Mr. Doug Israel

4 out of 5 Dentists Surveyed Recommend Arts in Education

Posted by Mr. Doug Israel, Apr 07, 2016 1 comment


Mr. Doug Israel

For those of us that grew up in or around the 1970’s, the most recognizable use of data was in a chewing gum commercial.

“4 out of 5 dentists surveyed recommend sugarless gum for their patients who chew gum.”

Brilliant advertising.  It was brief, easy to understand, and repeated ad nauseam …….. and so it stuck, like gum.

In the 21st century, the world is filled with data. And the field of arts education is no different. The challenge is choosing data that stands out and helps move the needle on the issues we care about. 

As we seek to expand arts and creative learning opportunities in our public schools, it is essential to ask the question: How can we use the data to not only report out on our work but to also make a measureable and positive impact? Here is one story about how data-driven reporting catalyzed a major financial investment to address educational inequity in the nation’s largest school district.

Since 2006-07 New York City’s Department of Education (DOE) has issued annual reports covering a wide array of arts education indicators, many broken down by arts discipline and by grade level. While this data is invaluable and helps the DOE identify challenge areas and direct resources, from the standpoint of the public the data can quickly become overwhelming. Last year 1,564 public schools provided data and the report contained 116 pages and 143 figures and tables. 

For several years, our organization provided independent analysis of the data showing steady funding declines in arts education and the related loss of arts teachers. While our analysis did get some traction and raise awareness, the economic downturn, coupled with narrowly-focused local and federal education policies, created the perfect storm for arts education that showed no signs of letting up. And so it went for several years.

Then came a golden opportunity. In January 2014, due to local term limits, New York City would be swearing in a new Mayor, City Comptroller, Public Advocate, and close to 50 percent of the City Council. With a new administration and new leadership would come new avenues to advance our cause.

Working together with a broad array of partners, we launched a campaign to put arts education on the political radar. We co-sponsored a candidate’s forum, surveyed candidates about arts and education, and met with candidates and/or their staff. One of the most important relationships we developed was with Scott Stringer, a candidate for City Comptroller. He won and, little did we know on election night, NYC’s public school students had also won.

Several months after the election, and in close consultation with CAE staff, the Comptroller released a ground-breaking report that was the primary catalyst in a historic initiative to invest $92 million in new funding over four years to improve and expand arts education in New York City public schools. The report relied entirely on the DOE’s existing data set. 

The success of the report, and our ability to use the findings to leverage new funding, hinged on just three key indicators of arts education activity in schools: arts teachers, cultural partnerships, and dedicated arts spaces. Importantly, the decision was made to map these indicators to determine if there were any identifiable trends in school or neighborhood characteristics or student’s socioeconomic status. 

The report’s findings very clearly illustrated a lack of arts education in schools located in the city’s lowest-income communities. We all “knew” inequities existed, now we had proof:

  • 306 schools had no full-time or part-time arts teacher
  • 244 schools reported no arts or cultural partnership
  • 150 schools lacked a dedicated arts room.

The data points alone were stark and troubling, but the mapping of the schools with little to no arts education proved to be so powerful that within weeks Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Council announced the plan invest the funds to address the inequities the report presented.

It was a perfect alignment of data, reporting, and advocacy, with the campaign platforms of the newly elected Mayor and many of the new City Council members: NYC had become a “tale of two cities” and there was an urgent need to remedy the inequities many residents and students experience.

Today, tens of thousands of students are benefitting from this initiative. Thanks to targeted efforts by the New York City Department of Education, real and measureable progress is being made. In year one alone, 175 new arts teachers were hired to work in our public schools with the great majority of these new hires working in low-income neighborhoods. The funding has also created 120+ new cultural partnerships with more than half of these occurring in schools that previously had none.

What worked here in New York may work in your school district. The problems you are addressing may be different but strategic use of data, persistent advocacy efforts, and relationships with key influencers, may help you reach your goals. Answering these questions is a great place to start:

  • What issue(s) does your district need to address?
  • What data sets do you need and have access to?
  • How can you leverage new and existing data to make a strong and compelling case?
  • What are the key indicators that you can report?
  • Who are your allies that will join you to advance your efforts?

Please share your challenges and success stories. Four out of five dentists want to know.

Doug is a member of Americans for the Arts. Learn more.

1 responses for 4 out of 5 Dentists Surveyed Recommend Arts in Education

Comments

says
April 08, 2016 at 4:13 pm

An amazing article that offers a simple yet essential strategy to increase funding for arts education.  Very well done Doug and many thanks for providing a model for arts educators to follow.

Joan L. Davidson, President, New York City Art Teachers Association/United Federation of Teachers (NYCATA/UFT)

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