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Expanding Access to High-Quality Afterschool Arts Programming
All youth benefit from involvement in the arts, but young people in historically marginalized communities often have fewer opportunities to experience high-quality arts programming due to cuts in arts education that disproportionately impact their schools. Even when arts programs are offered after school, they often focus on arts and crafts rather than programs that encourage original artwork and develop artistic skills.
Research for Action (RFA) published a new study, Setting the Stage: Practical Ideas for Implementing High-Quality Arts Programming, which shares lessons from five afterschool organizations that attempted to address these gaps in access to high-quality arts programming.
The programs were part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Youth Art Initiative, which was designed to offer low-cost out-of-school time programs in under-resourced communities. During the course of the study, they created new arts programs and increased the quality of existing arts programming aligned to the 10 Success Principles of high-quality arts programs.
The organizations laid the foundation for high-quality arts programming by:
- hiring professional teaching artists,
- purchasing high-quality materials and equipment, and
- creating dedicated and inspiring arts spaces.
Among these foundational elements, professional teaching artists were the non-negotiable ingredient. While high-quality arts programs require an investment of resources, these organizations tested strategies to keep costs manageable so they could make high-quality arts opportunities available to more young people in their network. In addition to promising practices in the hiring and retaining of artists, these strategies included creative ways to source materials, equipment, and space. The report also shares practices, such as scripted lessons and secondhand equipment, that undermined quality and sustainability.
Funded by the Wallace Foundation, the report contains action items for multipurpose out-of-school time organizations to create a solid infrastructure to elevate the quality of their arts programming at a sustainable cost and to replicate the programs across multiple sites.
For more learnings from this project, be sure to visit RFA's website, and use the links below to share the report with your colleagues.
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