In recent years many school districts have had to restructure their arts curriculums to meet the growing emphasis on standards that is central to most school reform. This unique collection is meant to assist educators, policymakers, grantmakers and other stakeholders by focusing on the potential benefits of arts education for students and communities alike, and providing examples of creative ways school districts are handling their constraints.

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New Opportunities for Interest-Driven Arts Learning in a Digital Age

July 23, 2013

Traditionally in the United States, schools and after-school programs have played a promi-nent part in teaching young people about the arts. Arts education has been waning in K-12 public schools in recent times, however. This is especially true in low-income communities, where public schools have often cut back on arts instruction so they can devote limited public education dollars to subjects such as writing and math that are the focus of high-stakes standardized tests.When we look outside of school, however, we see a strikingly different landscape, one full of promise for engaging young people in artistic activity. What makes this landscape possible is an eagerness to explore that springs from youths' own creative passions -- what we call "interest-driven arts learning" -- combined with the power of digital technology.This report is a step in trying to understand the new territory. It gives a rundown of scholarship in the areas of arts and out-of-school-hours learning; offers a framework for thinking about interest-driven arts learning in a digital age; examines young people's media consumption; provides a survey of youths' creative endeavors online and elsewhere, along with a look at the proliferation of technologies that young people are using in the arts; and concludes with thoughts about challenges and possibilities for the future

Classroom Examples; Program Models; Student Outcomes

Advancing Arts Education through an Expanded School Day: Lessons from Five Schools

June 4, 2013

In schools across the country, educators recognize the power of the arts to change young lives. They know that students' sustained engagement with enriching, high-quality experiences in the arts promotes essential skills and perspectives -- like the capacity to solve problems, express ideas, harness and hone creativity, and persevere toward a job well done. And yet today, educators at many schools that operate with conventional schedules are forced to choose between offering their students valuable opportunities to pursue the arts and focusing on other rigorous core classes that also are necessary for success in the 21st century. This study, which highlights an exciting new approach, is produced by the National Center on Time & Learning (NCTL), an organization dedicated to expanding learning time to improve student achievement and enable a well-rounded education, with support from The Wallace Foundation, a national philanthropy seeking to improve education and enrichment for disadvantaged children. In these pages, we present portraits of five schools that are advancing arts education through an expanded school day as they create vibrant and inclusive models of truly enriching education for all students.

Classroom Examples

Wallace Foundation 2010 Annual Report

June 27, 2011

Contains board chair's message, farewell letter from founding president, mission statement, summary of grantee perception reports and comparative performance analysis, program information, financial overview, grants list, and lists of directors and staff.

Funding Trends

Collaboration Paints a Bright Future for Arts Education

February 1, 2011

In July 2010, working with a nonprofit organization called Big Thought, officials at the Dallas IndependentSchool District embarked on an approach to summer school they hoped would change the image from one of punishment and failure and engage kids. The idea was to support teachers, artists, and others to replace worksheet-style instruction with teaching animated by music, visual arts, dance, and theater.The new arts-rich summer school program that resulted is just another sign of Dallas' initiative, spearheaded by BigThought (www.bigthought.org), to bring together schools, cultural organizations, and others to restore high-quality arts instruction to the many classrooms from which it has long been missing. "What's the goal of education: to assess kids or prepare them for life?" asks Craig Welle, executive director of enrichment curriculum and instruction for the Dallas Independent School District. "If you've taken the arts out of the education system, you are no longer preparing kids for life."This report talks about the history of arts education funding and the success of the Dallas initiative.

Classroom Examples; Funding Trends

Research Findings to Support Effective Educational Policymaking: Evidence & Action Steps for State, District & Local Policymakers

September 30, 2009

Synthesizes Wallace's research findings on educational leadership, out-of-school time learning, and arts education. Presents evidence-based policies and practices critical to the success of educational reforms at the local, district, and state levels.

Funding Trends; Program Models

From Hip-Hop to Shakespeare: Dallas Blazes Coordinated Trail in Arts Education for City Young People

July 25, 2008

Describes the trend toward coordinated approaches to arts education, with a focus on a Wallace-funded program linking artists, local government, cultural organizations, schools, and parents to bring quality arts education to Dallas' poorest children.

Classroom Examples