New York City’s efforts to increase art education in its public schools has proven to be a successful endeavor after a recent study revealed that 95 percent of NYC grads have completed art lessons last year.

So what is NYC’s Education Department doing so right in its efforts to boost art education?

• 1. Better tracking. Part of what the DOE is doing right is better tracking of student data regarding arts instruction. True, this better tracking can mean that not as many more students are receiving art instruction as the data might indicate, but more data still means an increased opportunity to interpret findings and help students.
• 2,Increased art education budget. Of course, it’s not possible to make big changes without the proper funding. The DOE has for this reason dedicated $23 million of the state budget to arts education in the city, The New York Daily News said.
• 3.New training program for teachers. The DOE has created “Art Mondays,” monthly sessions that help train teachers in the arts.
• 4.Increased standards. Though this has not yet happened, Mayor de Blasio intends on raising state standards for art education, signaling “a new era in the public schools.”

The city’s re-investment into art education is being described as a “game-changer” that will soon engage all of the city’s students in an individualized arts education.

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Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

11/16/2015