A new study,
An Unfinished Canvas, is showing that only 11% of schools statewide meet state goals for arts education. The report can be downloaded
here.
The
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and SRI International conducted the study. According to the study:
*29% of California schools do not offer a standards-based course of study in any of the four arts disciplines—music, visual arts, theatre, and dance.
*89% of California schools fail to offer a standards-based course of study in all four disciplines, falling short of state goals.
*61% of schools do not have even one full-time equivalent arts specialist.
*Standards alignment, assessment, and accountability practices are uneven in arts education, and often not present at all.
*California students lag behind the national average in hours of arts instruction—up to 50% less in music and visual arts instruction at the elementary level.
As we've
blogged about before, research has shown Streetside's amazing results when working with students. Our programs increase test scores, help students engage in school, and build community. But students need much more than any one program or teacher can offer. They need arts to be woven into their school experience, and to receive arts experiences that build on each other.
We look forward to the impact this study can have at building arts opportunities for students statewide.
Press coverage of the study can be found
here.
In local news, the San Francisco Examiner ran an
update about how the San Francisco Unified School District is working to integrate arts into schools through the
Arts Education Master Plan. Go SFUSD!
Labels: Arts education, Arts Education Master Plan, arts instruction, arts standards, San Francisco Unified School District, Streetside Stories
