California Arts Education Data Project Talking Points

California Arts Education Data Project Talking Points
The California Arts Education Data Project is a new tool designed to help increase participation in arts

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•   This information can help school leaders, parents and advocates determine the status of arts education access in their schools and identify and address what inequities exist.
  
•   By having a complete picture of where our secondary schools currently stand, leaders will be able to take steps to close gaps in access to a core arts education curriculum in their districts.
  Presented in a user-friendly, color-coded dashboard, the Project provides important information to education leaders, teachers and parents about levels of access to and enrollment in arts programming in schools.
  

•   The dashboard allows users to review school-level, district, county and statewide data and presents the statewide averages as the baseline for comparison.
  
•   It reports data from 2013–2014 and 2014–2015 from 3,719 schools, covering more than three million students in grades 6 through 12, which is roughly half of California’s student population.
  
•   The source of data comes directly from information schools submitted through the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) - California’s K–12 longitudinal data system.
  
•   As California elementary schools are not required to report subject-level data, information on arts education in grades pre-k through 5 is not currently included.
  The Data Project also features A Roadmap for School Districts that guides leaders through the process of examining their data to better understand their unique circumstances and challenges.
  

•   The Roadmap contains resources and helpful guides to assist districts in assessing their own programs and creating strategic arts plans.
  
•   The Data Project also provides a communication toolkit that includes materials to share these new resources with local stakeholders.
  Quality arts education sparks creative thinking and sets up students for success in college, career and life.
  

 These important tools will provide a complete picture of where California’s schools currently stand, allowing leaders to ensure their schools can provide invaluable arts education to every child in California.