2008-2009 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury Report 221
2009 – A DECISIVE YEAR FOR ARTS EDUCATION AT LAUSDA Promise Worth Keeping
“Under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the arts are for the first time listed infederal law as a core academic subject, for which standards of teachingand learning are expected to be as rigorous and as well defined as thoseestablished for English, mathematics, science and history. For both their intrinsic value and for the ways in which they help students to succeed inschool and life, NCLB makes clear, the arts are a vital part of the completeeducation.”
Susan Scalfani, U.S. Asst. Secy. For Vocational And Adult Education, June 2005
INTRODUCTION
In December of 2008, the Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury (CGJ) heard from arepresentative of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra about the educationaloutreach programs offered principally to the underserved and disadvantaged youths of Los Angeles County. These programs aim to introduce music to students of all agesthrough several activities targeted at different demographic groups in a number of school settings. With the anticipated and announced budget cuts coming from thestate, the county and in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), it is fearedthat these symphony-sponsored programs will also be reduced in scope and number, if not eliminated entirely. With this in mind, the Civil Grand Jury began to look into thestate of arts education countywide and at LAUSD, in particular.Becoming familiar with some local schools where a long-term, concentrated artseducation curriculum was incorporated into a public school setting was also planned.Many of the people with whom we spoke and almost all of the literature we readdiscussed the kind of experiential program that is referred to as continuous andsequential.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury has spent the majority of its investigativeenergies concentrating on examining issues that affect the lives of children in theCounty who are at risk. With the recognition that education is a significant element inthe present and future of the lives of all children, an examination of one aspect of their educational experience was undertaken. Academic achievement is a meaningfulmeasure of present accomplishment, as well as a harbinger of future success. Withthat in mind, the connection between an arts education and that all-importantmeasurement of academic achievement was explored.In examining arts education at the LAUSD, several areas of importance were studied.First, the recent results, the current strategies, and the vision and tactics employed atthe administrative level that led to the results were analyzed. Second, the directconnection between an arts education and success in academics were assessed.
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