Improving the Assessment of Student Learning in the Arts- State of the Field and Recommendations - This study examines current trends, promising techniques, and successful practices being used to assess K-12 student learning in the arts nationwide. The study also identifies potential areas in which arts assessment could be improved, ultimately increasing student academic achievement. (ART WORKS.arts.gov, WestEd, January 2012)...

Arts Education In Public Elementary and Secondary Schools: 1999-2000 and 2009-10 - This study examines many of the same issues from two previous studies, including the extent to which students received instruction in the arts; the facilities and resources available for arts education instruction; and the preparation, work environments, and instructional practices of music and visual arts specialists and non-arts classroom teachers. This study also addresses emerging issues such as the availability of curriculum-based arts education activities outside of regular school hours and the presence of school-community partnerships in the arts. In addition, the current study provides broader coverage of arts education instructors by including two new surveys for secondary music and visual arts specialists. (National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, April, 2012)...

The Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth: Findings from Four Longitudinal Studies - This report examines arts-related variables from four large data sets -- three maintained by the U.S. Department of Education and one by the Department of Labor -- to understand the relationship between arts engagement and positive academic and social outcomes in children and young adults of low socioeconomic status (SES). The analyses show that achievement gaps between high- and low-SES groups appear to be mitigated for children and young adults who have arts-rich backgrounds. (National Endowment for the Arts, March 2012)...

Artistic Production Processes as Venues for Positive Youth Development - The positive youth development model focuses on the idea that when given adequate resources, young people acquire and put to use constructive capacities that allow them to make a positive contribution to the civic realm. Viewing adolescence as a time of promise as opposed to a time of risk has the potential to remake the way we understand the nature of development and our role as researchers and educators in supporting the development of young people. (Erica Halverson, Wisconsin Center for Education Research, February 2010)...

Access to Arts Education: Inclusion of Additional Questions in Education's Planned Resarch Would Help Explain Why Instruction Time Has Decreased for Some Students - The national picture indicates that the vast majority of schools have found a way to preserve their arts education program. However, a somewhat different picture emerges for some schools identified as needing improvement under NCLB. Appendix III, a state-by-state breakdown of arts education requirements and funding, and Appendix IV, listing additional studies on arts education are particularly helpful. (U.S. Government Accountability Office, February 2009)...

Governor's Commission on the Arts in Education PDF - Findings and recommendations from the Governor's Commission on the Arts in Education....

Arts Instruction of Public School Students in the First and Third Grades - This issue brief provides a descriptive look at the prevalence of arts instruction received by 1st- and 3rd-grade public school students in their schools. Four areas of the arts are considered in this brief: music; art; dance or creative movement; and theater or creative dramatics. Measures were created to examine changes between grades for students who had arts instruction in at least one grade. (Gregory Kienzl, Grace Boachie-Ansah, Lawrence Lanahan, and Emily W. Holt, National Center for Education Statistics, June 2006) ...

Critical Evidence: How the Arts Benefit Student Achievement - This publication summarizes the benefits of the arts in education and draws heavily on research from Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development, published by the Arts Education Partnership in 2002. The summary addresses the importance of the arts in schools and their contribution to student achievement and success. The report touches on several issues related to arts in education, including: the role of No Child Left Behind, public support, how studying the arts enhances student's performance in other subjects and develops fundamental learning skills and capacities. For example, study of the arts can strengthen reading, language and math skills, critical thinking, social and civic development and students' motivation toward and engagement in school. (Sandra S. Ruppert, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and the Arts Education Partnership, March 2006)...

Creative Industries 2005: The Congressional Report - The creative industries are a growing sector of the nation’s economy and include both for-profit and nonprofit businesses involved in the creation or distribution of the arts. This report statistically measures the scope and economic size of the arts in terms of the type and number of arts-centric businesses and employees. The 2005 analysis revealed that 578,487 arts-centric businesses exist across the nation and employ 2.965 million individuals. Comparing 2004 to 2005 data, the number of arts-centric businesses grew 5.5% (548,281 to 578,487) as compared to a growth rate of 3.8% for all U.S. businesses (12.8 million to 13.3 million). (Americans for the Arts, March 2005) ...

ArtsEdge - The National Standards for the Arts Education, developed in 1994, can be accessed through the Kennedy Center’s ArtsEdge Web site. The standards describe what a child with a complete, sequential education in the arts should know and be able to do at various grade levels in each artistic discipline. The 1997 National Assessment for Educational Progress was developed in coordination with these national standards....

Envisioning Arts Assessment: A Process Guide for Assessing Arts Education in School Districts and States - This guide provides a step-by-step plan to help states and school districts design and establish their own arts assessments. Part One of the report briefly addresses the history, theory, and values surrounding the assessment movement. The authors stress that, particularly with the rise of the standards-based movement, establishing arts education assessments will help to increase instruction time for the arts. Part Two outlines specific plans and action steps necessary for creating and implementing an assessment program. The authors break the process down into three phases, including: Plan and Clarify, Develop and Generate, and Implement and Model. Finally, the guide includes a complete assessment as an example. (Nancy Pistone, the Arts Education Partnership and the Council of Chief State School Officers, 2002) ...