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.
The State Data Infrastructure Project in the Arts, a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Education Commission of the States, released recently "50-State Comparison: Arts Education Data Collection and Reporting," a tool that assesses the capacity of all 50 states and the District of Columbia to aggregate and report on arts education data already housed in statewide education data systems.
Read More...Funders are redefining philanthropic giving in education, focusing increasingly on advancing education equity, according to a new report from Grantmakers for Education.
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The door is heavy. I don’t remember if it is steel or wood, but it takes effort to open. We are a small group of four. A few more will join our group shortly. I lead the way inside. They said not to wear blue. I keep it simple — a black dress and gray pants that come just above my ankle. And black boots. My usual.
Read More...Twenty-five rising high school seniors will have paid internships during the summer at local Boston arts and cultural organizations through the Bloomberg Arts Internship. The program seeks to help them develop career skills and gain professional experience in the arts, besides providing students college-readiness preparation.
Read More...Congressional leaders announced a proposal this week to better help low-income families pay for child care and expand high-quality state preschool options. The introduction of the Child Care for Working Families Act signals the intent of Representatives Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) to respond to the needs of families with young children.
Read More...A puppeteer’s show in Houston elementary and middle schools -part of Houston’s Arts Access Initiative- has improved students' scores on writing tests and has boosted students' compassion for their classmates, reported Chalkbeat.
Read More...The Wallace Foundation recently commissioned a report that points to 88 studies of arts education approaches eligible for federal education funding under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)'s standards of evidence.
Read More...A new report by the Education Commission of the States delves into education policy areas where arts in education leaders and stakeholders can expand opportunities to engage the arts in policy solutions.
Read More...Much has been discussed about the importance of exposure to the arts as part of early-childhood education programs, but according to a recent column in Education Dive, researchers and educators still have questions about how these experiences benefit children as they continue through school.
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