Arts Education and State Policy Issues

This chart highlights the priorities for K-12 education established by Governor Brown,
along with the Alliance’s perspective on each of those priorities.

Topic Issue/Concern Our Position

Budget and testing pressures have
A More Balanced and
meant that schools are focusing on
Creative School
language arts and math at the
Curriculum
expense of other subjects, including
the arts.
In the face of budget cuts,
pressures to teach to the test, and a
Streamlining Categorical drive to provide more flexibility to
Funding LEAs, districts are unlikely to
increase student access to arts
education without a dedicated
revenue stream.
The trend to provide increased local
control and flexibility in meeting the
state’s required outcomes has been
Increasing Local Control
transmuted to local decisions about
for School Districts
which state standards to include,
leaving visual and performing arts
instruction at the discretion of local
decision makers.
High dropout rates indicate students
are disconnected from their
Improve High School education, seeing no relevance to
Graduation Rates their lives or experience. Dropout
rates indicate disproportionate
impact on minority communities.
A focus on career and college
readiness creates opportunities for
High School Student both career tech and arts
Readiness for College proponents. A danger persists in
and Career advancing legislation that promotes
career tech at the expense of
access to arts education.
Standards based education should
be provided by highly qualified
teachers. Reduced resources for
Highly Qualified
professional development and pre-
Teachers
service education for arts teachers
threatens the instructional delivery
system.
The arts are mandated as “core” curriculum
in existing Education Code, not optional
electives or enrichment programs. The State
must provide appropriate accountability
measures for Districts to support the
implementation of the California Academic
Content Standards for the Visual and
Performing Arts and the Visual and
Performing Arts Framework.
Preserve Art and Music Block Grant
program.
For all students to have equitable access,
Districts and schools must be held publicly
accountable for the quality and scope of arts
education provided to their students. Local
control must be tied to defined state
outcomes for arts education learning.
The arts are uniquely positioned to engage
students who might otherwise drop out.
Quality arts education is an essential
component of an educational experience for
every student and also strongly linked to jobs
and California’s creative economy.
Arts education is an essential component of
a strong academic foundation, giving
students the flexibility for whatever path they
choose—whether it is the workforce or a
community or four-year college.
Credentialed arts educators and well-
prepared classroom teachers must be
available to provide discrete instruction in the
arts and quality arts integration.
Credentials for theatre and dance educators
must be established to ensure that students
receive high quality education.

1/24/11