Read all the research, news, and policy in our arts education RECAP for March 2022.
Research
Peer Counseling Gains Popularity as California Schools Beef Up Student Mental Health Services “As schools look for new ways to address student mental health amid the Covid pandemic, more are turning to a practice that costs almost nothing and, if done well, can lead to life-changing results for all involved: peer counseling.” EdSource
Why Understanding These Four Types of Mistakes Can Help Us Learn “We can deepen our own and our students’ understanding of mistakes, which are not all created equal, and are not always desirable. After all, our ability to manage and learn from mistakes is not fixed. We can improve it.” KQED
Teachers of Color Are Linked to Social-Emotional, Academic Gains for All Students “The new study reaffirms that teachers of color are linked to positive academic, social-emotional, and behavioral student outcomes and finds that these effects are driven, at least in part, by mindsets and practices aligned to what’s known as culturally responsive teaching.” EducationWeek
New Study Finds Expanding Full-Day Pre-K Boosts Enrollment, Attendance “Enrollment and attendance in pre-K — especially among Black and Latino preschoolers — improves when programs operate for a full school day instead of a few hours in the morning or afternoon, a new study shows.” The 74
Equity
It’s Time to Make a Quality Public Education a Civil Right for All Children “Establishing a constitutional right to a quality public education would empower parents with the right to challenge policies that harm students and double down on longstanding injustices. Such a tool would be particularly valuable for communities of color, where the education bureaucracy has failed generations of children and ignored generations of parents.” The 74
After Setbacks, Dyslexia Screening for Young Students Moves Forward in California Schools “Identifying dyslexia early, advocates say, can dramatically improve students’ outcomes. Students who receive services at a young age can avert a slew of problems associated with reading difficulties, such as low self-esteem and disengagement from school. And the sooner they start, the easier it is for them to learn.” EdSource
How Supportive State Policies Can Help Kids’ Mental Health “At my school, four out of every five referrals to external resources are not carried out,” he said. “Let that sink in: 80% of referrals go nowhere. Someone who needs help, should receive help.” KQED
Calls to Action
What to Say to Kids When the News is Scary “We spoke with a handful of child development experts about what parents, teachers and other caregivers can do to help prepare and protect kids from all the scary news out there, whether it’s fighting overseas, a school shooting, devastating wildfire or a global pandemic. Here’s what they had to say…” NPR
Become a Grant Panelist “Grant panelists will be independently reviewing and ranking applications within their assigned program categories. Intermittent virtual check-ins with Arts Program Specialists will be scheduled to address and resolve any panel process, application, or adjudication questions.” California Arts Council
Our Shared Future: Imagining a New Landscape for Teaching Artists Webinar “This convening is designed to connect our country’s teaching artists and respond to their needs by helping arts organizations, funders, policymakers, school district leaders and others understand the issues teaching artists face. Join this convening to discuss ways to dismantle barriers and support policies and practices that advance careers in teaching artistry.” Register Here
Advocacy
You Can Help Increase Arts and Music Education in Public Schools. Please sign the petition to put the Arts & Music Funding Initiative on the November 2022 ballot. Vote Arts and Minds
Ukrainian-Born Students in the U.S. and Those with Strong Ties to Country Struggle to Balance Studies with News of War “Right now, whenever I do some work, it just feels so meaningless,” she said. “I stopped caring about grades. It’s a totally different type of thinking.” The 74
Policy
CDC: Masks Can Come off in Schools Unless COVID Metrics are High “The move is the first major change in national guidance on masks in schools since last summer, and follows decisions by many states and districts to lift mask mandates in recent weeks. Still, many schools have continued to require masks for students and staff, and the CDC’s shift could pave the way for further changes.” Chalkbeat
New L.A. Schools Chief Alberto Carvalho on Declining Enrollment, Academic Recovery and How ‘Failure is Not in My DNA’ “Alberto Carvalho, who took over as superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District just two weeks ago, wasted little time in setting ambitious goals for his new administration. In a 100-day plan unveiled last week, he said he would focus on academic recovery and consider shifting funds from the district’s expensive COVID testing program to pay for it.” The 74
Book Bans Are Targeting the History of Oppression “The instinct to ban books in schools seems to come from a desire to protect children from things that the adults doing the banning find upsetting or offensive. These adults often seem unable to see beyond harsh language or gruesome imagery to the books’ educational and artistic value, or to recognize that language and imagery may be integral to showing the harsh, gruesome truths of the books’ subjects.” The Atlantic
