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NYC Arts in Education Roundtable

REPORT: Support for the Arts Initiative Provides Over 30K Students With Arts Programming

3 minutes

Today, the New York City Arts in Education Roundtable released an interim report about the New York City Council’s Support of the Arts initiative: a $4M school-based initiative that supports New York State standard arts instruction programs with a focus on increasing access to the arts and supporting pathways for sequential arts learning. 

In its second year, the Department of Education and New York City Council awarded 199 schools $19,849 to support partnerships with cultural organizations, trips to museums and performances, and to provide direct student arts education services and teacher professional development to increase student learning in the arts.

Highlights from the report include:

  • The initiative is expected to serve over 32,000 students in the 2023-2024 school year (averaging 165 students per school) across all City Council districts.
  • 100% of participating schools have 0 or 1 arts teacher.
  • 97.6% of schools who responded to the survey had a plan in place to allocate funds at the time of surveying.

Full report can be found here. In February 2024, the Roundtable surveyed participating schools to gather a snapshot of the initiative in action including highlights and general data on funding allocations (123 respondents as of March 29, 2024).

“The Support for Arts Instruction initiative has opened countless doors for New York City’s students, introducing them to a world beyond their classrooms. Arts education is transformative for students. It not only helps them explore their creativity, it leads to better academic outcomes, mental health, and graduation rates. The arts reach and engage all students in ways that other subjects cannot. And most importantly, arts education has been and continues to be a critical lifeline for students. We look forward to building on this foundation and pushing for arts education for all!” said Kimberly Olsen, Executive Director of New York City Arts in Education Roundtable.

“We utilized our arts grant funding to bring in a program called Musical IQ. Our kindergarten and middle school students experienced an 8-week residency called Journey Around the World, exploring the music of the African diaspora with djembe drums. It was a great way to connect to Black History Month, and for students to learn all about culture. Our students in grades 1-5, participated in a one-day workshop called Journey to Africa. It was a wonderful experience. Our arts partners Musical IQ were wonderful to work with. We would definitely work with them again, or explore new opportunities to partner with arts organizations. We are truly appreciative of the grant, and could not have afforded to bring this experience to our students otherwise,” said P.S. 333 Manhattan School for Children (03M333), Marciarie Rodriguez, Principal.

“The Support for Arts Instruction project is going great at my school. Our students are learning West African Dance from Guinea, a place where a number of our students’ families hail from. The teaching artist makes connections to geography and makes cultural connections through the dances. Additionally, students are regularly spotlighted for their leadership and are building confidence. Thank you for the opportunity to engage our children further in the arts,” said P.S. 375 Jackie Robinson, Michelle Boyce, Art Teacher.

About NYC Arts in Education Roundtable:

The New York City Arts in Education Roundtable is a service organization and a community of arts education practitioners sharing information, providing professional development, and communicating with the public to promote our work in schools and beyond.