NEA-sponsored research and reports, such as the 1997 National Assessment of Educational Progress in the Arts, evaluate the status of and trends in arts education, and inform national discussions of state and local arts education policies. NEA research and policy initiatives continue to support the development, implementation, and dissemination of K-12 arts education programs and practices. Through the Arts Learning grant category, the NEA directly supports exemplary projects in which arts organizations, artists, schools, and teachers collaborate to provide opportunities for adults and children to create, perform, and respond to artistic works. NEA Partnership Agreements with state arts agencies promote state arts education policy to include the arts in the school curriculum, and leverage state and local funds that support thousands of projects in communities nationwide. According to the 1990 U.S. census, the growth rate of artists' occupations in the workforce exceeded that of the overall labor force.
Artistic excellence is the chief criterion by which projects are selected for funding.
The states want a strong and effective partner at the federal level. Direct federal grants are necessary to ensure that arts organizations are able to make the best in the arts available to the public. At the same time, the state arts agencies rely upon federal leadership and funding in identifying and addressing cultural needs. A federal arts role is crucial to a thriving, well-funded cultural life for our nation. NEA grants are powerful fund-raising instruments.