Read all the research, news, and policy in our arts education RECAP for May 2022.
Research
2022 Otis College Report on the Creative Economy Now Out “Started in 2007, the Otis College Report on the Creative Economy chronicles the creative economy of Los Angeles and California through five creative industries through eight regions of the state.” Otis College
Analysis: 6 Brain-Based Learning Strategies and Study Skills That Help Teens Learn “The science of learning, based on our understanding of neuroscience, argues that many traditional teaching strategies don’t take into account how a teen’s brain works. Recent discoveries about brain-based learning are proving not only to energize high school students, but to help teens absorb and retain information.” The 74
How to Help Kids and Teens Process Bittersweet Feelings “When kids and teens experience challenges or loss, they often feel pressure to hide their struggles or show their strength by quickly bouncing back. Susan Cain wrote about the unexpected benefits of sadness and how to help kids understand that all emotions are part of the normal human experience in her book ‘Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make us Whole.'” Mindshift
Efforts to Ban Books Jumped an ‘Unprecedented’ Four-fold in 2021, ALA Report Says “The ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom counted 729 challenges to library, school, and university materials in 2021. It’s a significant jump: Last year the group noted 156 challenges — and in 2019, there were 377. Although the 2020 number was impacted by the pandemic, which forced schools and libraries to shut down, the ALA said they don’t usually get more than 500 book challenges in any given year.” KQED
Equity
The Student Loan Pause Has Been Extended Until the End of the Summer “The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is again extending the moratorium on federal student loan payments, interest and collections, this time until summer’s end, Aug. 31. The U.S. Department of Education also unveiled a plan to reset the roughly 7 million borrowers who are in default, using the pandemic pause to restore their accounts to good standing.” NPR
Biden Administration Announces Expanded Resources for Transgender Students “Recognizing Transgender Day of Visibility, the Biden administration on Thursday announced a range of initiatives and resources to advance equality for transgender Americans, including students.” K-12 Dive
‘Am I Not Allowed to Mention Myself?’ Schools Grapple with New Restrictions on Teaching About Gender and Sexuality “Many students, school staff, and LGBTQ rights advocates have vocally opposed these curriculum restrictions, saying they could lead to incomplete and inaccurate lessons, make some students afraid to talk about themselves or their families in class, and exacerbate mental health disparities that already exist for LGBTQ youth.” Chalkbeat
Calls-to-Action
National Forum on Education Policy “The National Forum on Education Policy returns July 13-15, and we are looking forward to bringing together policymakers and thought leaders from across the country. The agenda includes a superb speaker lineup, sure to spur thought-provoking presentations and rich discussions that address the most pressing education issues in your states.” Education Commission
Open Call for Grant Review Panelists “The California Arts Council seeks arts and cultural practitioners from disparate communities statewide to volunteer for our upcoming grant review panels. Panelists play a critical role in the grant application process as field representatives. They work both independently and virtually alongside staff Programs Specialists and other panelists to evaluate grant applications, ensuring an equitable, honest, and thorough review and ranking process.” California Arts Council
Advocacy
Mental Health Hotline Numbers Would Appear on California College Student ID Cards if Bill Passes “Assembly Bill 2122, introduced last month, would require all community colleges and California State University campuses to print a phone number on student identification cards for local mental health services, either through the city, county or the college itself. The hotline would be optional for the University of California because the Legislature doesn’t have authority over UC.” EdSource
With Mentors, Support and Community Cooperation, Schools Can Help Stop Youth Violence Before It Starts “The most promising school-based interventions do two things. One, they enlist mentors or counselors who are relatable to the kids they serve, who look like them and have experience that allows them to speak credibly to specific children’s struggles and hopes. Two, they reach out into their communities in an all-hands-on-deck approach to a problem that educators cannot address alone.” The 74
Policy
Kindergarten May Change in California if Two New Bills Pass “State Sen. Susan Rubio, D-Baldwin Park, is championing a bill to make kindergarten mandatory while Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, has introduced legislation that would require school districts to offer full-day kindergarten. While both proposals have been put forth before, if these two pieces of legislation pass, they would fundamentally redefine and expand key aspects of the kindergarten experience.” EdSource
Biden Administration Launches Effort to Improve School Air Quality “Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday announced an action plan to put $500 million toward upgrading public school facilities to be more cost- and energy-efficient. The funding is through the Build Back Better Act, a bipartisan infrastructure law passed Nov. 19. The administration is also encouraging districts to use American Rescue Plan dollars toward improving their HVAC systems.” K-12 Dive
Congresswoman Lee Introduces Advancing Equity Through the Arts and Humanities Act “Congresswoman Barbara Lee introduced the Advancing Equity Through the Arts and Humanities Act to acknowledge the role that arts and humanities play in dismantling systemic racism in the United States. Specifically, this legislation would create a program under the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities to provide grants to increase engagement with public and nonprofit entities, including faith-based and community-based organizations, that serve and are led by people of color, and support projects that combat racism.” Barbara Lee
Student Loan Borrowers Will Get Help after an NPR Report and Years of Complaints “The U.S. Department of Education says it will retroactively help millions of federal student loan borrowers who have been hurt and held back by its troubled income-driven repayment (IDR) plans, calling the plans’ longstanding flaws and mismanagement ‘inexcusable.'” NPR
Thanks for reading our arts education RECAP for May 2022. View past RECAPS here.
