An Unfinished Canvas Arts Education in California

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An Unfinished CanvasArts Education in California
Research conducted by the Center for Education
Policy SRI InternationalFunded by The William
and Flora Hewlett Foundation
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The Charge Fill the Information Gap

• Review existing state policies
• Assess implementation relative to state policies
• Examine systems of support
• Identify potential policy levers

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The Charge Rigorous Research Design

• Statewide survey
• Large sample to ensure reliable estimates for
  state and by school level, poverty, and
  population density (1800 schools)
• Sufficient response rate (62)
• Use of existing survey instruments
• Case studies
• 31 schools in 13 districts and 9 counties
• District level staff, school administrators, arts
  and classroom teachers, and arts partners
• Secondary data analysis

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Key Findings
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Ambitious Policies

• The California Education Code calls for all
  schools to offer a course of study in the four
  arts disciplines.
• The California arts standards reflect what
  students are expected to know and be able to do
  in the four arts disciplines.

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Limited Access to Standards-Based Course of Study
Percentage of K-12 Schools Offering a
Standards-Based Course of Study in the Arts
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Unequal Access to Arts Education
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Key Finding The Barriers
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Follow-up Research
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An Unfinished Canvas follow-up studies

• Funding and instructional time (May 2008)
• Teacher capacity (May 2008)
• Large-scale assessment (Sept 2008)
• District leadership and the use of new state
  funds (January 2009)
• Partnerships with local arts organizations (April
  2009)