50-State Comparison: Arts Education Data Collection and Reporting

Claus von Zastrow and Zeke Perez Jr.

This 50-State Comparison is one in a suite of tools created by the State Data Infrastructure Project in the Arts — a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Education Commission of the States — to build states’ capacity to extract, analyze and report on data about arts education. The project aims to empower policymakers, communities and families with the information they need to ensure that every American student has the opportunity to excel in and through the arts.

By indicating which data states collect and publish, this tool aims to inform state and national conversations about how to make more information about arts education publicly available. It provides links to public reports on state arts education data and features information on data that states probably collect but do not publish.

The project has already released Using State Data Systems to Report Information on Arts Education, a report identifying key arts metrics states can consider tracking. Other tools and resources to come from the project will include a toolkit to help policymakers and leaders collect, analyze and report on state arts education data; communications tools on how to make the case for better arts education information; and technical assistance to help states boost their capacity for collecting and reporting on arts education data.

Source: Key Findings