, and help arts organizations improve existing school partnerships and identify new partnership opportunities. Ingenuity is slated to publish the eleventh edition of the State of the Arts Report this April. The report will provide sector-wide analyses of 2022-23 data from the Creative Schools Certification across CPS schools. The data published on artlook® is publicly available and is the basis of the annual State of the Arts report for Chicago Public Schools. Access pur most current #artseducation #data here: https://lnkd.in/d9UV5GCv

The rise in advocacy for arts programming is growing due to changes in school budgets. One of the reasons that state government funding needs are shifting is due to employment trends. With new initiatives towards career readiness, early college credit, and STEM requirements, arts programming continues to diminish in our schools. Create CA designed a tool called the ‘Advocate’s North Star’ document to guide schools in securing #arts for students! “Understand current arts data, make recommendations to your school #leadership, offer solutions, work with your #community, and provide our ample resources to decision-makers to develop sustainable plans for visual and performing arts courses.” Some of the documents are specific to California, however most like the one below, can be used universally. Download the larger document and use the guide using through link https://lnkd.in/dUYnXgV7

What does belonging look, sound, and feel like for you in your school, work, or community? This week, we asked Avery, a member of our National Teen Board, to share her thoughts on belonging. Here’s what she had to say! Avery’s experience highlights how belonging comes from sharing what you love and feeling accepted for it. Whether it’s music, hobbies, or other passions, creating space for students to express themselves freely can deepen connections and build a more inclusive environment. Tip for Educators: Create moments where students can share their favorite music, interests, or cultures. Encouraging this exchange can build stronger relationships and foster belonging in your classroom. Sign up for our programs that build belonging in middle school classrooms by visiting -->https://loom.ly/3OHB7Bw #InclusiveEducation #BeyondDifferences #BuildBelonging #SocialEmotionalLearning #MiddleSchoolProgram #Knowyourclassmates #SocialConnections

I've been saying this for 27 years--Vindicator Editorial August 7, 2024--"Far too often, the arts have resembled the bastard stepchildren of academic disciplines in public schools in our Valley, state and nation. Many times over, they have been convenient targets for neglect and underfunding. Indeed, school districts throughout the state and nation have been forced to cut staff and financial support in recent years for programs in the visual arts, marching band, concert band, vocal music, drama and dance because of tight budgets, inflationary pressures and a greater state and national focus on other disciplines, particularly on the STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Those trends are unfortunate as research has shown that education in the arts improves student social-emotional well-being, keeps students in school, increases the graduation rate, boosts academic performance, and adds to students’ ability to create, collaborate, think critically and communicate. In short, arts education in schools and community institutions enhances individual creativity and achievement in other more traditional school disciplines as well." See the entire article here.

"For kids in low-income neighborhoods, where residents may have less access to art and cultural resources that can improve quality of life, school arts programs are especially important. An analysis from the National Endowment for the Arts, drawing on data from four longitudinal studies, found that students with high levels of arts involvement had more positive outcomes in a variety of areas, from high school graduation rates to civic participation. Just like after-school sports programs allow students to learn skills not necessarily taught in the classroom, like teamwork and self-discipline, Farrington says the arts provide students with broad opportunities for growth outside of strictly academic pursuits." https://lnkd.in/g_vjwZkX #MusicEducation #Music #Mentorship #Nonprofit #Austin

Check out this short video featuring one of our amazing teaching artists and partner teachers talking Wolf Trap!