House Appropriations Includes Arts Education Funding for FY09
The House Appropriations Subcommittee has approved $38.6 million for Arts Education at the U.S. Department of Education - only the second time in the past eight years that the House has included any funding for the Arts in Education programs. As with NEA funding, the most likely scenario for arts education spending is steady funding at last year's level until Congress re-considers federal funding in early 2009.
View Arts in Education Funding History
A new national poll of 1,000 likely voters finds that, "30% of American voters are not only dissatisfied with public education's narrow focus on the ‘so-called' basics but that they also believe developing the imagination is a critical, but missing, ingredient to student success in 21st century schools and moving students beyond average." The pollsters say that this voting cohort - which is being called the "Imagine Nation" - is of a scale rivaling "soccer moms." This powerful affirmation of public support for arts education can be leveraged as orchestras act to strengthen the presence of music education in the schools.
Learn More about the Imagine Nation
The Professional Development for Arts Educators Program supports the implementation of high-quality professional development model programs in K-12 education for music, dance, drama, media arts, or visual arts educators. The deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply is February 11, 2008 and the deadline for transmittal of applications is February 29, 2008.
The Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination Program is designed to enable schools and organizations to develop and disseminate comprehensive approaches for integrating the arts into elementary and middle school curricula, strengthening arts instruction in these grade levels, and improving students’ academic performance. The deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply is February 13, 2008 and the deadline for transmittal of applications is March 14, 2008.
Learn More about U.S. Department of Education funding opportunities
What is the status of arts education in our nation’s schools? After
nearly 10 years without comprehensive national data, Congress has
approved more than $2 million in funding to support a fast-response
arts education survey in the 08-09 school year. Orchestras and other
arts advocates rallied behind this request for data collection.
Congress also approved near-level funding for the competitive Arts in Education grant programs
of the U.S. Department of Education, following an across-the-board cut
to all of the Department's programs. Despite the President’s proposal
to eliminate Arts in Education spending, along with a number of smaller
education programs, Congress acted to approve a total of $37.5 million
in Arts in Education spending for FY08.
Potential historic increases in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and Arts Education are in jeopardy as Congress and the White House face off over total spending for the current fiscal year. On November 13, the President vetoed the Labor-HHS-Education funding bill, which included unprecedented support for arts education funding and would have fully funded long-awaited research on the status of arts education in our nation's schools. Only one of the 12 federal FY08 spending measures - the Defense bill - has been signed into law. Congress may craft a catch-all spending bill in December, but holding on to the gains in arts funding will be tough as Washington policymakers whittle away at all proposed increases in domestic spending.
See the Progress on Arts Education 31.86 Kb
While the most important advocacy for arts education in our schools often happens at the local and state levels, improving the federal education laws can open the door to improved policies nationwide. As Congress begins to re-consider the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and writes the newest version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the arts community is calling for specific improvements to the law that determines how the federal government supports education. The League, in partnership with more than 20 national arts and education organizations, is calling on Congress to improve access to arts education for all students by enacting specific legislative recommendations. The process of re-considering NCLB will be a multi-year effort. Stay tuned for targeted opportunities to weigh in with your members of Congress.
See How Congress Can Boost Arts Learning
A letter to House Appropriations Chairman David Obey was signed by 71 members of Congress urging support for increased Arts in Education funding.