arts education
The Impact of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
The reauthorization of the Elementary & Secondary Education Act is now long overdue. This body of federal education policy, last authorized in 2002 as the No Child Left Behind Act, has resulted in a narrowing of the curriculum and arts education has struggled to remain in many schools across the country.
In Spring 2010, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan appeared before three congressional committees to testify, and was asked several times about the Administration’s position on arts education. He responded each time that he has consistently heard about the narrowing of the curriculum during his trips around the country and how that the administration is committed to strengthening arts education opportunities in the future. The administration has offered an introductory reauthorization proposal called the “Blueprint," and is expected to provide further details beyond these 40 pages.
As congressional leaders and staff prepare draft legislation that could be considered in early 2011, arts education advocates have been meeting with education leaders in Congress, building a national coalition of education organizations supportive of strengthening arts education, and increasing the visibility of grassroots advocates around the country.
Education and arts supporters gained footing in the nation's education work when NCLB was passed, listing the arts as one of the "core academic subjects" of public education. In total, there are 10 "core academic subjects." This designation qualifies arts instruction for diverse federal grants and other support. In addition, national polling has shown strong support for arts education among likely voters.
- No Subject Left Behind (pdf, 309KB) is a report produced by a consortium of national arts organizations, including Americans for the Arts, on the arts-related aspects of No Child Left Behind. The document includes information on arts education policy under NCLB and information on grant opportunities, including program descriptions, Department of Education contact information, and links to many other resources. It offers the best industry information on NCLB and arts education.
- In 2008, a study from the Center on Education Policy, Instructional Time in Elementary Schools: A Closer Look at Changes for Specific Subjects, found that cuts in instructional time were deeper than first considered.
- Choices, Changes, and Challenges: Curriculum and Instruction in the NCLB Era included a list of recommendations, among them was a recommendation to "encourage states to give adequate emphasis to art and music."
- In September 2007, the Arts Education Working Group, a coalition of national arts and arts education advocacy organizations, released their legislative recommendations for the reauthorizations of NCLB (110 KB). The Working Group continues to work with House and Senate committee staff to incorporate these recommendations into the reauthorization drafts. Recommendations include:
- Retain the Arts in the Definition of Core Academic Subjects of Learning; Require Annual State Reports on Student Access to Core Academic Subjects; Improve National Data Collection and Research in Arts Education; Reauthorize the Arts in Education Programs of the U.S. Department of Education.
- Americans for the Arts has also joined peer efforts to improve education in America. Notably, Robert Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts, has signed onto the new Broader, Bolder Approach to Education, a statement detailing the need to address economic inequalities in order to ensure student success.
- One can learn more about technical aspects of federal support for arts education by reading Americans for the Arts' Arts Education Issue Brief.
- Another Americans for the Arts issue brief discusses NCLB Reauthorization itself.