Arts Education

Grantmakers in the Arts holds arts education as one of its core funding focus areas. GIA is committed to invigorate funding and support for arts education within federal policy and defend that every resident has access to the arts as part of a well-rounded, life-long education. In 2012, GIA formed the Arts Education Funders Coalition (AEFC), an interest group within GIA, to address identified needs in comprehensive arts education and to strengthen communication and networking among arts education funders. Advised by a committee of Coalition members, GIA engaged the services of Washington, DC-based Penn Hill Group, a firm with education policy expertise and experience working with diverse education groups to research, develop, and promote educational policy strategies.

Most recently, GIA worked with Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) on the development of the Arts Education for All Act, the broadest arts education policy bill ever introduced in Congress.

In Spring 2021, GIA influenced the U.S. Department of Education to highlight the importance of equitable access to arts and culture to the process of reopening schools and to make explicit how racialized this access was prior to the pandemic and that addressing this inequity is essential to effective reopening.

Grantmakers in the Arts is delighted that in 2020 Congress passed the Supporting Older Americans Act, including our recommendations that the Administration on Aging include the arts in the issues to be identified and addressed and be included among supportive services for older Americans.

GIA has successfully lobbied to include arts-related provisions in the Child Care for Working Families Act, which proposes to better help low-income families pay for childcare and expand high-quality state preschool options.

GIA is extremely proud of our work over the past several years on raising the visibility of the arts in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in its legislative form. GIA and Penn Hill Group continue these advocacy efforts around the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), guiding GIA members and their grantees in advocating for new or expanded arts programs at their local schools and districts.

New Players, New Policies For Public Education

May 16, 2014 by Steve

Around 60 new education advocacy organizations have emerged across the United States in the last two decades. At a free lecture in New York City on May 20th, scholar Paul Manna, co-author of an upcoming report on the organizations, will reflect on these and other questions.

Manna, associate professor, government and public policy, College of William and Mary, will reflect on the basic characteristics of these new education advocacy organizations and the diverse roles they have come to play in state education policy debates.

May 12, 2014 by Steve

South Arts has released the results of multi-year research investigating arts education in the South.

May 9, 2014 by Steve

Educator and writer Peter Greene, writing form Huffington Post:

April 25, 2014 by Steve

On April 23, 2014, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) held a briefing on improving the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. The four panelists spoke of their states’ efforts with teacher professional development, accountability systems and responses to Common Core pushback, among other topics.

Speakers:

April 24, 2014 by Steve

Since 1995, I have been a huge fan of A+ Schools based on Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences and using art specialist working with classroom teachers to develop joint curriculum. Here's a great video on how and why it works. Janet Brown, President & CEO

April 9, 2014 by Steve

New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer has released a new report, “State of the Arts: A Plan to Boost Arts Education in New York City,” a first-of-its-kind, school-by-school breakdown that reveals unequal access to arts education for children living in some of the City’s lowest-income communities and violations of State Education mandate governing middle and high school arts teachers.

March 25, 2014 by Steve

The Department of Education’s Professional Development for Arts Educators (PDAE) program supports the implementation of high-quality model professional development programs in elementary and secondary education for music, dance, drama, media arts, or visual arts, including folk arts, for educators and other arts instructional staff of kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) students in high-poverty schools.

March 13, 2014 by Steve

From Asheley McBride, Management and Program Analyst for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement:

The Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination (AEMDD) grant program released its Notice Inviting Applications for new FY 2014 grant awards on Tuesday, February 25, 2014 in the Federal Register.

February 25, 2014 by Steve

From Mark W. Anderson, reporting for NBC Chicago:

A new survey of 170 Chicago public elementary schools by Raise Your Hand Illinois found that 65 percent do not offer the expected minimum of two hours of arts education per week, as stated by both Mayor Emanuel and CPS officials.

February 28, 2014 by Steve

New York City public high school students are not getting the arts education required by state regulations, according to an audit released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.