Georgia Council for the Arts Releases Recommendations from the Governor's Arts Learning Task Force

ATLANTA, August 17, 2015–The Georgia Department of Economic Development's Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA) today released the recommendations from Governor Deal's Arts Learning Task Force (ALTF). Created in June 2014, the task force appointed by the Governor was asked to provide carefully researched recommendations that will prepare Georgia's K-12 public schools to effectively improve the educational achievement and attainment of students. The Task Force, which consists of 16 members from a variety of backgrounds in education, the arts, government, philanthropy, and business, met on a monthly basis from August 2014 through June 2015. During these meetings the Task Force conducted policy reviews, examined model programs, reviewed research, listened to guest speakers, and conducted site visits at a variety of Georgia schools and institutions. 'We are grateful to the members of the Arts Learning Task Force for their tireless research, analysis of best practices and commitment to improving education through arts learning in Georgia,' said Karen Paty, executive director of Georgia Council for the Arts.  'Their recommendations are informed, comprehensive and provide great promise for the role of the arts in education.' Included in the report are 16 recommendations, divided into four themes: Access to Arts Learning, Quality Arts Instruction, Support for Effective Arts Learning, and Resourceful and Innovative Approaches to Arts Learning. The individual recommendations range in scope from actions which may be relatively simple to implement to those which will require significant time, resources and difficult policy changes.  Collectively, the recommendations map a pathway to increased student achievement and underscore the necessity of collaboration among public sector, private sector and the education community. To augment the recommendations, Georgia Council for the Arts also released its arts education study titled, Arts Education in Georgia: Public School Data and Principal Perspectives. This report relies on the data collected at the state and regional levels by South Arts and provides a deeper analysis of access to arts education in Georgia's K-12 public schools. 'Decades of national research have proven that students engaged in ongoing, quality arts education have higher test scores, higher graduation rates, and are more civically active adults.' continued Paty. 'The recommendations made by the Arts Learning Task Force and the research findings provide a guidepost for Georgia, informed by local data, to build robust learning environments for our students in which the arts are utilized as a teaching tool for student success in all areas of study.' The main finding of the research is the prevalence of uneven access to arts education in Georgia. On average, access to arts learning opportunities in the state are relatively comparable to regional and national averages; however, access to arts learning in Georgia schools and districts varies significantly based on arts subject area, school level, geographic region, population density, and poverty rate. About Georgia Council of Arts Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA) is a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development whose mission is to cultivate the growth of vibrant, thriving Georgia communities through the arts.  GCA provides grant funding, programs and services statewide that support the vital arts industry, preserve the state's cultural heritage, increase tourism and nurture strong communities.  Funding for Georgia Council for the Arts is provided by appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts. www.gaarts.org About GDEcD The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, align workforce education and training with in-demand jobs, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a destination for arts and location for film, music and digital entertainment projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development. www.georgia.org