Arts Education Learning Resources

Advocacy for Educators, Families and Communities

• ArtsEdSearch, a project of the Arts Education Partnership, is a place to browse research focused on arts education outcomes. Focus areas include Student Achievement and Success, Effective Educators and School Leaders, and Teaching and Learning Environment.
• Strategic Arts Education Planning Guide: Expanding Access to the Arts in Schools and Community (4th edition) is a publication to help professional coaches, strategic planners, arts educators, and community arts leaders lead strategic planning. It provides a detailed approach and builds on previous efforts to expand planning into communities.
• The California PTA’s Parents’ Guide to Arts Education in Public Schools provides an overview of what children across the state should learn in the five arts disciplines by the end of each grade level. It is available in three languages.

Standards-Based Arts Instruction

• Creativity at the Core is a series of professional learning modules focused on many key topics that support standards based arts learning. Regional Arts Leads representing county offices of education from across California and key arts organization partners collaborated on the modules to be used and customized in a wide range settings. Recent modules include:
  • Module 12: Leadership in Arts Education (refreshed in 2022)
  • Module 25: Leveraging English Learner Assets through the Arts–Grades K – 12
  • Module 24: Teaching Visual Arts in Connection with History/Social Studies–Grades K – 12
  • Module 23: Media Arts for Elementary Classrooms
  • Module 22: California Arts Standards for Public Schools: Resources for Learning and Implementation
• Integrating Arts Learning with the Common Core State Standards includes information about the critical role that arts can play in implementing standards and explores, supports, and structures needed to build creativity and innovation into the classroom.

Career Technical Education

• The California Department of Education’s Career Technical Education Arts, Media, and Entertainment (AME) Sector web page includes information about AME programs, services, outcomes, and pathways.
• More information can be found at the dynamic AME Schools Coalition web page.
• Arts, Media, and Entertainment 2013 Model Curriculum Standards

Culturally & Linguistically Responsive Arts Teaching and Learning

• Culturally & Linguistically Responsive Arts Teaching and Learning in Action: Strategies that Increase Student Engagement and Achievement provides a foundation of key concepts and ideas about learning, teaching, and the relationships between teachers and students. It includes interactive strategies for introducing new content, tapping prior knowledge, delving more deeply into content, reviewing content, synthesizing learnings, and applying learnings to novel situations.

Expanded Learning

• Expanded Learning Resources provides general information from the California Department of Education about California’s Expanded Learning programs for year-round learning opportunities and engagement.
• Arts Learning in an After School Setting though aligned to the 2001 Visual and Performing Arts Standards, this publication may be adapted for use by those who are planning and implementing after school programs in visual and performing arts.

Other Resources for Educators

• PBS Learning Media includes free interactive lessons, videos, galleries, images, and audio related to dance, music, theatre, and visual arts.