Read all the research, news, and policy in our arts education RECAP for February 2022.
Research
How Changing Schools’ Culture of Discipline Paves the Way for Inclusivity “Student-teacher relationships carry weight and have a significant effect on how kids perform in school. And this is even more apparent with studies that show students who share their teacher’s racial identity experience benefits, such as better academic performance and more persistence in school.” KQED
An Educator’s View: Dismantling Anti-Blackness and Institutional Racism Is Critical to Student Well-Being. Our Kids Cannot Wait Any Longer “The pathway to classrooms and schools that are free of microaggressions, bias, anti-Blackness and racism is clear. First, schools must require professional development centered on providing culturally relevant and ongoing instruction for current teachers as well as teacher candidates. When businesses have severe incidences of racial bias or prejudice, those businesses require all employees to undergo diversity, equity and inclusion training. Education should be no different.” The 74
Equity
How Congress Can Help Students Learning English “Conor P. Williams, a senior fellow at the foundation who authored the report, said it is clear that more funding is needed, since the number of English learners enrolled in U.S. public schools has increased from about 3.8 million students in 2000 to about 5 million in 2018. About 1.2 million of those students are in California.” EdSource
For those who need to take the SAT, testing will shift to online starting 2024 in U.S. “The SAT, a college admissions exam long associated with paper and pencil, will soon go all-digital. Starting in 2023 for international students and in 2024 in the U.S., the new digital SAT will shrink from three hours to two, include shorter reading passages and allow students to use a calculator on the math section.” KQED
Students’ Social and Mental Health Care Needs Weigh Heavily on Schools “Schools across the country are overwhelmed with K-12 students struggling with mental health problems, according to school staff, pediatricians and mental health care workers. Not only has this surge made the return to classrooms more challenging to educators, it’s also taxing an already strained health-care system.” KQED
California Looks to Add 10,000 Mental Health Clinicians to Public Schools “State legislation has also been proposed to include mental health education as part of California’s public school curriculum, at the elementary, middle and high school levels.” CBS8
Calls-to-Action
Donate Your Tax Refund “Support creativity in California’s classrooms by donating to the Keep Arts in Schools Fund on your state tax return” Keep Arts in Schools
Retaining and Sustaining Black Teachers “Research shows students of all races/ethnicities have more favorable views of Black teachers and evidence showing Black teachers’ high expectations for Black students leads to better learning outcomes. Their vision is that every student will benefit from the diversity, excellence, and leadership of an empowered Black teaching force and for Black teachers to work in environments that appreciate all of their gifts.” KQED
Advocacy
Former LAUSD Schools Chief Pushes Arts Education Ballot Initiative “Former Superintendent Austin Beutner heads up effort to get measure on November ballot to steer more funding into art and music programs in California’s K-12 public schools.” Los Angeles Daily News
Meet 14-year-old Tex Hammond, the L.A. Art Show’s Youngest Ever Exhibitor “Hammond’s exhibit at the fair, organized by Acosta Arts, which manages the 10th grader’s artistic endeavors, includes 20 paintings and drawings presented in an immersive environment meant to illuminate a teenager’s perspective during the pandemic. Specifically, it speaks to distance learning, alienation and the struggle to find balance amid a world seemingly turned on its head. … This year, a portion of the proceeds will go to the arts education nonprofit P.S. Arts.” LA Times
Governor Newson Proposes More Than $80 Million for Arts and Culture Initiatives “Governor’s California Blueprint includes funding for California Cultural Districts, literary arts, and state and local parks initiatives.” California Arts Council
Policy
Pfizer Requests FDA Authorize COVID Shots for Kids Under 5 “Children under 5 years old may be eligible for coronavirus shots as soon as the end of February — much earlier than previously expected.” The 74
California Offers Students $10,000 Toward College for 450 Hours of Service Work “California has announced a new college service program, called Californians for All College Corps, that will give eligible students $10,000 in exchange for 450 hours of volunteer work during an academic year. Up to 6,500 college students will be enrolled over the program’s first two years, beginning in fall 2022.” Higher Ed Dive
California Makes it Easier to Hire Teachers Amid Shortages, Omicron Spread “Gov. Gavin Newsom said he has signed an executive order to allow schools more flexibility in staffing decisions like giving additional hours to substitute teachers and rehiring recent retirees for short stints. The order expires at the end of March.” KCRA
Ed Secretary Cardona Touts More Tutoring, Extracurricular Activities as Part of Vision for Schools to ‘Level Up’ After Two Years of Pandemic Disruption “Every student who has fallen behind because of the pandemic should receive an hour and a half of high-quality tutoring each week, and all high school students should participate in an extracurricular program.” The 74
From Mask Mandates to Omicron, Ed Secretary Cardona Finishes a ‘Very, Very Difficult’ First Year “The former teacher gets high marks for building bridges to disenchanted educators and shepherding billions of dollars in federal relief funds to schools. But critics say his department has been slow to meet a fast-changing pandemic and reluctant to embrace a newly visible constituency: parents.” The 74
