The opinion-research organization NORC at the University of Chicago has released a report on its three-year Teaching Artists Research Project (TARP). The study looked at teaching artists who make teaching a part of their professional practice at multiple sites, and found that their work is critical to the future of arts education and to improving the quality of schools. The cities in the study were Boston, Seattle, Providence, and eight California communities (San Francisco/Alameda County, Los Angeles, San Diego, Bakersfield, San Bernardino, Santa Cruz, Salinas, and Humboldt County). For the project, there were in-depth interviews of teaching artists, program managers, school officials, classroom teachers and arts specialists, principals, funders, and arts educators in a wide variety of venues. The TARP report includes reflection on the conditions and policies that have affected arts education in schools, particularly over the last 30 years, including the impact of school reform efforts and declining arts education for students. NORC—established in 1941 as the National Opinion Research Center—conducts numerous research projects involving opinion survey and other data collection and technology strategies. Links to a report summary and the full report can be found here.
Posted November 21, 2011
