JENNIFER BAUM | SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
Given Michigan’s arts education climate, the decision to undertake Michigan’s first Arts Education Survey was a timely one. The survey was engineered and conducted by Michigan Youth Arts, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Michigan Department of Education, in collaboration with ArtServe Michigan and Michigan Youth Arts Education Roundtable. The report was released to the public in mid-September.
“The findings of the Arts Education Survey are the first time 
that we, as a field, have seen such concrete data on the status and condition of the arts in our schools,” said Kim Dabbs, executive director of Michigan Youth Arts.
The 96-page report stemmed from a survey of nearly 100 questions that was distributed through the Michigan Department of Education to every school in Michigan, whether public, private or charter. While the survey wasn’t mandatory, there was a 20 percent response rate, which presented a fairly representative look of about 30 percent of the total student population in Michigan.
Mike Latvis, Director of Public Policy at ArtServe Michigan, explained a few of the important findings.
“We now know that there are 108,000 students who do not have access to arts education in Michigan,” Latvis said. “Eight percent of Michigan high schools offer no arts curriculum, despite the fact that since 2006, there’s been a requirement to complete at least one credit in the arts to graduate from high school.”
Latvis continued, “We also found some interesting data in terms of what we’re spending on arts education in Michigan schools. When you get past the teachers’ salaries and benefits and look at how much we’re spending on students, we found that in elementary, middle school and high school, the median is $2.09 per student per year on arts education. When you look at elementary by itself, that number falls to $1.67. That’s less than a penny a day per student. I think we can all agree that a penny a day is a bit low.”
While the data is eye opening, it will be useful in working to change arts education across Michigan.
“We now have the ability to utilize those findings to bring back equity to all schools and for all students,” Dabbs said. “We believe that every child deserves an equal and well-rounded education, and this report shows the startling disparities throughout our state in the delivery of those goals.”
Dabbs also noted that throughout the coming year, the organizations that conducted the survey will be working together to ensure the strengthening of arts education programs in all schools and the recognition of model programs currently in place.
Once the preliminary results were in, representatives from the organizations conducting the survey went to approximately 20 state legislators in the Senate and House who sit on education committees.
“We wanted to bring legislators in from the beginning to make it a collaborative process and talk about recommendations on how to fix this,” Latvis said. “In June, we also met with Michigan Superintendent Mike Flanagan to present initial findings. And we continue to work behind the scenes to introduce key leaders to the survey.”
Latvis noted that the survey results have been eye-opening overall.
“Among everyone, it’s been surprising in some aspects. The percentage of Michigan high schools that don’t offer arts curriculum was surprising,” he said.
But luckily, the data allows these organizations to take action.
“We will be presenting this data in November in front of the State Board of Education,” Latvis said. “We’re also working with the State Board to use these results in drafting an education policy on high quality arts education.”
To read the report, click here.
There was a comprehensive study done inthe late 1970′s byt the Joint Legislative Committee On The Arts in Education co-chaired by Senators Jack Faxon and Bill Ballentine. It would be of some interest to compare the findings of that group with your findings to see if progress has een made or we are further behind than we were then. My recollection is that there was a panel of twenty five representing diverse arts disciplines, arts administrators and other community representatives.
I am a recently returned to the classroom having been on layoff and them subbing this past year. I am a K-12 Music teacher employed by DPS. The trend has been to combine elementary with middle to “save monies”. Elementary Music Teacher, Middle school Band Teacher and then an additional Choir and/or Orchestra teacher. I have 4th grade Band 2x @ week, 5-6 Band 2X@week, 7-8Band 4x@week. I teach 1 class aweek to 3 Kinder, 4 First, 4 Second, 4 Thirds, 3 Fourths. I have a Fine Arts Class of 8th grade once a week to cover for their weekly ‘GRADE LEVEL MEETINGS”. And once a week I have 6-8 Choir, at the end of the day on Fridays. I have 2 preps a week and lesson plans. My entire teaching career has been elementary and K-8 programs VOCAL. What ever way I can stir my students to engage themselves in Music, I do with the academic cross curricular and the Arts. I love my job and my students. I am exhausted with being here at 7 in the morning and hours after school. They have not had a full Music program in years…so I am just getting started.
Being a strong supporter of the arts to be brought back to all the schools. Art is what helped me build a small business for myself just with art being taught in the secondary schools way back in the late 60′s. I did not have the opportunity to go to college after graduation back in 74. I am glad that I had art! It saved my life from discrimination in the workforce for having Scoliosis!