Read all the research, news, and policy in our arts education RECAP for July 2023.
Research
‘Guided Play’ Benefits Kids—But What Does That Look Like For Parents? “Parents are under a lot of pressure these days: They need to support children’s emotional development after a traumatic few years of the pandemic, address learning loss and prepare children to be productive, successful members of society. The good news is, research shows there’s a simple way to help kids do well academically and socially—and that involves simply giving them opportunities to play.” The Hechinger Report
As Four-Day School Weeks Gain Popularity, States Look to Evidence “Four-day school weeks are rapidly expanding in rural areas across the U.S. As of 2019, over 650 districts across 24 states are using this schedule — a 600% increase since 1999 … As this option grows in popularity, state leaders are eager to learn about the impacts on students and schools.” EdNote
Equity
In California’s Youth Justice System, Many High Schoolers Graduate with Grade-School Reading Skills “Being awarded a high school diploma while lacking grade-level reading skills is not a new phenomenon in California’s juvenile justice system. Los Angeles County was sued for it in 2010. This reading lag exists in both state and county youth facilities, officials confirmed.” EdSource
Book Bans Are On The Rise. Biden Is Naming a Point Person to Address That “President Biden on Thursday will announce new actions to try to address discrimination against LGBTQI+ Americans — including the appointment of a new point person at the Education Department to address an increase in book bans.” NPR
Calls-to-Action
Create CA Student Voices Leaders “Student Voices is looking for 9th – 12th graders enrolled in California public schools during the 2023-2024 academic year to participate in a paid leadership development program. The Student Voices Leaders program brings together students from across California to explore the impacts of activism … The application cycle will be open from June 1st – July 24th, 2023.” Create CA
Advocacy
Public Comment: A Webinar on Using Your Voice for Change “Offering public comment during official city and county proceedings is an opportunity for citizens to engage in the political process by sharing their stories of lived experience and input in response to projects, laws, policies, and/or processes that impact them and their communities. Join Arts for LA staff on Thursday, August 3 at 11:00 am to learn more about how you can participate in that process and compel elected officials to make community driven decisions.” Arts for LA
Students with Disabilities Often Left Out of Popular ‘Dual-Language’ Programs – Advocates Say It’s Both a Missed Opportunity and Discrimination “Experts and advocates say the disparities stem partly from a staffing issue — there are simply not enough bilingual special education teachers — but are also the result of overt discrimination and cultural misconceptions about whether students with disabilities can handle bilingual education.” The Hechinger Report
Policy
Create CA’s Update on the 2023-24 State Budget and Prop 28 Trailer Bill “Governor Newsom has signed SB 101, a $310 billion state budget for 2023-24. The budget provides Prop 98, which sets general funding for TK-12 education, $108.3 billion for 2023-24, approximately $2 billion less than budgeted for the 2022-23 fiscal year. The budget covers the $30 billion deficit, spares public education from significant cuts, and funds additional education investments such as a cost of living adjustment and equity multiplier (which provides additional funding for the highest poverty schools). The budget restores much of the proposed cut to the Arts, Music, and Instructional Materials Discretionary Block Grant proposed by Governor Newsom in his May Revise. The final cut will be $200 million, and the block grant now totals $3.36 billion. The budget also funds three new positions at the California Department of Education (CDE) for implementing Prop 28 – two in the fiscal services division and one in early education.” Create CA
Arts Education Funding – It’s on the way, but how will it be implemented? “One key challenge is the lack of clarity regarding the details of exactly how the game-changing program will work. Many remain unsure about the rules, from waivers to audits.” LAist
A Ruling Against Harvard Might Not End Diversity-Based Admissions, Experts Say – But rejecting long-standing entrance policies could upend a host of education mainstays, from scholarships to the centrality of standardized tests. “One likely effect is obvious. “There is going to be some closing of doors,” said Halley Potter, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank. ‘It’s going to be a landscape in which it’s harder to secure access in most competitive schools.’ But further down the line, a ruling against schools that factor race in admissions could affect a host of other academic mainstays, from scholarships to the centrality of tests like the SAT and ACT.” The 74
Does Your Child Speak a Language Other Than English? California Preschools Want to Know “If you’re enrolling your child in California state-subsidized preschool this fall, you’ll be asked new questions about what languages they speak and understand. It’s part of a new effort to identify which preschoolers speak languages other than English and make sure they’re supported to both keep those languages and learn English at the same time.” EdSource
Supreme Court Skirts Question of Whether Charter Schools are Public “The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up a case that could have upended the long-held view that charter schools are public, throwing into doubt — for now — a controversial effort to publicly finance religious schools.” The 74
Student Loan Payments Will Be Due Starting in October, Dept. of Education Says “In October, tens of millions of borrowers will be required to pay their monthly federal student loan bills for the first time since March 2020, the Department of Education clarified Monday. The pandemic-related pause on both payments and interest accumulation has been set to end later this summer, though the exact date payments would be due was a little fuzzy.” CBS News
Thanks for reading our Arts Education RECAP for July 2023. View past months’ RECAPS here. You can also sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on P.S. ARTS news, events, and more!
