What State Leaders Are Saying

 “We initiated our Arizona Arts Education Data Project in September 2018, and already we are beginning to see the results of this effort. The quantifiable data that immediately became available to us has informed many subsequent statewide conversations and advocacy efforts, provided tangible references for funders and policymakers, and have strengthened the collaborative relationships between the Arizona Citizens for the Arts, the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and the Department of Education. The platform drives our collective initiatives and validates the need for intentional supports for Arts Education across our state.”       

Dustin Loehr

Director of Arts Education, Arizona Department of Education

“The California Arts Education Data Project has done more to change the substance of arts education advocacy in California than anything else I have witnessed. I am constantly encountering stories where advocates have referenced that information in local meetings or presentations with elected officials. But more than anything else, it has established the shared recognition that the evidence of the current system is accessible and that becomes the basis of the conversation around equity, quality, and access.”

Joe Landon

Executive Director, California Alliance for Arts Education

“As the state that has pioneered the use of arts education data to transform our public schools we have seen a significant increase in access to arts education and participation. Since 2006 participation in school-based arts education programs has increased from 65% of all students to 80% of all students. The number of students without access has declined from more than 75,000 to just over 3,000 students. By 2020, New Jersey will become the first state in the nation to provide universal access to arts instruction. Without question, the public reporting of our data through the arts education data project made this all possible.” Dale Schmid

New Jersey State Department of Education

“In North Carolina, the arts education data project has increased funding for programming state-wide.  Conversations of change in arts education have started across NC.  Those topics include arts access, adding an arts education graduation requirement, and the inclusion of teaching artists in schools without licensed arts educators. The data project has provided a guide map of implementation and planning for all of our partners to our state agency.” Jeremy Tucker

Music and Theatre Arts Education Consultant, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction

“For Wisconsin, the Arts Education Data Project has generated action around what is offered and who has access to courses. Specifically, arts organizations are looking at this work to see what needs may be evident from the lack of offerings in districts. From the state education agency staff, the arts have been seen, as a result of this project, as the lead in carving out a path for all content areas to follow. The next phase of our work in the state offers opportunities to identify additional needs and a building of the understanding of data and alignment to policy/programming opportunities.” Julie Palkowski

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

“Since our September 15, 2018 launch, feedback from dashboard users is overwhelmingly positive, with recognition of the tremendous value of near real-time information about arts education opportunities for nearly 1.7 million students in preK-12 schools throughout Ohio. Public discussion has also focused on the need for higher quality annual data reporting from schools, which everyone agrees is a constructive outcome that will have long-term benefits. The data on arts courses offered in Ohio’s schools, arts student enrollment, and numbers of arts teachers not only to cast light on reasons to celebrate and areas of need, but also to help facilitate sound research to identify the contribution of arts learning to student achievement and school success.” Scott Wilson

Consultant for Fine Arts, Ohio Department of Education