Revolutionizing Arts Education Policy through Data and Mapping

Monday, October 14, 2:00pm – 3:20pm

Organized by Narric Rome, vice president for Government Affairs and Arts Education, Americans for the Arts.

Presented by Sunil Iyengar, director of Research & Analysis, National Endowment for the Arts; Bob Morrison, founder & CEO, Quadrant Arts Education Research; and Paul Sznewajs, founder & executive director, Ingenuity.

The hardest question to answer in arts education is: “How many students are receiving arts education?” Historically, few states were able to offer information on students’ access to and participation in arts education, leaving decision makers in the dark about critical gaps and how to address them. Fortunately, there are major efforts at the state and local levels to address this challenge and thereby improve transparency and strengthen opportunities to address inequities in arts education. Funders who support arts education case-making locally will learn about three separate projects and how they are each uniquely approaching the shared goal of strengthening arts education policy. The session discussion will focus on how data can close the gap between policy and practice to ensure increased student participation in the arts. This session will include presentations on the Statewide Data Infrastructure Project for Arts Education, a cooperative agreement between the National Endowment for the Arts and Education Commission of the States, the Arts Education Data Project, a consortium of states working with Quadrant Research and the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education, and Ingenuity’s ArtLook Map of city-level arts education.