Community School District No. 25 in Queens, N.Y., benefits from opportunities for students to experience the arts of New York City and from the direct involvement of world-class artists in the district's classrooms. Not all school districts have the resources of a thriving arts community to draw on. Tough economic times are a threat to arts education. Vancouver, Wash., Superintendent James Parsley responded by turning to community members to develop a plan that would belong to them. A steering committee of 80 persons engaged another 800 people through town meetings aimed at creating a vision for the district.
Political changes can also affect arts education programs.
In Greenville County, S.C., revenue shortfalls resulted in the elimination of music and arts consultants positions, which took several years to be restored. Sidebars offer some additional suggestions and provide information about the study. Numerous studies indicate that student learning is directly linked to the quality of teaching that occurs in the classroom. A significant influence on the quality of teaching is the quality of the ongoing professional learning experiences given to teachers, administrators, support staff, and even school board members. School leaders must ensure that staff development is closely aligned with goals for student learning.