The LA County Arts Education Profile survey was administered to all 2,277 public schools in LA County to learn about the quantity, quality and equity of arts education. We found that nearly every school offers at least some arts instruction, and most schools offer at least two disciplines. At the same time, we found troubling inequities that reflect disparities in the wider society.
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This report tells a story about the state of arts education in LA County in 2015-17. Based on data collected from the Arts Ed Profile survey, this report discusses the quantity, quality and equity of arts education in LA County public schools, identifying strengths and areas of concern.
A summary of key findings from the Arts Ed Profile report
What are the goals of the Arts Ed Profile?
The Arts Ed Profile is a research project designed to measure the quality, quantity and equity of arts education in public schools across LA County. The goals of this project are to
- Provide meaningful data to school districts that they can use to support their arts education strategic planning process
- Make data about the quantity, quality and equity of arts education at individual schools and districts easily accessible to parents, teachers, administrators and arts education advocates
- Identify issues or factors on the County level that are associated with the quantity, quality and equity of arts education provided in schools
A summary of countywide findings was published in 2017, alongside an online tool where data from individual schools and school districts could be viewed. The online tool is currently inactive.
Visit the following link to read a few success stories from both school districts and funding organizations about using the Arts Ed Profile.
How were the data collected?
Online questionnaires were administered to all 2,200+ schools in LA County. More than 900 schools completed at least part of the questionnaire. Principals were asked to provide information about their school’s arts instruction, arts teachers, community arts partners and other school-level details, while superintendents were asked to report on whether there is a dedicated staff person who coordinates arts programming, strategies for building sequential arts instruction, and other district-level factors.
What kinds of questions were asked?
Please see our school and district questionnaires for download below:
- lacountyartsedcollective.org/profile/school-survey
- lacountyartsedcollective.org/profile/district-survey
What are the sources of data for the County Report?
Data in the County Report are primarily from the 2016-17 school year (a small number of districts reported on 2015-16 or 2014-15), collected through an online survey conducted by the Arts Ed Collective and Harder+Company Community Research. The report also utilized 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 data from the California Department of Education.
Is data from the Arts Ed Profile available to view online?
The Arts Ed Profile online tool was an interactive data and map webpage that was launched along with the County Report. The online tool is currently inactive and a timetable for relaunching the online tool is to be determined.
Can I request my district’s Arts Ed Profile survey data?
Yes, data gathered from LA County public schools through the Arts Ed Profile can be made available by request. Please contact research@arts.lacounty.gov.
What is the current status of the Arts Ed Profile?
The online tool is currently inactive. There is no timetable for relaunch.
What other arts education data resources are available?
The California Arts Education Data Project was initiated by Create CA, the California Department of Education, and the National Arts Education Data Project to analyze and report school-level data on arts education courses at middle and high schools across the state. This project currently features two dashboards: one showing the number of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) arts education teachers by school level, district, county, and statewide; and one showing arts participation for secondary students by school level, district, county, and statewide.
For more information, please contact:
Matthew Agustin
Senior Research and Evaluation Analyst, Arts Education and Youth Development
research@arts.lacounty.gov