Americans for the Arts, a grantee of our Performing Arts Program, recently announced that California is among ten states joining a three-year pilot program to strengthen arts education by advancing state policy:

Americans for the Arts will support each state team with customized coaching and technical assistance throughout the three-year pilot, via web-based tools and site visits. Additionally, teams will receive a direct grant of $10,000 each year of the three-year pilot program to support identified goals.

Through the three-year engagement, each state team will work toward specific objectives, resources and outcomes that they seek to impact. With issues ranging from teacher effectiveness to high school graduation requirements to Title I funding to equitable implementation of state policies—the ten states are tackling complicated education policy topics. Participating states vary greatly in size, political landscape, geography, population size, demographics, and arts education conditions.

The initial team implementing the pilot in California includes two Hewlett Foundation grantees: the California Alliance for Arts Education, the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA), as well as the California Department of Education (CDE).