Schools Are Divesting From Arts Education as Covid-Era Federal Funds Evaporate


credit: Wired

"The arts help us learn to be more than consumers," Lakeisha Steele tells Truthout.

"They teach problem-solving skills, train children to work together and develop empathy for others."

Steele is the vice president of policy at the 30-year-old Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, and she credits the American Rescue Plan that passed in 2021 with putting needed cash into public education, which enabled the temporary expansion of arts programming.

As of 2020, just 19 states included the arts as a key education area.

Prior to the rescue plan, "we were at a fairly productive point of the pendulum swing, with the end of No Child Left Behind in 2015 and a more holistic understanding of young people's lives," says Erica Rosenfeld Halverson, a professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

But after the rescue plan passed, "the focus has been on a return to basicsreading, writing, arithmetic, and sanitized accounts of American historya focus that ignores the role that arts education can play in helping kids plug into academics and social and emotional well-being," Steele says.

According to Halverson, funding for all types of public school arts education typically fluctuates from year to year, with massive cuts implemented during

Read the Entire Article


Selected Grant News Headlines

A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.

Why the World's Best Hope For Health-Care Innovation Is Not America, But India

Vivek Wadhwa is an academic, entrepreneur, and author.Why the world's best hope for health-care innovation is not America, but India.How India's health- care innovation beats America's.How does...more

National Endowment For the Arts Terminates Culture Works Funding

Culture Works has raised and granted funds for numerous arts organizations in Dayton since 1974.Funding for their Grants for Arts Project (GAP) program has been terminated by the National Endowment...more

From Concept to Concert: Cosa Dance and Digital Arts Bring €Śenvision” to the Stage

Envision is an exciting evening of dance and filmmaking at the Coronado Performing Arts Center on Friday, May 16 and Saturday May 17 at 7pm.The evening of original dances offers a behind-the-scenes...more

6 Tips For Financial Literacy in Music From the Black Women's Brilliance Brunch

The Recording Academy's Black Music Collective has proudly announced the recipients of the fourth annual "Your Future Is Now" scholarship program.Five students attending Historically Black Colleges...more

Parsippany Student Earns National Recognition in Pta Arts Program

Parsippany Student Earns National Recognition in PTA Arts Program.Erin Kirk, a Student at Parsippany High School, plans to pursue a career in Physical Therapy after graduating in June.The National...more

Camp Artspark 2025 to Be Held At Faulkner Center

Faulkner Performing Arts Center is a 500-plus seat state of the art venue dedicated to providing a community-centered approach to the performing arts.The Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is the...more

Lauded Arts Program Faces Uncertain Future

Ongoing building negotiations with city officials and a nationwide pullback in philanthropic support are clouding the future for National City's A Reason to Survive arts program.ARTS has an unusual...more

Why I'm Taking A Gap Year(S)

Zoe Sharp is a psychology and creative writing student at AACC.Sharp will take a gap year to work in retail.Sharp is the editor-in-chief of Amaranth, the student arts journal.She plans to finish her...more

Governor's School For the Arts Announces Class of 2025

Governora€™s School for the Arts, or GSA, auditions and reviews high school sophomores and juniors in nine different arts disciplines.GSA is an arts education program of The Kentucky Center...more

Have Your Say, West Shore! Victoria Foundation Opens 2025 Vital Signs Survey
Foundation: Victoria Foundation

The 2025 Vital Signs citizen survey, open until May 30, explores a variety of issue areas for Greater Victoria, from transportation and housing to the arts and the environment.The survey, along with...more


In the world of social enterprises, failure is a cringe-worthy moment nobody wants to talk about. But, social entrepreneurs can benefit from their failures.



Federal Government Grant and Assistance Programs


Non-Discrimination in Federally Assisted Programs (On the Basis of Race, Color, or National Origin) | Special Programs for the Aging_Title VII, Chapter 3_Programs for Prevention of Elder Abuse, Neglect, | Rural Business Development Grant | National Center for Standards and Certification Information | Marine Minerals Activities | YOUTHBUILD | Maglev Project Selection Program SAFETEA-LU | State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) Education State Grants, Recovery Act | | Site Style by YAML | Grants.gov | Grants | Grants News | Sitemap | Privacy Policy

Edited by: Michael Saunders

© 2008-2025 Copyright Michael Saunders