This report discusses current developments and status of art therapists in public schools, with recommendations for occupational titles, program effectiveness, and legislative change to identify art therapists as service providers for students with special needs. Interview results from a small sample of art therapists employed in New York State…

California has long maintained ambitious goals for arts education. The state Education Code requires schools to offer courses of study in four arts disciplines to all California K-12 students. In 2005/06, with support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, SRI Education researchers conducted a study of arts education in California. The…

The purpose of this report is to provide insight into how state departments are implementing legislative requirements for educator evaluation, particularly the specific circumstances states encounter around arts education. Spotlights on Delaware, a first-round recipient of Race to the Top funding, and Colorado and Arizona, third-round recipients,…

In 2011, with ongoing concerns over state budget shortfalls and the increasing educational cost structure, California state legislators focused their attention on measures that could lead to access, added productivity, and value in order to sustain the current educational system. One of the recommendations provided by the Legislative Analyst's…

The South Dakota Legislature, being aware of the impact of culture on a stable economy, desires to stimulate, encourage, and give recognition and assistance to the arts which, in order to grow and flourish, depend upon freedom, imagination and individual initiative. While the development of the arts has long been considered a matter of local…

"Alabama Education News" is published monthly except for June, July, and December by the Alabama Department of Education. This publication, authorized by Section 16-2-4 of the "Code of Alabama", as recompiled in 1975, is a public service of the Alabama Department of Education designed to inform citizens and educators about…

People have high regard for the arts, whatever the medium. From painting to the written word to performance and beyond, the arts help define people, both as individuals and as a society. And yet a strange dichotomy exists within one's society, where the arts are paid rhetorical respect even when they are not always adequately funded. Arts…

InnerSpark is a residential summer arts training program for high school students established by the California State Legislature (California Education Code sections 8950-8957) in order to make it possible for "artistically gifted and talented students, broadly representative of the socioeconomic and ethnic diversity of the state, to receive…

California policy-makers clearly have ambitious goals for arts education. However, beyond developing rigorous standards and calling for instruction in the arts as part of the required course of study, California historically has done little to develop, implement, and sustain comprehensive arts programs that provide all students with access to and…

"A Progress Report to the Legislature: After-School and Out-of-School Time Quality Grant" is submitted pursuant to Chapter 61 of the Acts of 2007, line item 7061-9611. The Department is working to coordinate this state After School and Out-of-School Time (ASOST) grant program with other such programs in state organizations, such as the…

Information regarding enactment of drawing education legislation in the United States during the 19th century centers almost exclusively on events that occurred in Massachusetts, primarily the Massachusetts Drawing Act of 1870. Legislative history regarding the ratification of drawing education laws in states surrounding Massachusetts is available…

In June 1869, a coalition of 12 individuals and two businesses presented the Massachusetts state legislature with a carefully crafted petition. This document called for lawmakers to take action in requesting that the State Board of Education develop a plan to initiate drawing instruction in Massachusetts public schools, or to establish educational…

In July 1980 a new state regulation went into effect requiring South Carolina schools to employ art, music, and physical education specialists for the elementary grades. In this interview, Thomas Hatfield, a state Department of Education art consultant, discusses the lobbying leading to this regulation and its potential impact. (SJL)

South Carolina's requirement that school districts identify and serve artistically gifted/talented students in grades 3-12 has led the State Department of Education to develop support activities, as establishing curriculum guidelines, showcasing successful programs, and creating leadership roles for the South Carolina Arts Commission and the…

As part of the author's graduate studies in the art education program at the University of New Mexico, he conducted a small research study on issues related to New Mexico's educational policies. His interest was motivated by the lack of attention paid to the policy and legislation that affects the art education field in his state. The author…