Arts Education
- Issue brief - Arts Education Funding and Research (PDF)
- Issue brief - Arts Education and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (PDF)
- PAA Comments on Guidelines for Investing in Innovation Funding November 9, 2009
- PAA Comments on Guidelines for Race to the Top Funding August 8, 2009
- Important House and Senate committees
- "No Subject Left Behind: A Guide to Arts Education Opportunities in the 2001 NCLB Act" (PDF)
- Arts Education Comments
Action Alerts:
4/17/12: Support FY13 Funding for the Arts in Education Program
The U.S. Department of Education’s Arts in Education program provides federal support to performing arts organizations for the development, evaluation, and dissemination of model programs that integrate arts instruction into other subject areas. Ask your Representative and Senators to appropriate $30 million for the Arts in Education program in the FY13 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill. Any reduction below $30 million would result in under-funding multiyear projects that are midstream.
ACTION: Your voice makes a difference! Click here to generate your letter and contact your legislators today.
4/17/12: Strengthen Arts Education in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
Despite overwhelming public support for arts education, access to arts education in our schools is eroding. School systems are focusing largely on reading and math at the expense of arts education and other core subjects of learning. Ask your Representative and Senators to support strengthening arts education in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
ACTION: Your voice makes a difference! Click here to generate your letter and contact your legislators today.
4/4/12: Arts Education Status Report Released: Equity Gaps Remain
On Monday, April 4, the U.S. Department of Education released the results of the Fast Response Statistical Survey's (FRSS) Report on Arts Education, based on data gathered in the 2009-2010 school year. The arts education community has long called for federal data collection to be more comprehensive in scope and depth and that data be collected more frequently. While the FRSS report does not provide a complete picture of the status of arts education, it does provide some valuable new information and an opportunity to provoke a public conversation about arts education.
ACTION: The arts education community has been working to create a toolkit to help the broader arts community understand and communicate about the Snapshot FRSS results, and these tools will be available online soon. In the meantime, a snapshot of the report with some key findings on the PAA website, find the full report online and view the Performing Arts Alliance's Arts Education Tools & Resources webpage to learn what kind of steps you can take to advance the status of arts education in public schools.
2/14/12: President Releases FY13 Budget, Urge Support for Arts Funding and Charitable Giving
Yesterday, President Obama released his FY13 federal budget proposal to Congress, which serves as a starting point for the Congressional appropriations process. The budget proposal includes $154.255 million in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), an $8 million increase which nearly restores the decrease he recommended last year; consolidating the Arts in Education program into a broader fund for Effective Teaching and Learning for a Well-Rounded Education which would eliminate the ability to track funding for each subject and would diminish federal leadership in these essential subjects of learning; and capping deductions, including the charitable deduction, at 28% for individual taxpayers earning more than $200,000 and couples earning more than $250,000. While the protections for charitable giving incentives are an important recognition of the unique value of charitable deductions, the proposal to cap deductibility at 28% has met strong opposition in the nonprofit community.
ACTION: As Congress turns its attention to FY13 funding, the arts community must raise its voice and stress the public value of federal support for the arts. Click here to generate your letter and contact your legislators today.
5/14/11: Prevent the Elimination of Arts Education Funding
In the coming weeks, the House of Representatives is expected to vote on a bill that would eliminate the Arts in Education program at the U.S. Department of Education. H.R. 1891, the Setting New Priorities in Education Spending Act, would eliminate 43 K-12 federal education programs. This bill, which the House Education and Workforce Committee passed along party lines on May 25, is an even more serious threat than the annual federal funding measures, as H.R. 1891 would permanently strip the language out of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that allows the Arts in Education program to be funded each year.
ACTION: As we move closer to a vote, now is the time to contact your members of Congress to make sure they know the importance of protecting Arts Education funding. Click here to send a personalized letter and invite your friends to do the same.
4/5/11: Support Funding for the Arts in Education Program
The U.S. Department of Education’s Arts in Education program provides federal support to performing arts organizations for the development, evaluation, and dissemination of model programs that integrate arts instruction into other subject areas.
ACTION: Ask your Representative and Senators to support funding for this important program. Click here to contact your elected officials and support funding the U.S. Department Education’s work in arts education.
4/5/11: Strengthen Arts Education in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
Despite overwhelming public support for arts education, access to arts education in our schools is eroding. School systems are focusing largely on reading and math at the expense of arts education and other core subjects of learning.
ACTION: Ask your Representative and Senators to support strengthening arts education in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Click here to send your elected officials a message strengthening arts education in ESEA.
3/1/11: Restore FY11 Funding for Arts in Education and NEA!
As the long-term FY11 budget resolution debate continues, your help is needed to urge Congress to restore funding for the Arts in Education program at the U.S. Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The House FY11 long-term budget resolution eliminates funding for the Arts in Education program and includes a $43.1 million decrease in NEA funding. It is important the arts community raise its voice and urge legislators to restore funding to both of these programs.
ACTION: Click here to send your members of Congress a personalized message urging them to restore funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Arts in Education program at the U.S Department of Education.
News Alert—Proposed Consolidation of the Arts in Education Program at the US DOE: The President's FY 2011 budget proposed consolidating a number of programs, including the Arts in Education programs, into a new funding category called Effective Teaching and Learning for a Well-Rounded Education. The proposed consolidation has been rejected by appropriators in Congress. The Senate Appropriations Committee has preserved the Arts in Education programs by including $42 million for FY 2011, and the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies has recommended level funding of $40 million.
9/14/10: First Annual Arts in Education Week-- September 12 - 18, 2010 In late July, the U.S. House of Representatives passed resolution H.Con.Res. 275 designating the second week of September "Arts in Education Week." During this important week, every member of Congress, in every state, needs to hear from their constituents on the value of arts education in our schools. This is also an excellent opportunity to advocate for arts education at the local level with your school board.
ACTION: Contact your elected official to support the Arts in Education program at the U.S. Department of Education.