At a public meeting at U.S. Department of Education headquarters on January 11, the League of American Orchestras urged the Department to close gaps in access to music and arts education in high-poverty schools as it administers the Every Student Succeeds Act. Alongside representatives from a wide array of national education organizations, including the Council of Chief State School Officers, Dignity in Schools Campaign, National Council of La Raza, and the National Education Association, the League spoke to top administrators and the public as the Department frames guidance for policymakers under the new law. The League’s statement emphasizes that community-based organizations like orchestras partner with parents, educators, and school systems to improve opportunities for all students to receive the full benefits of an arts education, and urges the Department to address serious gaps in access to arts education in the highest-poverty schools. The Department is accepting public comments through January 21, 2016 regarding implementation of Title I, the portion of the education law “designed to help disadvantaged children meet high academic standards.” The League will keep you posted on further opportunities to support music and arts education as new policies are made in your community and state, and at the federal level.
Posted January 12, 2016
