Thank you to the many people who have been blog contributors to, and readers of ArtsBlog over the years. ArtsBlog has long been a space where we uplifted stories from the field that demonstrated how the arts strengthen our communities socially, educationally, and economically; where trends and issues and controversies were called out; and advocacy tools were provided to help you make the case for more arts funding and favorable arts policies.

As part of Americans for the Arts’ recent Strategic Realignment Process, we were asked to evaluate our storytelling communications platforms and evolve the way we share content. As a result, we launched the Designing Our Destiny portal to explore new ways of telling stories and sharing information, one that is consistent with our longtime practice of, “No numbers without a story, and no stories without a number.”

As we put our energy into developing this platform and reevaluate our communications strategies, we have put ArtsBlog on hold. That is, you can read past blog posts, but we are not posting new ones. You can look to the Designing Our Destiny portal and our news items feed on the Americans for the Arts website for stories you would have seen in ArtsBlog in the past.

ArtsBlog will remain online through this year as we determine the best way to archive this valuable resource and the knowledge you’ve shared here.

As ever, we are grateful for your participation in ArtsBlog and thank you for your work in advancing the arts. It is important, and you are important for doing it.

State Policy Pilot Program

Strengthening Arts Education through State-Level Policy Development and Advocacy Infrastructure

Formally launched in August 2014 at the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Legislative Summit, Americans for the Arts voiced a new commitment to state-level policy development and advocacy infrastructure building though the State Policy Pilot Program. The program systematically advanced arts education across the nation, making it the largest arts education policy and advocacy grant program in the country.

The following webpages contain an archive of the work of the State Policy Pilot Program.

The State Policy Pilot Program - or SP3 for short - was a three-year initiative based out of the Arts Education Program at Americans for the Arts. Developed in alignment with the national shift towards state-level educational policymaking, the program focused on a three-pronged approach of utilizing data, networking and knowledge sharing, and working with states. Its objective was to enable the development of leadership in state-level policy-makers advocates, researchers, and grantmakers towards developing achievable policy pursuits and sustainable advocacy infrastructures.

Through SP3, Americans for the Arts hoped to foster a nationwide culture of policy literacy and advocacy empowerment for arts and education leaders across the country with the ultimate goals of:

  • advancing arts education by influencing implementation of federal mandates or programs at the state level;
  • expanding state support of arts education in policy and appropriations; and
  • impacting local access to arts programs and instruction for students.

The program concluded in Summer 2017 and the findings were shared at the State Policy Pilot Program Summit, which was held in Denver, CO in November 2017. The results of this program include numerous reports, case studies, and a network of state leaders ready to enact policy change and advocacy initiatives to advance arts education across the nation. The intention of these tools and resources is to provide greater policy literacy and understanding of how other states and stakeholders can undertake similar advocacy efforts for statewide policy advancement.

Read the STATE POLICY PILOT PROGRAM: Summary Findings and Final Report

Download the STATE POLICY PILOT PROGRAM: Findings of a 3-Year Initiative In Brief

Strategy 1: Utilizing Data

In Strategy 1: Utilizing Data, the underpinning research for SP3 was conducted by a series of researchers from 2013-2015 and manifested itself in a several reports surveying current research available on state data sets regarding arts education, the arts education policies (and implementation of those policies) in every state, and the effectiveness of federally funded programs supported by those policies in local communities:

The State Status Report: A Review of State and Regional Arts Education Studies by Yael Z. Silk, Ed.M. and Stacey Mahan, Ed.M. of Silk Strategic Arts LLC and Robert Morrison of Quadrant Research

Gap Analysis: Barriers and Successes of Arts Education Policy Implementation by Barb Whitney

A Decade of Federal Arts in Education Funding: Trends, Analysis, and the Story Behind the First 10 Years by Yael Silk

These reports identified national trends and articulated the federal-state-local implementation pathways from national policy to school-based implementation. The findings stimulate interesting discussion among state-level stakeholders and can inform the practices in policy development or advocacy strategy essential to advancing arts education across the nation.

Learn more about Strategy 1: Utilizing Data

Strategy 2: Networking and Knowledge Sharing

In Strategy 2: Networking and Knowledge Sharing, Americans for the Arts brought together representatives from the ten state teams on a biannual basis from Fall 2014 – Spring 2017 to foster knowledge sharing and networking with adjacent national networks.

During SP3’s biannual meetings, peer-to-peer knowledge exchange was guided through presentations, visitations, and support for collaboration. Program leaders created an environment in which cross-state policy opportunities could emerge. As the states learned about the policy successes of their peers, several acted upon the chance to adapt the experiences to their own state contexts.

View the archive of the State Policy Symposium in Washington, D.C. in March 2016

View the archive of the State Policy Pilot Program Summit in Denver, CO in November 2017

Learn more about Strategy 2: Networking and Knowledge Sharing
 

Strategy 3: Working With States

In Strategy 3: Working with States, Americans for the Arts aimed to select ten states which operated in vastly different educational and political contexts, representing a diverse array of expertise and advancement in the field of arts education. The state teams understood that participation involved collaboration across agencies within their states and commitment to developing and implementing a policy strategy. Each state was expected to form a state team to steer the project—drawing from state education agencies, state arts councils, members of advocacy networks, and elected officials. State teams created written action plans at the outset of the three years, updated those plans annually in response to changing contexts, and prepared culminating case studies that described what worked well and what did not. State teams received grants of $10,000 per year as well as travel stipends for two team members to attend biannual SP3 gatherings as well as additional support for project-specific needs as required. Additionally, Americans for the Arts provided each state team with customized coaching and technical assistance throughout the three-year pilot, via web-based tools, site visits, and funding for portions of their statewide initiatives.

Pilot cohort states included: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Wyoming

Each state produced a number of products including a case study, a project narrative, and a collection of supplemental materials, found on each state’s page.

Learn more about Strategy 3: Working With States