Read all the research, news, and policy in our arts education RECAP for June 2021.
Research
The Case For Universal Pre-K Just Got Stronger “There’s growing evidence that preschool can permanently improve kids’ lives — but it’s not necessarily because it makes them smarter. It seems more related to making them more disciplined and motivated, which is just as important (or perhaps even more important) for their future livelihoods as how well they perform on reading or math tests.” KQED
The Diploma Disparity: Inequity In Higher Education Costs U.S. $956 Billion Per Year, New Report Reveals “It finds that equitizing college completion rates would come with a steep price tag — $3.97 trillion up front — but that an added $956 billion per year in tax revenues from boosted wages would mean that the long-term benefits far outweigh the costs.” The 74
The Lingering Legacy of Redlining on School Funding, Diversity, and Performance “These findings suggest that education policymakers need to consider the historical implications of redlining and past neighborhood inequality on neighborhoods today when designing modern interventions focused on improving life outcomes of students of color.” EdWorkingPapers
‘A Rising Tide That Lifts All Boats’: Having More Immigrant Peers Can Boost Scores For U.S.-Born Students, New Study Finds “The research, which analyzes a decade’s worth of data from over 1.3 million Florida students, links the presence of immigrant classmates with gains in academic performance for students born in the U.S., especially for Black and low-income youth.” The 74
The Benefits of Reading for Fun “It’s important to teach children how to read, and once we do that, we need to make it worthwhile. We’ve got to give them a reason. We’ve got to give them a view once they climb that mountain.” Edutopia
Equity
How to Sustain Cultural Art Forms in Arts Education Equitably “By including teaching artists and culture bearers from the beginning stages of partnerships, educational institutions can honor the art forms these educators teach and offer well-rounded, culturally relevant student learning that supports anti-racist education goals.” Arts Education Partnership
Mental Health, Equity Should Be Schools’ Focus as Students Return, Report Says “In education, we talk a lot about students, but rarely do we talk with them. The brief was developed by working with Black, brown, Asian Pacific Islander and low-income students to lay out their blueprint for an education system that is built to support every student to thrive.” EdSource
Role of Equity in Reading Tests Divides Board Overseeing ‘Nation’s Report Card’ “Everyone knows that culture and language influences learning to read, teachers don’t ‘fix’ language and culture. They work with what the learner brings to the learning-to-read context.” The 74
University of California Must Drop SAT, ACT Scores for Admissions and Scholarships “The settlement marks the end of a lawsuit that was filed in 2019 by students, community organizers and the Compton Unified School District. The settlement was praised by critics who say standardized tests are biased against low-income students, students with disabilities and Black and Latino students.” EdSource
California’s COVID-19 Recovery Plan Seeks to Improve Higher Education Equity “Aiming to make the public higher education landscape in the state more equitable and inclusive for students of all backgrounds over the next decade, the document laying out this vision has a number of recommendations.” Hechinger Report
San Diego Teacher Creates ‘Social Justice League’ for Students with Disabilities, ‘a Forgotten Minority’ “When she looked for a curriculum that dealt with social justice issues she found plenty — but none written specifically for students with disabilities.” The San Diego Union-Tribune
Tulsa Commits to Teaching ‘Hard History’ After State Restricts Antiracist Instruction “Critical race theory, the controversy du jour outlawed by the recent spate of laws coming from Republican-held legislatures, is not an ideology, said Townsend-Bell, the Oklahoma State University professor, but a lens of thinking that considers how political systems are “racialized and exclude certain populations.” ” The 74
Calls-to-Action
Summer Institute 2021: Art as Activism in the Classroom Overview “Summer Institute 2021 is a three day intensive virtual workshop series for teaching artists of all disciplines. This year we will focus on art as activism or “artivism”.” Application deadline: June 15, 2021 Teaching Artist Project
Experts Say Arts Education Should Be Emphasized As Students Return To Classrooms “We have to understand that when kids come back to school, they’re not only bringing academic challenges, but they’ve also had a wide range of emotional experiences, their socio-emotional wellness definitely needs to be addressed.” kpbs
Advocacy
SB 805 Save the Performing Arts Act of 2021 Learn about this bill and how you can support Small Nonprofit Performing Arts Companies (SNPACs). Save Performing Arts
Learning to ‘Un-Model’ the Asian-American Minority Myth Will Counter Stereotypes, Hate and Free Us to Write Our Own Story “At its core, the issue with the model minority myth is that it’s incomplete, neglecting the socioeconomic, cultural, and educational diversity of our community in favor of STEM, lanky bodies, and strict parenting.” The 74
Policy
Governor Newsom Proposes Significant Arts and Cultural Investments as Part of New Economic Recovery Package “The Governor’s proposal, also known as the May Revision, will be reviewed by the legislature in the coming weeks. At the conclusion of the legislative process, a final budget will be signed by Governor Newsom before June 30, 2021. The budget will take effect July 1, 2021.” California Arts Council
Newsom Proposes Transitional Kindergarten for all California 4-year-olds in Budget Plan “Those plans include additional after-school and summer programs in low-income communities, $4 billion for youth mental health support, more than $3.3 billion for teacher and school employee training and $3 billion to encourage the development of “community schools,” where education is integrated with healthcare and mental health services in communities with high poverty rates.” Los Angeles Times
California Gov. Newsom Proposes $12 Billion Increase in Higher Ed Investments “The investments aim to close racial equity gaps, which have been exacerbated during the pandemic.” Diverse Education
To Rebuild Trust With Families, Ed Dept. Seeks Input From Outspoken Parent Advocacy Group “It’s with parents’ partnership that we can build our education system back better than it was before, and make sure our schools are welcoming environments that work for all students, not just some.” The 74
Republican AGs Object to U.S. Department of Education Proposal on Teaching About Racism “More than two dozen Republican attorneys general are voicing their disapproval over the Department of Education’s proposed priorities for teaching K-12 students about American history and civics education because they would include references to systemic racism and how the history of slavery has shaped the U.S.” Minnesota Reformer
Thanks for reading our arts education RECAP for June 2021. View all our past RECAPS here.
