AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS 2017 ANNUAL CONVENTION TOWARD AN ACTION PLAN FOR FUTURE RESEARCH: ADVANCING THE ARTS AND SPECIAL EDUCATION JENNA GABRIEL, EDM

THIS PROJECT In 2016, the Kennedy Center convened a select group of academics and researchers to pursue an agenda to advance the field of the arts and special education through rigorous research.

THIS PROJECT In 2016, the Kennedy Center convened a select group of academics and researchers to pursue an agenda to advance the field of the arts and special education through rigorous research. In addition to actions, the plan (which will be published in August) describes 3 priority areas—Access and Equity Research, Instructional Design and Innovation Research, and Efficacy, Effectiveness, and Scale-Up Research—that chart a course to address research gaps and determine best practice to support students with disabilities in arts learning.

THIS PROJECT In 2016, the Kennedy Center convened a select group of academics and researchers to pursue an agenda to advance the field of the arts and special education through rigorous research. In addition to actions, the plan (which will be published in August) describes 3 priority areas—Access and Equity Research, Instructional Design and Innovation Research, and Efficacy, Effectiveness, and Scale-Up Research—that chart a course to address research gaps and determine best practice to support students with disabilities in arts learning. This lightning talk will briefly describe each area and representative research questions, then discuss broadly directions proposed in the plan.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT Examining in the Intersection of the Arts Education and Special Education: A National Forum (Kennedy Center, 2012) “…there is a need to shift from the current national emphasis on short-term program evaluation to more long-term research” There is a need … “to develop and test new research methodologies which are more compatible with inquiry in arts education and special education.” There is a need … “to explore the development of more targeted research questions that focus on the arts and learning for all students, including those with disabilities.”

THE ACTION PLAN The Action Plans aims to: Provide direction to support researchers in connecting to policy; Make research more readily available to research, practice and policy communities; Support literature review to help emerging researchers match questions to methods; Link arts and special education research with other disciplines; and Support evidence-based practice.

ON METHODOLOGIES Research at intersection of arts and special education shows a limited number of studies, with emerging to promising evidence at best: Often ineligible for What Works Clearinghouse review Few studies ready for large scale implementation Challenges related to working with vulnerable populations, funding guidelines not directly related to arts education or integration, and research in schools Plan affirms mixed-methods approaches, single-case designs that draw from special education research practices, and alignment with the What Works Clearinghouse Research Types (IES, 2013)

ACCESS AND EQUITY RESEARCH Fair and impartial distribution of arts learning opportunities for students with disabilities What arts learning opportunities exist for students with or without disabilities? How many students with disabilities participate in these programs and at what level? Do students with disabilities have comparable access to arts learning opportunities as their age peers? (Frequency, duration, and intensity) Are there correlations between arts access for students and traditional measures of academic “success” like graduation rates and persistence through college?

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN AND INNOVATION RESEARCH Instructional strategies and curricular approaches in arts learning for students with disabilities What pedagogies show promise in arts education/arts integration for students with disabilities? What existing interventions can inform new instructional design, and how will we evaluate those practices? Which instructional strategies and classroom conditions work for whom? Are there links between specific art forms or specific components of arts learning and different disabilities?

EFFICACY, EFFECTIVENESS, AND SCALE-UP RESEARCH Building on innovations in instructional strategies to influence best practice on a large scale What are the core characteristics of arts programs for students with disabilities: Who provides instruction? In what setting? In what art form(s)? At what cost? What are the educational outcomes of existing arts education/arts integration interventions for students with disabilities? What is the impact of arts education on students with disabilities? How is the impact of arts education moderated by art form and by disability type?

MOVING FORWARD Invitation to associations, organizations, universities, funder, and individuals to participate and lead this effort Conduct literature reviews and gap analyses Special Interest Groups (SIGs) Align efforts with VSA Intersections Conference, Webinar Series, and published resrouces Arts and Special Education handbook and journal Dissertation fellowships Multi-site, collaborative, national study on access and equity

REFERENCES Gerber, B.L. & Horoschak, L. (2012) An attack on the tower of babel: Creating a national arts/special education resource center. In S. Malley (Ed.) The Intersection of Arts Education and Special Education: Exemplary Programs and Approaches (pp 113-128). Washington, DC: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation. (2013). Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development. Retrieved from http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/nsf13126/nsf13126.pdf. Silverstein, L.B. (2012). Proceedings report: Examining the intersections of arts education and special education: A national forum. Washington, DC: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.