Arts Education
Founded in 1972, Stanford Jazz Workshop’s jazz education programs and Jazz Festival bring the best jazz performers and educators together with students of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. Photo by Scott Chernis, courtesy of the Stanford Jazz Workshop.
Only systemic reforms in state and local policy will ensure that every California public school student receives a high-quality arts education. State guidelines call for all K–12 students to receive instruction in theater, music, dance, and visual arts, but that is rarely achieved. In 2007, the Foundation continued to make grants in support of arts education in the classroom by:
Commissioning and disseminating arts education research. We supported research that described the current state of arts education in California and subsequent studies that examined obstacles to providing arts instruction to all public school students in grades K–12. The Foundation-commissioned study by SRI International, An Unfinished Canvas, received wide attention in the media in 2007. Based on the finding that most elementary, middle, and high school students in California public schools are not receiving quality education in the arts, the study made recommendations that will serve as the basis for our future work in the field. It also uncovered obstacles to reform that we are continuing to research.
Promoting change through advocacy. The Program made grants to help new coalitions advocate for arts education for all California schoolchildren. The Hewlett Foundation supported a task force to create a plan to include comprehensive arts education in current efforts to reform the public schools. The task force, chaired by state education officials, comprises policymakers and representatives from the state’s major educational organizations. It held a series of meetings in spring 2007 to develop priorities that include school-district assessments, a statewide program to build consistent curricula, and ways to raise awareness of the value of arts education in California.
Arts Education Grants authorized in 2007.
2008 Goals
- Develop a five- to ten-year arts education initiative to inform state policy so all K–12 students in California public schools receive art instruction in the disciplines called for in state standards: dance, music, theater, and the visual arts
- Strengthen advocacy for arts education by conducting research on policy and instruction, and increasing public reporting on the status of arts education in schools
- Launch local efforts to improve educators’ ability to teach the artss
For more information, please visit the Foundation Web site.
