Featured Report:
Engaging School Leadership to Advance Arts in Schools (2011) details what was learned through the experience of planning for and implementing the Arts for All Leadership Fellows program for school district superintendents, assistant superintendents and arts coordinators.
To see all of the research and publications produced by Arts for All, please visit our Publications page.
Research Databases
ArtsEdSearch
ArtsEdSearch is an online clearinghouse that collects and summarizes high quality arts education research studies and analyzes their implications for educational policy and practice. ArtsEdSearch, a project of the Arts Education Partnership (AEP) is a resource for policymakers, education stakeholders and leaders to better understand and articulate the role that arts education can play in preparing students to succeed in the changing contexts of the 21st Century. ArtsEdSearch is an interactive, living resource that will grow and evolve along with arts and education research and practice.
Americans for the Arts
The sustainability and success of arts education programming is due in large part to a shared commitment among schools, cultural institutions, businesses, and other community-based organizations. Well informed and executed research benefits the field of arts education through improved practice, effective tools for advocacy, and increased appreciation for arts education.Americans for the Arts conducts extensive research on all aspects of the arts and culture industry in the Arts Research Report.
Foundation Center’s IssueLab
Studies have shown that the arts can play a strong role in enhancing the education of children and the development of communities. As more educators and administrators recognize the value of the arts, the demand for examples, best practices, and sources of funding continues to grow. This list contains citations to selected works from the Foundation Center's bibliographic database Catalog of Nonprofit Literature, PubHub and IssueLab, exploring arts education in areas such as planning, evaluation, and resource development.
Pivotal Research Reports
President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, Reinvesting in Arts Education: Winning America’s Future Through Creative Schools , Washington, DC, May 2011
The President’s Committee on Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) has conducted an in-depth review
of the current condition of arts education, surveying recent research about its documented
benefits and identifying potential opportunities for advancing arts education. The Report made five
specific recommendations for actions to be undertaken by different stakeholders
to advance arts education. Those actions are designed to clarify the position of the arts
in a comprehensive, well-rounded K-12 education that is appropriate for all students; unify
and focus efforts to expand arts education offerings to underserved students and communities;
and strengthen the evidence base for high quality arts education.
Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning (Arts Education Partnership)
This report compiles seven major studies that provide new evidence of enhanced learning and achievement when students are involved in a variety of arts experiences.
Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development (Arts Education Partnership)
This Compendium summarizes and discusses 62 research studies that examine the effects of arts learning on students' social and academic skills. The research studies cover each of the art forms and have been widely used to help make the case that learning in the arts is academic, basic, and comprehensive.
Evaluation Tools
National Guild for Community Arts Education
Evaluation is an essential tool for understanding what works, what doesn’t work, what has been accomplished, and what’s possible, all in the context of an organization’s mission and goals. When integrated at every level, from the teaching studio to the boardroom, evaluation promotes the artistic development of students, the pedagogical techniques of teaching artists, the soundness of financial and personnel management, the creativity and effectiveness of marketing and fundraising, and the vision and implementation of organizational leadership.