STATE OF THE ARTS. Scott M. Stringer Bureau of Policy and Research April 2014

Transcription

1 Office of the New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer Bureau of Policy and Research April 2014 STATE OF THE ARTS A Plan to Boost Education in New York City Schools Office of the Comptroller City of New York One Centre Street, New York, NY Phone: (212) comptroller.nyc.gov Office of the New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer stringertheory.com

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3 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...1 II. INTRODUCTION...3 III. THE HISTORY OF ARTS EDUCATION IN THE NYC PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM...4 IV. FINDINGS: NYC SCHOOLS AND THEIR ABILITY TO PROVIDE ARTS PROGRAMMING AND SERVICES...6 V. RECOMMENDATIONS...13 VI. APPENDIX...14 VII. TABLE I: SUMMARY OF ARTS EDUCATION IN NEW YORK CITY...15 VIII. TABLE II: INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL BREAKDOWN...49 IX. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...51

4 I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY education has long been recognized by experts around the world as having a tremendously positive influence on children and their academic attainment, social emotional development and future employment. The skills learned from arts education are more relevant today than ever, as New York City s economy is increasingly focused on industries that value creativity, innovation and problem solving. Despite these widely-acknowledged benefits, as well as clearly established mandates in New York State Education Law requiring that students in grades 7-12 receive core arts instruction taught by certified teachers, the provision of arts education in New York City s public schools has become both inequitable and underfunded. Instruction in visual arts, music, dance and theater has been weakened by a decade of disinvestment and disincentives and a school accountability system based on federal and state priorities that fails to fully recognize the value of comprehensive arts education. Figures from the New York City Department of Education s (DOE) Annual in Schools Reports show a 47 percent decline in spending to hire arts and cultural organizations to provide educational services for students, and an even steeper decline in spending on arts supplies and equipment over the past seven years. While schools have had access to supplemental arts funding intended for arts education, many schools have opted to divert these funds to non-arts related areas. As a result, many of the City s public schools are in violation of New York State Law, which sets minimal instruction requirements that schools must meet for the arts at each grade level, and deep disparities exist between schools at all grade levels. This report provides a first-ever school-by-school breakdown of the state of arts education in the public schools, and contextualizes the results with data on the city s economic landscape. Findings include: 419 schools in New York City (28 percent) lack even one full-time, certified arts teacher, including 20 percent of all high schools (76), 22 percent of all middle schools (59) and 38 percent of all elementary schools (232); 306 schools (20 percent) have neither a full- nor a part-time certified arts teacher, including 14 percent of all high schools (53), 13 percent of all middle schools (34) and 30 percent of all elementary schools (182); and 16 percent of schools have no arts or cultural partnerships and 10 percent of schools have no dedicated arts room. Furthermore, it is clear that reductions in arts education have fallen disproportionately on the City s lower income neighborhoods, especially the South Bronx and Central Brooklyn. While these two neighborhoods are home to just 31 percent of all City schools, this report found that: More than 42 percent of schools that lack either full-time or part-time certified arts teachers are located in the South Bronx and Central Brooklyn; and Nearly half of the schools that lack both a certified arts teacher and an arts or cultural partnership are located in the South Bronx and Central Brooklyn. 1 State of the : A Plan to Boost Education in New York City Schools

5 With new leadership at the New York City Department of Education, now is an ideal time to identify challenges that exist to meeting State arts mandates and expanding arts education to all City neighborhoods, and offer recommendations for achieving these goals. In the cultural capital of the world, arts education and the opportunities it provides must be equally accessible to all. The report makes the following recommendations: Broaden the DOE accountability framework, including School Progress Reports, to include arts education. As part of a larger review of School Progress Reports, the DOE should include information in every school profile about certified arts teachers, partnerships with arts and cultural organizations, dedicated arts rooms and compliance with State mandates in arts instruction. Promote strategies that build schools capacity to have at least one certified arts teacher on staff. Every elementary, middle and high school should have at least one certified arts teacher, and more where appropriate. DOE should work with schools serving grades 7-12 to comply with State mandates for certified arts teachers. Where feasible, small schools should be encouraged to share arts teachers. Build schools capacity to provide a robust arts education by expanding outreach to potential cultural partners. The DOE should provide additional supports to schools lacking cultural partnerships, including helping to connect and pair them with arts and cultural organizations. The DOE currently hosts one Fair each year to encourage arts and cultural organizations to partner with city schools. This outreach should be expanded to include similar fairs in all five boroughs at least once a year. Adopt a no-net loss of space policy as part of a larger effort to increase arts rooms and to ensure that every school has places equipped for the arts. Although finding or creating new space for dedicated arts rooms in New York City will always be a challenge, the DOE should ensure that there is no-net loss of arts rooms when district schools are co-located with other district or charter schools. DOE s Educational Impact Statements (EIS) should clearly specify how DOE will preserve existing dedicated arts rooms. Further, future school planning and construction should include dedicated arts spaces. Ensure adequate funding to support quality arts education at all city schools. The DOE should prioritize supports for arts education in schools that have yet to meet at least the minimum standards set by the City and State, and break out arts spending in its budget so the public can see how much is being spent on a school-by-school basis. In the end, providing every child in New York City with a robust arts education should be more than an aspiration. It should be viewed as an essential component of a 21st century curriculum one that all our students should have the opportunity to enjoy. Office of the New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer 2

6 II. INTRODUCTION education has long been recognized by academics, teachers and parents for its positive impact on students inside and outside the classroom. In a 2012 analysis of longitudinal research on the relationship between arts engagement and students academic and social outcomes, the National Endowment for the (NEA) found that youth of low socioeconomic status with a history of high arts engagement 1 had better grades and higher college enrollment and attainment rates than youth without such involvement. 2 In addition, the NEA found that high school students who had in-depth arts engagement: Had higher GPAs than students with low levels of arts engagement; Enrolled at higher rates in competitive and fouryear colleges than low-arts-engaged students; and Were three times more likely than their artspoor peers to earn a bachelor s degree. in SY , schools spent $10.7 million on arts supplies and equipment, compared to $1.7 million in SY an 84 percent decline. While principals have had access to supplemental arts funding 6 that is intended to be used for arts education, many have opted to divert these funds to non-arts related areas. This report provides New Yorkers with a school-byschool breakdown of the state of arts education in our public schools, based on the most recent arts data provided by the New York City Department of Education in its individual Annual in Schools Reports for The Office of New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer analyzed information provided by principals at 1,487 schools across the five boroughs in response to the DOE s Education Survey. 8 The Survey provides data on the state of arts education in public schools, including student participation, teachers assigned to teach the arts, arts and cultural partnerships and space. 9 3 Despite the documented importance of arts education in schools, clear mandates for arts instruction in State Education Law 3 and New York City s status as one of the foremost cultural centers of the world, the City s public school system continues to confront challenges providing all of its 1.1 million students with equitable access to a robust education in the arts. 4 Data from New York City Department of Education s Annual in Schools Reports indicate a significant decrease in spending for the arts over the past seven years. 5 In School Year (SY) , schools spent $25.7 million to hire arts and cultural organizations to provide educational services for students, compared to $13.6 million in SY a 47 percent decline. Additionally, 1 High arts engagement is defined on page 9 of the NEA report: 2 Ibid html State of the : A Plan to Boost Education in New York City Schools The Comptroller s Office analyzed data in three areas that shed light on a school s capacity to deliver arts services and programming to its students: 1. Whether schools employ full-time and/or parttime certified arts teachers; 2. Whether schools have formal partnerships with arts and cultural organizations; and 3. Whether schools dedicate rooms solely for instruction in core arts areas, including the visual arts, music, theater and dance. The data were mapped to determine geographic patterns, then compared with economic data for further analysis. These maps set against a backdrop of median income level by U.S. Census Found under the Statistics and Budget link on individual NYC DOE schools websites. 8 1,545 principals completed the DOE s survey, including principals of 58 District 75 schools that are not part of this report s analysis. 9 html

7 tract reveal deep inequities in arts opportunities. Students attending schools in parts of the city that have historically experienced significant economic challenges including the South Bronx and Central Brooklyn have disproportionately poorer access to arts resources than those in more affluent areas. 10 Although schools in the South Bronx and Central Brooklyn represent only 31 percent of all City schools, more than 42 percent of schools that lack either full-time or part-time certified art teachers are located in these neighborhoods. This report proceeds in three parts. First, in order to understand the current plight of arts education in City schools, it is essential to understand the complex history of arts education. Over the past 40 years, New York City has confronted a range of challenges, from fiscal crises and budget cuts, to rigid accountability measures and shifting educational priorities, all of which have contributed to inadequate provision of arts education in the public schools. Next, the report summarizes the findings culled from the DOE s data sets, with a focus on certified arts teacher staffing levels, partnerships with arts and cultural organizations and dedicated arts space in our schools, all key elements that reflect a school s commitment to the arts. Lastly, the report offers recommendations on how to ensure that all City schools have the resources necessary for students to access high quality, creative arts programming programming that acknowledges that the State s mandates are a floor and not a ceiling for what can be accomplished in the cultural capital of the world. 10 While current findings are relatively consistent with previous years data from the DOE s Annual in Schools Reports, the NYC Comptroller s Office recognizes that individual schools may have made changes in the numbers of certified arts teachers, arts and cultural partnerships and arts spaces since the release of these reports. III. THE HISTORY OF ARTS EDUCATION IN THE NYC PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM Since the fiscal crisis of the 1970s, New York City public schools have faced a series of challenges in their effort to provide students with comprehensive arts education. From budget cuts and shifting educational priorities to the space limitations that come with inhabiting one of the densest urban centers in the nation, New York City has long struggled to bring the promise of arts education to every school in every neighborhood. According to a 2003 New York City Council report, arts education has historically been one of the first areas targeted for cuts when the city has experienced periods of economic distress. 11 In the 1970s, funding cuts had a devastating effect on schools ability to provide students with basic courses in core arts areas, including the visual arts, music, dance and theater. At the same time, arts teachers were laid off, schools converted dedicated arts rooms into classrooms and training programs for higher education arts instructors with nowhere to send their graduates all but disappeared. 12 Over the next twenty years, New York City s artistic and cultural institutions did their best to fill this void. 13 However, it was not until the late 1990s that a more systematic approach to providing arts education in the public schools emerged the result of an influx of grant funding targeted for the expansion of arts education, the establishment of The Center for Education (CAE) and the creation of a dedicated fund for arts in the public schools called Project ARTS. In 1995, New York City was awarded $21.5 million to develop a comprehensive and coordinated network of customized partnerships between cultural institutions and schools, as part of the Walter H. Annenberg Foundation s Annenberg Ibid friday.html Office of the New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer 4

8 5 Challenge a $500 million initiative to improve urban school districts. 14 A year later, a new non-profit organization, The Center for Education, was formed to carry out this mission. CAE received a $12 million, two-forone matching grant from the Annenberg Challenge to institutionalize arts instruction as part of the core curriculum and [to] use the arts as a catalyst for whole-school change. 15 CAE performed this work in partnership with the NYC Board of Education (BOE), the Department of Affairs (DCA) and the United Federation of (UFT). Through a combination of separate City and grant funding, CAE also implemented arts initiatives focused on expanding parent engagement and career and professional development. In 1997, the BOE created Project ARTS, the first per capita funding allocation for arts education since the 1970s. 16 Project ARTS funds were targeted for direct instruction in core arts areas, related equipment, resource materials and supplies and partnerships with arts and cultural services. 17 In Fiscal Year (FY) 1998, the City committed $25 million to Project ARTS. 18 It then doubled funding the following year to $50 million, and Project ARTS hit its peak in FY 2000 and FY 2001 at $75 million: an allocation of $63 per student creating, at a minimum, a baseline of equity for all students. 19 During fiscal years , Project ARTS funding dropped to $52 million, bringing per pupil spending down to $47. In SY , the administration eliminated Project ARTS, folded funding for arts education into the general school budget and implemented Count, a new set of strategies to enhance arts education in New York City public schools. 20 Count was designed to build upon the DOE s Ibid 16 cov_center.html 17 arts%20education%20draft%20testimony%20final.pdf friday.html 20 Accelerating--Education-Cuts-June-2011.pdf State of the : A Plan to Boost Education in New York City Schools Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the, which delineated benchmarks in the core arts areas. It was intended to create accountability for arts provision by incorporating arts metrics into a school s performance for the first time. 21 However, without money or accountability, Count proved ineffective at ensuring that schools provided students with a robust education in the arts. Indeed, the increasingly troubled state of arts education in the City s public schools stemmed not just from the elimination of Project ARTS, but also from the DOE s decision to omit the arts in its central accountability metric, the School Progress Report. 22 These reports were part of a broader school accountability system that were driven largely by the mandates of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, [which] placed a heavy emphasis on measuring accountability and achievement based on state assessments in just two key subject areas English language arts [ELA] and math. 23 As schools in New York City and elsewhere confronted high-stakes accountability standards that were tied directly to student performance on State ELA and math exams among them, the possibility of school closure principals were forced to make difficult choices about where to invest scarce resources. As a result, some opted to divert a portion of supplemental arts funding to non-arts related areas. Absent meaningful public, school-level data on arts spending, there has been virtually no way for parents and others to discern how much funding individual schools may be devoting to certified arts teachers, arts supplies or other basic components of arts education. Evidence exists, however, of a progressive weakening of arts education in City schools over time. In 2013, the Advisory Committee to the City Panel for Educational Policy established by the DOE in 2010 to assess and recommend reforms to improve arts education in the public schools raised 21 html Annual--in-Schools-Report pdf

9 concerns about the loss of certified arts teachers across the school system between SY and SY During this time, the system lost a total of 202 certified school-based arts teachers. High schools experienced the greatest impact, losing 234 teachers, followed by elementary schools (112) and middle schools (45). These numbers were offset by a gain of 190 teachers at school levels designated by the DOE as Other. 24 Some arts areas were more negatively impacted than others: the system lost 172 visual arts teachers and 73 music teachers from SY 2008 to SY 2013, while gaining 2 dance teachers and 41 theater teachers over the same period. 25 Further, DOE data indicate a 47 percent decline in schools spending on arts and cultural organizations that provide arts programming for students (from $25.7 million to $13.6 million), and an 84 percent decrease in spending on arts supplies, musical instruments and equipment (from $10.6 million to $1.7 million) between SY and SY Additionally, 2,395 certified arts teachers served more than a million children across 1,700 schools in SY : 65 fewer teachers and 338 more schools than in SY Though New York City s economic and fiscal health has rebounded from the depths of the Great Recession, public school principals continue to cite fiscal resources as the primary obstacle to providing arts education. Fifty percent of schools that responded to the DOE s Principal Satisfaction Survey listed fiscal resources as presenting a significant challenge to the school arts program, with use of space cited by 25 percent of principals as posing a similar challenge Other was not defined in the DOE data set. It may include: early childhood schools, K-Grade 8, K-Grade 12, secondary schools, etc Survey/ / %20AIS%20Report.pdf Ibid 28 The Advisory Committee ultimately called for the DOE to reinstate a dedicated funding line for the arts, noting that arts education grew while the dedicated funding line (Project ARTS) was in place and has stagnated since it disappeared. 29 IV. FINDINGS: NYC SCHOOLS AND THEIR ABILITY TO PROVIDE ARTS PROGRAMMING AND SERVICES The findings below are based on an analysis by the Comptroller s Office of data from individual schools Annual in Schools Reports for , which are based on the Annual Education Survey that DOE sends to principals at all public schools each spring. 30 This survey asks a range of questions pertaining to a school s provision of arts education to its students in areas including: certified arts teachers, arts and cultural partnerships, arts spaces in schools, student participation in arts courses, professional development activities for teachers and parent involvement with the arts. In the spring of 2013, 1,545 schools (out of a total of 1,590) completed the DOE s Education Survey. The Office of the City Comptroller analyzed a sample of 1,487 schools 31 including 603 elementary schools, 272 middle schools and 375 high schools. Remaining schools comprising the 1,487 dataset include 30 early childhood schools, 129 Kindergarten-Grade 8 schools, 3 Kindergarten-Grade 12 schools, and 75 secondary schools. The Comptroller s Office examined data in three areas that shed light on schools capacity to deliver arts services and programming to their students: 1. Whether schools employ full-time and/or part-time certified arts teachers; 2. Whether schools have formal partnerships with arts and cultural organizations; and 3. Whether schools dedicate rooms solely for instruction in core arts areas, including the visual arts, music, theater and dance. 29 Ibid District 75 schools were not part of this report s analysis. Office of the New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer 6

10 The findings are accompanied by a series of maps that highlight neighborhoods in which schools confront significant challenges in providing arts programming and services to students. These neighborhoods including the South Bronx and Central Brooklyn have some of the highest poverty rates and lowest median incomes in the City. New York State requires that students in grades 7-12 receive core arts instruction taught by certified teachers. However, 419 schools in New York City (28 percent) lack even one full-time certified arts teacher, including 20 percent of all high schools (76), 22 percent of all middle schools (59) and 38 percent of all elementary schools (232). 32 Furthermore, 306 schools in this study (20 percent) have neither a full- nor a part-time certified arts teacher, including 14 percent of all high schools (53), 13 percent of all middle schools (34) and 30 percent of all elementary schools (182). According to the DOE s Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the, Manual for School Leaders: Full-time certified arts teachers are the backbone of an excellent arts education program. The arts should be taught by highly qualified personnel, consistent with all other subject areas. At the secondary level 32 State regulations on certified teachers in middle and high schools do not apply to elementary schools. At the elementary level, arts instruction can be provided by a general classroom teacher, certified arts instructor or a cultural partner. Other schools included in this total include: early childhood, K-8, K-12 and secondary schools. (grades 7 through 12), only arts courses taught by licensed arts teachers are considered to be creditbearing. All Title I schools are required by law to utilize qualified teachers in all subject areas. 33 Not only does the lack of certified arts teachers violate the DOE s stated principles, it also runs afoul of State Education Law. All students in grades 7-8 must be provided instruction that, by the end of grade eight, enables them to achieve State intermediate learning standards, including at least one half unit of study in the visual arts and one half unit of study in music. In New York City, students can receive instruction in any two of the four recognized art forms. 34 State regulations also require that districts shall employ teaching staff that are properly certified to teach assigned subjects and classes. 35 Further, to secure a Regents diploma, students in grades 9-12 must have at least one credit of arts education which must be taught by a certified teacher. 36 Despite this clear and unambiguous mandate for certified arts teachers, many New York City schools are falling short NYCRR 100.4(c)(1)(ix); 100.4(h)(2)(i)(D)(2) 36 8 NYCRR 100.5(b)(7)(iv)(e) 7 State of the : A Plan to Boost Education in New York City Schools

11 Map 1: New York City Schools with no Full-time Certified Teacher Map 1 shows the 419 New York City schools that lack even one full-time certified arts teacher, 28 percent of the total amount of schools in the sample. Blue dots represent schools with no full-time certified arts teacher, while background colors reflect median income levels by census tract. Schools in the South Bronx and Central Brooklyn have the lowest median household incomes in the City (as measured by census tract) and are much more likely to lack a full-time arts instructor than schools in other neighborhoods. All told, over 1 in 4 high schools and middle schools lack a full-time certified arts teacher. See Appendix 1 on page 14 for a full listing of all city schools and their arts resources and programs. Source: NYC Department of Education, U.S. Census Bureau Office of the New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer 8

12 Map 2: New York City Schools with no Part-time or Full-time Certified Teacher Map 2 is a subset of Map 1, highlighting the 306 New York City schools that have neither a part-time nor a full-time certified arts teacher 1 in 5 schools in this sample. A majority of schools without part- or full-time certified arts teachers 182 are elementary schools. In addition, 34 middle schools and 53 high schools have neither part-time nor full-time certified arts teachers. The remaining schools without parttime or full-time certified arts teachers include early childhood schools, K-Grade 8, K-Grade 12, and secondary schools. While schools in neighborhoods across the five boroughs lack certified art teachers, schools in the South Bronx and Central Brooklyn are once again disproportionately affected. More than 42 percent of schools that lack either a full-time or part-time certified arts teacher are located in these neighborhoods. Source: NYC Department of Education, U.S. Census Bureau Source: NYC Department of Education, U.S. Census Bureau 9 State of the : A Plan to Boost Education in New York City Schools

13 Map 3: New York City Schools with no or Partnerships In Map 3, black dots represent schools with no arts or cultural partnerships, while background colors reflect median income levels by census tract. 25 percent of high schools, 24 percent of middle schools and 9 percent of elementary schools in New York City lack partnerships with arts and cultural organizations. The DOE s Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the, Manual for School Leaders, asserts that partnerships with arts and cultural organizations play a vital role in rounding out the delivery of arts education, representing a range of expertise that can complement the skills and training of in-school staff. Further, Students should have multiple opportunities every year to leave the school building and visit the world-class museums, concert halls, theaters, and dance performance venues that New York City has to offer. 37 Despite the DOE s recognition of the importance of partnerships with arts and cultural organizations, thousands of students in hundreds of schools across the City lack access to the vital and vibrant opportunities these collaborations bring. and cultural organizations can play a critical role in supporting and building-out arts instruction and programming in schools. These partnerships also offer key opportunities to introduce students to a wide array of careers in the arts and creative sector. Pairing schools with arts and cultural organizations should be more than merely an ambition, it should be a priority. A total of 244 New York City schools (16.4 percent of this sample) report having no arts or cultural partnerships. Many schools lacking these partnerships are clustered in lower-income neighborhoods, including the South Bronx (49 schools) and Central Brooklyn (37 schools) Source: NYC Department of Education, U.S. Census Bureau Office of the New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer 10

14 Map 4: New York City Schools with no or Partnerships and no Full-time Certified Teacher Map 4 shows the 244 schools with no arts or cultural partnerships, 70 also had no full-time certified arts teacher. Blue dots on the map represent schools that have no arts or cultural partnerships and no full-time certified arts teacher. Background colors on the map reflect the median household income of that area. Of these schools, nearly half are located in the South Bronx (15) and Central Brooklyn (18). Of the 22 Bronx schools and 21 Brooklyn schools that have no arts or cultural organization partnerships and no certified arts teacher, 68 percent are in the South Bronx and 86 percent are in Central Brooklyn, respectively. Source: NYC Department of Education, U.S. Census Bureau 11 State of the : A Plan to Boost Education in New York City Schools

15 Map 5: New York City Schools with no Rooms As shown in Map 5, 10 percent of New York City schools (150 in total) report having no dedicated arts rooms. Historically flawed formulas and assessments of school building space in DOE documents, including the Enrollment, Capacity and Utilization Report (also known as the Blue Book 38 ) highlight the need for clearer information on rooms dedicated specifically for instruction in the arts. 39 The DOE s Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the, Manual for School Leaders states that: Whenever possible, dedicated rooms should be provided for arts instruction. This means that the room used for instruction in an arts discipline is used only for that purpose, and is not shared or multi-purpose space In 2014 the DOE convened a new working group of which the Comptroller s Office is a participating member that is charged with assessing and recommending reforms to the Blue Book New York City public schools face longstanding space constraints, well-documented in three Crowded Out reports and a 2010 assessment of Manhattan school co-locations, released by Scott M. Stringer in his former capacity as Manhattan Borough President. The data below shows some of the results of the City s historic failure to adequately plan for arts space in our schools. This data shows that schools in Central Brooklyn and South Bronx (see insert) neighborhoods with some of the lowest median household incomes in the City are more likely than schools in other neighborhoods to lack dedicated arts spaces. In sum, more than one in three of all City schools that do not have dedicated arts rooms are located in the South Bronx and Central Brooklyn. Source: NYC Department of Education, U.S. Census Bureau Office of the New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer 12

16 Analysis of Data on Certified, and Partnerships and Rooms, by School Level 20.3 percent of high schools lack even one fulltime certified arts teacher, compared to 21.6 percent of middle schools and 38.4 percent of elementary schools percent of high schools have neither a part-time nor full-time certified arts teacher, compared to 12.5 percent of middle schools and 30.1 percent of elementary schools percent of high schools lack partnerships with arts or cultural organizations, compared to 24.2 percent of middle schools, and 9 percent of elementary schools percent of high schools lack a dedicated art room, compared to 8.1 percent of middle schools and 11.2 percent of elementary schools. Under a new administration, tremendous potential exists for a revival of arts education in the City s public schools, and for every child to have equitable access to arts and cultural opportunities that connect them more fully to the people and world around them. A series of clear steps will help move us towards that goal. V. RECOMMENDATIONS Broaden the DOE accountability framework, including School Progress Reports, to include arts education. As part of a larger review of School Progress Reports, the DOE should include information in every school profile about certified arts teachers, partnerships with arts and cultural organizations, dedicated arts rooms and compliance with State mandates in arts instruction. Parents should know what arts education resources are available to children at every school as this information reflects school priorities and curriculum offerings. Promote strategies that build schools capacity to have at least one certified arts teacher on staff. Every elementary, middle and high school should have at least one certified arts teacher, and more where appropriate. DOE should work with schools serving grades 7-12 to comply with State mandates for certified arts teachers. Where feasible, small schools should be encouraged to share arts teachers. Build schools capacity to provide a robust arts education by expanding outreach to potential cultural partners. The DOE should provide additional supports to schools lacking cultural partnerships, including helping to connect and pair them with arts and cultural organizations. The DOE currently hosts one Fair each year to encourage arts and cultural organizations to partner with city schools. This outreach should be expanded to include similar fairs in all five boroughs at least once a year. Adopt a no-net loss of space policy as part of larger effort to increase arts rooms and to ensure that every school has places equipped for the arts. Although finding or creating new space for dedicated arts rooms in New York City will always be a challenge, the DOE should ensure that there is no-net loss of arts rooms when district schools are co-located with other district or charter schools. Toward that end, Educational Impact Statements which the DOE releases when proposing school phase outs, colocations, re-sitings and grade reconfigurations should clearly specify how DOE will preserve existing dedicated arts rooms. Further, future school planning and construction should include dedicated arts spaces. Ensure adequate funding to support quality arts education at all city schools. The DOE should prioritize additional support for arts education in schools that have yet to meet at least the minimum standards set by the City and State, and break out arts spending in its budget so the public can see how much is being spent on a school-by-school basis. 13 State of the : A Plan to Boost Education in New York City Schools

17 VI. APPENDIX New York State and New York City Education Requirement Guidelines 41 PRE-K-Kindergarten: Each such school operating a pre-kindergarten or kindergarten program shall establish and provide an educational program based on and adapted to the ages, interests, and needs of the children. Learning activities in such programs shall include dramatic play, creative art, and music activities. GRADES 1-3: In grades 1 through 3, all students shall receive instruction that is designed to facilitate their attainment of the State elementary learning standards in the arts, including dance, music, theater, and visual arts. Twenty percent of the weekly time spent in school should be allocated to dance, music, theatre, and visual arts. In New York City, this is the equivalent of approximately 186 hours throughout the entire school year equally allocated between dance, music, theater, and visual arts. GRADES 4-6: In grades 4 through 6, all students shall receive instruction that is designed to facilitate their attainment of the State elementary learning standards in the arts, including dance, music, theater, and visual arts. Ten percent of the weekly time spent in school should be allocated to dance, music, theater, and visual arts. In New York City, this is the equivalent of approximately 93 hours throughout the entire school year equally allocated between dance, music, theater, and visual arts. GRADES 7-8: All students shall be provided instruction designed to enable them to achieve, by the end of grade 8, State intermediate learning standards in the arts, including one-half unit of study in the visual arts, and one half unit of study in music. In New York City, one-half unit is the equivalent of approximately 55 hours of instruction by a licensed arts teacher and may be offered in dance, music, theater or visual arts. GRADES 9-12: New York State Graduation requirements for the arts include one unit (one year) in visual arts and/or music, dance, or theater. In New York City, one unit of credit is the equivalent of approximately 108 hours of instruction by a licensed arts teacher. Availability of Sequences NYSED Requirement: High schools have the option of fulfilling the graduation requirement through either ½ unit of credit (one semester each) in both visual arts and music, or one unit of credit (one year) in one of the four arts forms. All public school districts shall offer students the opportunity to complete a three- or five-unit sequence in the arts (art, music, dance or theater). Notes on the Data The New York City Comptroller s Office analyzed a sample of 1,487 schools from the Department of Education s broader dataset of 1,545 schools that responded to the in Education Survey. Of the 1,487 schools in this sample, 603 are elementary schools, 272 are middle schools and 375 are high schools. Remaining schools comprising the 1,487 dataset include 30 early childhood schools, 129 Kindergarten-Grade 8 schools, 3 Kindergarten- Grade 12 schools and 75 secondary schools. Fiftyeight District 75 schools were not part of this report s analysis. Charter schools, which were not part of DOE s data set, are also not part of this report s tabulations. The borough with the greatest number of schools represented in this sample is Brooklyn, with 453, followed by the Bronx (353) and Queens (318). Boroughs with the fewest number of schools in this sample are Manhattan (296) and Staten Island (67). For the purpose of this report s analysis, the Office of the New York City Comptroller analyzed data from individual schools Annual in Schools Reports, located online Office of the New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer 14

18 VII. Table: Summary of Education in New York City Schools School Name Borough School Level 47 The American Sign Language and English Manhattan Secondary Yes Secondary School A. Philip Randolph Campus High School Manhattan High school No Abraham Lincoln High School Brooklyn High school No Academy for Careers in Television and Film Queens High school No Academy for College Preparation and Career Brooklyn Secondary Yes Exploration: A College Board School Academy for Conservation and the Environment Brooklyn High school No Academy for Environmental Leadership Brooklyn High school Yes Academy for Health Careers Brooklyn High school No Academy for Language and Technology Bronx High school No Academy for New Americans Queens Middle Yes Academy for Personal Leadership and Excellence Bronx Middle Yes Academy for Scholarship and Entrepreneurship: Bronx Secondary No A College Board School Academy for Social Action: A College Board School Manhattan Secondary No Academy for Software Engineering Manhattan High school No Academy for Young Writers Brooklyn High school Yes Academy of American Studies Queens High school Yes Academy of Applied Mathematics and Technology Bronx Middle Yes Academy of and Letters Brooklyn Middle No Academy of Environmental Science Secondary High Manhattan Secondary No School Academy of Finance and Enterprise Queens High school No Academy of Hospitality and Tourism Brooklyn High school Yes Academy of Innovative Technology Brooklyn High school Yes Academy of Medical Technology: A College Board Queens Secondary No School Academy of Public Relations Bronx Middle Yes Academy of Urban Planning Brooklyn High school Yes Accion Academy Bronx Middle Yes ACORN Community High School Brooklyn High school Yes Albert Shanker School for Visual and Performing Queens Middle Yes Alfred E. Smith Career and Technical Education High Bronx High school No School All City Leadership Secondary School Brooklyn Secondary No Amistad Dual Language School Manhattan K Yes Ampark Neighborhood Bronx Elementary Yes Andries Hudde Brooklyn Middle Yes Archer Elementary School Bronx Elementary Yes Archimedes Academy for Math, Science and Bronx Middle Yes Technology Applications Art and Design High School Manhattan High school Yes Media Preparatory Academy Brooklyn High school Yes Arturo A. Schomburg Satellite Academy Bronx Bronx High school Yes Aspirations Diploma Plus High School Brooklyn High school Yes 15 State of the : A Plan to Boost Education in New York City Schools

19 Astor Collegiate Academy Bronx High school No August Martin High School Queens High school Yes Automotive High School Brooklyn High school No Aviation Career & Technical Education High School Queens High school Yes Baccalaureate School for Global Education Queens Secondary Yes Ballet Tech, NYC Public School for Dance Manhattan K-12 all grades Yes Banana Kelly High School Bronx High school No Bard High School Early College Manhattan High school Yes Bard High School Early College Queens Queens High school Yes Baruch College Campus High School Manhattan High school Yes Battery Park City School Manhattan Early Childhood No Baychester Academy Bronx Early Childhood Yes Baychester Middle School Bronx Middle No Bayside High School Queens High school Yes Beach Channel High School Queens High school Yes Beacon High School Manhattan High school Yes Bedford Academy High School Brooklyn High school Yes Bedford Stuyvesant Preparatory High School Brooklyn High school No BELL Academy Queens Middle Yes Belmont Preparatory High School Bronx High school Yes Benjamin Banneker Academy Brooklyn High school No Benjamin N. Cardozo High School Queens High school Yes Blueprint Middle School Bronx Middle No Boys and Girls High School Brooklyn High school Yes Bread & Roses Integrated High School Manhattan High school Yes Brighter Choice Community School Brooklyn Elementary Yes Bronx Academy High School Bronx High school No Bronx Academy of Health Careers Bronx High school No Bronx Aerospace High School Bronx High school No Bronx Arena High School Bronx High school Yes Bronx Bridges High School Bronx High school No Bronx Career and College Preparatory High School Bronx High school Yes Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics Bronx High school Yes Bronx Collegiate Academy Bronx Middle Yes Bronx Community High School Bronx High school Yes Bronx Compass High School Bronx High school Yes Bronx Dance Academy School Bronx Middle No Bronx Engineering and Technology Academy Bronx High school Yes Bronx Envision Academy Bronx High school Yes Bronx Green Middle School Bronx Middle Yes Bronx Guild Bronx High school Yes Bronx Haven High School Bronx High school Yes Bronx Health Sciences High School Bronx High school No Bronx High School for Law and Community Service Bronx High school Yes Bronx High School for Medical Science Bronx Secondary No Bronx High School for the Visual Bronx High school No Office of the New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer 16

20 Bronx High School for Writing and Communication Bronx High school Yes Bronx High School of Business Bronx High school No Bronx High School of Science Bronx High school No Bronx International High School Bronx High school Yes Bronx Lab School Bronx High school Yes Bronx Latin Bronx Secondary Yes Bronx Leadership Academy High School Bronx High school Yes Bronx Leadership Academy II High School Bronx High school Yes Bronx Little School Bronx Elementary Yes Bronx Park Middle School Bronx Middle Yes Bronx Regional High School Bronx High school No Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice Bronx Secondary No Bronx School of Law and Finance Bronx High school Yes Bronx Studio School for Writers and Artists Bronx Middle Yes Bronx Theatre High School Bronx High school Yes Bronxdale High School Bronx High school Yes Brooklyn Academy High School Brooklyn High school Yes Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment Brooklyn High school Yes Brooklyn Arbor Elementary School Brooklyn Elementary Yes Brooklyn Brownstone School Brooklyn Early Childhood Yes Brooklyn College Academy Brooklyn Secondary No Brooklyn Collegiate: A College Board School Brooklyn Secondary Yes Brooklyn Community High School of Communication, and Media Brooklyn High school Yes Brooklyn Democracy Academy Brooklyn High school No Brooklyn Frontiers High School Brooklyn High school Yes Brooklyn Generation School Brooklyn High school No Brooklyn High School for Law and Technology Brooklyn High school Yes Brooklyn High School for Leadership and Community Service Brooklyn High school Yes Brooklyn High School of the Brooklyn High school Yes Brooklyn Institute for Liberal Brooklyn High school Yes Brooklyn International High School Brooklyn High school Yes Brooklyn Lab School Brooklyn High school Yes Brooklyn Latin School, The Brooklyn High school Yes Brooklyn Preparatory High School Brooklyn High school Yes Brooklyn School for Global Studies Brooklyn Secondary Yes Brooklyn School for Music & Theatre Brooklyn High school Yes Brooklyn School of Inquiry Brooklyn Early Childhood Yes Brooklyn Secondary School for Collaborative Studies Brooklyn Secondary Yes Brooklyn Studio Secondary School Brooklyn Secondary No Brooklyn Technical High School Brooklyn High school Yes Brooklyn Theatre High School Brooklyn High school Yes Brownsville Academy High School Brooklyn High school Yes Brownsville Collaborative Middle School Brooklyn Middle Yes Bushwick Community High School Brooklyn High school Yes 17 State of the : A Plan to Boost Education in New York City Schools

21 Bushwick Leaders High School for Academic Brooklyn High school Yes Excellence Bushwick School for Social Justice Brooklyn High school Yes Business of Sports School Manhattan High school No Business, Computer Applications & Entrepreneurship Queens High school Yes High School Cambria Heights Academy Queens High school Yes Cascades High School Manhattan High school Yes Castle Bridge School Manhattan Elementary No Catherine & Count Basie Middle School 72 Queens Middle Yes Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music, The Bronx High school Yes Central Park East High School Manhattan High school Yes Central Park East I Manhattan Elementary Yes Central Park East II Manhattan Elementary Yes Channel View School for Research Queens Secondary Yes Chelsea Career and Technical Education High School Manhattan High school Yes Choir Academy of Harlem Manhattan Secondary No Christopher Columbus High School Bronx High school No City College Academy of the Manhattan Secondary Yes City Polytechnic High School of Engineering, Brooklyn High school No Architecture and Technology Civic Leadership Academy Queens High school No Clara Barton High School Brooklyn High school Yes Claremont International HS Bronx High school Yes Coalition School for Social Change Manhattan High school Yes Cobble Hill School of American Studies Brooklyn High school Yes Collaborative Academy of Science, Technology, & Manhattan Middle Yes Language- Education Collaborative Middle School Queens Middle Yes Collegiate Institute for Math and Science Bronx High school No Community Action School - MS 258 Manhattan Middle Yes Community Health Academy of the Heights Manhattan Secondary No Community School for Social Justice Bronx High school Yes Community Voices Middle School Queens Middle Yes Comprehensive Model School Project M.S. 327 Bronx Middle Yes Concord High School Staten Island High school Yes Conselyea Preparatory School Brooklyn Middle Yes Cornerstone Academy for Social Action Bronx Elementary Yes Creston Academy Bronx Middle No Crotona Academy High School Bronx High school Yes Crotona International High School Bronx High school Yes CSI High School for International Studies Staten Island High school Yes Academy for the and Sciences Brooklyn High school Yes Curtis High School Staten Island High school Yes Cynthia Jenkins School Queens Elementary Yes Cypress Hills Collegiate Preparatory School Brooklyn High school Yes DeWitt Clinton High School Bronx High school Yes Office of the New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer 18