Americans for the Arts

In the Spring of 2014, DCCAH engaged Quadrant Research to work in collaboration with key stakeholders in District of Columbia Public School (DCPS) and District of Columbia Public Charter School (DCPCS) systems to both craft and implement a comprehensive study on the status of arts education.

For years, Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School was plagued by low student achievement and high staff turnover. Then, in 2010, with an expanded school schedule made possible with federal funding, Orchard Gardens began a remarkable turnaround. Today, the school is demonstrating how increased learning time, combined with other key turnaround strategies, can dramatically improve the performance of even the nation’s most troubled schools.

While there is research on the potential for wraparound services, including health care services, family involvement programs, and expanded food assistance programs to eliminate barriers to student learning, there is little known about the possible connection between wraparound services and teacher efficacy. This report examines specific examples of schools where wraparound services are benefiting teachers in addition to students. 

Participants provided data about their curricular theatre programs; play production activities; student and parental involvement; faculty demographics, training, and employment conditions; performance facilities; production resources and new technology used; and program finances. Teachers and administrators detailed their views on the purposes,roles, and values of educational theatre and drama. Questions probed the types of social issues that theatre educators explored with their students through coursework and production experiences, and discussed the challenges that can arise when engaged

High Quality Education in the Arts is a handbook for parents, designed to empower them to advocate for quality arts education for their children. 

This paper demonstrates the effectiveness and importance of community schools to reforming our public school systems in ways that are creative, enduring, and based on measurable results.

National Center on Time and Learning's report, Time Well Spent: Eight Powerful Practices of Successful, Expanded-Time Schools, reshapes the field for expanded-time schools by outlining specific practices that can lead to dramatic increases in student achievement and preparation for success in college and the workforce. Time Well Spent offers an in-depth examination of 30 expanded-time schools serving high-poverty populations with impressive track records of student success, and demonstrates how these schools leverage their additional time in order to

Learning, Arts, and the Brain, a study three years in the making, is the result of research by cognitive neuroscientists from seven leading universities across the United States. In the Dana Consortium study, released in March 2008, researchers grappled with a fundamental question: Are smart people drawn to the arts or does arts training make people smarter? See table of contents, at right

An introductory lesson plan for 4/5th graders to understand a piece of public art in Philadelphia with the goal to learn how art can provide inspiration.

An introductory lesson plan for 4/5th graders to understand a piece of public art in Philadelphia with the goal to learn how art can provide inspiration.

An introductory lesson plan for 4/5th graders to understand a piece of public art in Philadelphia with the goal to learn how art can provide inspiration.

An introductory lesson plan for 4/5th graders to understand a piece of public art in Philadelphia with the goal to learn how art can provide inspiration.

An introductory lesson plan for 4/5th graders to understand a piece of public art in Philadelphia with the goal to learn how art can provide inspiration.

This sample educational document is designed for educators to engage students in public art and to understand a particular type of art forum. Museum Without Walls is a project of Assocation for Public Art (aPA) in Philadelphia, PA that seeks to respond to the conditions of our time, creating a legacy and maintaining a heritage for future generations.

The report released by the New York City Comptroller, “Culture Shock: The Importance of National Arts Funding to New York City’s Cultural Landscape,” highlights how the NEA supports arts and educational programs across the five boroughs of New York City and profiles four neighborhood-based arts groups that would be impacted.

The Arts Facts one pager presents data suggesting students who participate in the arts, both in school and after school, demonstrate improved academic performance and lower dropout rates.

The Arts Fact one pager show the decline of arts educatio in underserved populations.

This Arts Facts one pager provide data to support the connections between high invovlement in the arts learning and general academic success.

This two page fact sheet produced for Arts Advocacy Day 2016 gives an overview of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), including items about its budget, value, and mission.