Arts Education in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools: & American Alliance for Theatre and Education Conference August 11, 2012

Study Overview This study is the third of its kind to be conducted by NCES to provide national data on arts education The 1st study to focus on the status of arts education was conducted to provide baseline data on public schools’ approaches to arts education. The 2 nd study included three new surveys on the educational backgrounds, professional activities, teaching load, and instructional practices of elementary school teachers. The 3rd study built on previous studies, and also included two new surveys for secondary music and visual arts specialists.

Study Overview Sample sizes and 80-percent and higher response rates permit generalized analyses and multiple perspectives: Poverty level Race & ethnicity Geographical regions Urban, suburban, town and rural School size

Study Overview Key indicators across all four arts disciplines: Availability & frequency of instruction Arts integration in elementary grades Dedicated spaces and equipment Professional development Qualifications of teachers Adherence to curriculum guides

Availability of Arts Education Percent of public elementary and secondary schools reporting instruction specifically for various arts subjects in school years 1999–2000 and 2009–10 Elementary Secondary

For the elementary schools offering designated drama/theatre instruction, there were gains in key indicators: 58% of schools offered drama/theatre once a week in , compared to 21% in % offered drama/theatre the entire year, compared to 35% in Elementary-level Drama/Theatre Instruction

Drama/Theatre Instruction by Classroom Teachers Eighty-eight percent of elementary classroom teachers in included arts instruction in their classroom programs.

Drama/Theatre Integration Integration of drama/theatre at the elementary level was relatively unchanged since : As part of ELA: 30% in ; 29% in As part of other curriculum areas: 43% in ; 46% in But students in high- poverty schools in received less drama/theatre integration in both ELA and other curriculum areas: ELA: 34% of lowest- poverty schools; 27% of highest-poverty schools Other areas: 59% of lowest poverty schools; 39% of highest-poverty schools

Drama/Theatre at Secondary Level Drama/Theatre in was available in less than one-half of secondary schools and taught by non- specialists in more than a quarter of the schools that offered it.

Arts Education in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools: and (NCES 2012–014), as well as a brochure highlighting the full report’s findings, available at: Hard copies were limited and distributed by national arts education stakeholder organizations, including AATE. Public use data files for the elementary schools’ surveys available at: Public use data files for secondary schools’ surveys available at: Report and Data Files Availability

Secondary Analysis Opportunities Restricted-use data is available upon request. For information on obtaining a restricted-use license, see NCES occasionally offers training for researchers using NCES data sets. Information on training can be found at: Questions? Contact Jared Coopersmith, (202) ,

Arts Access in U.S. Schools ( FRSS) Fact Sheet – highlights and bright-line findings for each of the four arts disciplines FAQs that give helpful answers and proposed changes to the administration of future national data collections Suggested action steps and web-based resources Checklists to begin local-level discussions based on key FRSS findings Available from the Arts Education Partnership at: education-in-public-elementary-and-secondary-schools/ Advocacy Resources

“Our nation’s students need a well-rounded education to succeed in the 21 st century and that should include engagement with the theatre arts.” “Despite the brutal budget climate in the states and Washington, arts education must not just survive but thrive.” “… the gap is widest for children in high-poverty schools. This is absolutely an equity issue and a civil rights issue …” Advocacy Resources In the words of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan …