P.S. ARTS was founded on a belief that public education is arguably the single most powerful engine driving social and economic opportunity equity. Research shows that access to high-quality arts education, in particular, fosters the development of the Four C’s – critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and compassion – essential to thriving in the modern world. The California Department of Education (CA DOE) shares this commitment to supporting every child’s achievement and wellbeing regardless of family income, race, ethnicity, gender, or other barriers to success they may face, and has long acknowledged the arts as critical instruments in building world-class public schools. In fact, the California Education Code requires arts courses are offered to every student from kindergarten to twelfth grade. In addition to integrating arts education practices endorsed by top universities, P.S. ARTS programs have always aligned with California arts education standards to ensure that students are gaining the knowledge and skills they need in order to pursue higher education in the arts and be competitive for creative industry opportunities that make up one in ten jobs in our state. In 2019, the CA DOE released new standards for K-12 Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) standards that reflect a contemporary emphasis on social-emotional development, diversity, equity and inclusion in addition to technical knowledge and skills development. The new state VAPA standards also include the rapidly growing media arts discipline along with visual arts, music, theater, and dance, further preparing our students for today’s jobs and increasing their capacity to be cultural influencers.
P.S. ARTS programs have always aligned with California arts education standards to ensure that students are gaining the knowledge and skills they need in order to pursue higher education in the arts and be competitive for creative industry opportunities that make up one in ten jobs in our state.
P.S. ARTS programs staff has enthusiastically embraced these new standards that will deepen our capacity to provide relevant, high-quality arts education programs for nearly 25,000 children. We are especially excited by the focus on fostering innovation, empathy, and global thinking built into the new standards that underscores our collective goal of having public schools that produce the next generation of socially-conscious leaders and change-makers. The new VAPA standards were based on the National Core Arts Standards and tailored to serve California’s cultural and economic climate through a public input process. P.S. ARTS also welcomes input and involvement from our supporters and other community stakeholders as we generate ideas for integrating the 2019 VAPA standards in P.S. ARTS’ curriculum, instruction strategies, and community arts events – you can contact us at psarts.org/contact.
P.S. ARTS programs staff has enthusiastically embraced these new standards that will deepen our capacity to provide relevant, high-quality arts education programs for nearly 25,000 children.
