Coalition Launches Campaign to Boost Arts Education, Improve Student Performance and Wellbeing

NEW YORK, NY (04/07/2022) (readMedia)-- The New York City Arts in Education Roundtable, students and advocates today called on the Mayor and City Council to guarantee $100 per student for arts education in the City budget to equitably improve overall student performance while addressing learning loss from COVID and mental wellness issues. Council Members Chi Ossé and Keith Powers and representatives of major cultural institutions and coalitions -such as Be an Arts Hero, the Broadway Advocacy Coalition and the New York Philharmonic - joined for the announcement.

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Before the pandemic, a majority of principals reported that funding for the arts was insufficient to give all students a basic foundation in arts education. After two years of COVID the imperative to provide all students with a sound arts education has strengthened. Engagement in the arts can get students struggling to thrive socially, emotionally, and academically back on track. Research shows that arts education improves student performance, mental health and the overall chances of success later in life.

This year the Department of Education suggested that schools devote just $79.62 per student for arts education. But the money is fungible, meaning principals are allowed to divert it to non-arts expenses. The "It Starts with the Arts" coalition is calling on the Department of Education (DOE) to raise it to $100 per student and guarantee the funding goes only to arts education. A minimum required spending level will ensure that schools provide all students with the mandatory arts instruction that we know will help them both academically and socially. The City Council included this guarantee in their budget response.

"Arts education is transformative for students. It not only helps them explore their creativity, it leads to better academic outcomes, mental health, and graduation rates. That's why the City must invest in our students' futures and guarantee that every young person – no matter where they go to school or where they live – has access to the arts. We're telling the City to remember It Starts with the Arts," said Kimberly Olsen, Executive Director of the New York City Arts in Education Roundtable.

"Arts are an outlet for me to express emotions that I haven't been able to express before because I always bottled them up," said Fatimata, a high school student in the Bronx.

The arts help you escape to a new reality that is totally different from where you are now and help you express yourself in ways that you couldn't before," said Pascale, a high school student in the Bronx.

"I joined after school theatre (Opening Act) and I started changing. I was more outgoing. I started to speak up more than I usually did. Theatre is important to us because we as students who are still getting used to being in a new place can be ourselves inside and out," said Kaydaly, a high school student in the Bronx.

"Having community support is important. It is vital to an individual's growth and well being. Arts education is life changing especially in high school when big changes occur. Support is needed for the youth and it starts with the arts," said Keren Raymond, graduate of High School in Brooklyn.

"Every New York City kid deserves access to a high-quality arts education. I'm proud to join City Council colleagues to call on or city budget to guarantee arts curriculum for children across our city. Arts education can transform lives, and it's essential that our city provides equitable access," said Council Member Keith Powers.

"Arts Education is not extracurricular nor is it luxury: it is central to learning. Beyond the practical application of core subjects, including science, math, literature, and history, integrating the Arts provides emotional and civic education. I can think of nothing more important at this critical moment than to invest, robustly, in those who will carry our city--and humanity--forward. We are talking about our children--and our collective future: the stakes could not be higher," said Matthew-Lee Erlbach, Director of Government Affairs, Public Policy and Communication at Be an Arts Hero.

According to a report by Americans for the Arts, students from low-income communities who are highly engaged in the arts are more likely to have obtained gainful employment, completed college, and volunteered in their communities than peers with low arts involvement. Students from low-income communities who are highly engaged in the arts are also more than twice as likely to graduate college as peers with no arts education.

In addition to the $100 per student guarantee for arts education, the It Starts With Arts Campaign is calling on the City to:

• Devote 20 percent of DOE's Fiscal 2023 American Rescue Plan Act Academic Recovery funding to expand standards-based arts instruction for all students and roll used Fiscal 2022 ARPA arts funding into Fiscal 2023 for summer and school year programs. The pandemic recovery will take years and these vital supports for arts-based interventions should remain in place.
• Restore and baseline the $24 million for Arts Services cut when the pandemic hit New York City's economy. These arts services were among the first items cut in 2020 yet boost student achievement in and through the arts, while developing and promoting best practices in arts education, and supporting strong partnerships with community-based organizations.