Search form

No Educator Left Behind:
Funding for the Arts

No Educator Left Behind is a series providing answers from the U.S. Department of Education to questions about the federal No Child Left Behind Act and how it will affect educators. If you have a question about No Child Left Behind, send an e-mail to Ellen Delisio, and we will submit your question to the Department of Education.

Question:

How does the No Child Left Behind Act affect funding for the arts?

U.S. Department of Education:

The arts are included in the No Child Left Behind Act's definition of core academic subjects. In that respect, the arts have equal billing with reading, mathematics, science, and other disciplines. That means that whenever federal education programs (such as teacher training, school reform, and technology programs) are targeted to "core academic subjects," the arts might be eligible to receive funds.

The law does not include a definition of what academic disciplines the arts encompass. The national standards for the arts do include standards for dance, music, theater, and visual arts.

For more information about NCLB and the arts, see No Subject Left Behind: A Guide to Arts Education Opportunities in the 2001 NCLB Act prepared by the Arts Education Partnership.

Read previous questions and answers in our No Educator Left Behind archive.