Arts Education in Public Elementary and

Secondary Schools: 1999-2000 & 2009-10

American Alliance for Theatre and Education Conference

August 11, 2012

Study OverviewThis study is the third of its kind to be conducted by NCES to provide national data on arts education.

1994-1995 1999-2000 2009-2010

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 2nd 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 schoolsreporting 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 2009-10, compared to 21% in 1999-2000.•46% offered drama/theatre the entire year, compared to 35% in 1999-2000.

Elementary-level Drama/Theatre Instruction

Drama/Theatre Instruction by Classroom Teachers

Eighty-eight percent of elementary classroom teachers in 2009-10 included arts instruction in their classroom programs.

Drama/Theatre Integration

Integration of drama/theatre at the

elementary level was relatively

unchanged since 1999-2000:

•As part of ELA: 30% in 1999-2000; 29% in 2009-10 •As part of other curriculum areas: 43% in 1999-2000; 46% in 2009-10

But students in high-poverty schools in 2009-10 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 2009-10 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: 1999-2000 and 2009-10 (NCES 2012–014), as well as a brochure highlighting the full report’s findings, available at: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2012014

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:

http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2012017

Public use data files for secondary schools’ surveys available at:

http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2012019

Report and Data Files Availability

Secondary Analysis Opportunities

Restricted-use data is available upon request. For information on obtaining a restricted-use license, see http://nces.ed.gov/statprog/instruct.asp

NCES occasionally offers training for researchers using NCES data sets. Information on training can be found at: http://ies.ed.gov/whatsnew/conferences/?cid=2

Questions? Contact Jared Coopersmith, (202) 219-7106, jared.coopersmith@ed.gov

Arts Access in U.S. Schools (2009-10 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:http://www.aep-arts.org/resources-2/report-arts-education-in-public-elementary-and-secondary-schools/

Advocacy Resources

Advocacy Resources In the words of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan …