Federal rules would cover arts in education and justice programs

States and local school agencies would address arts education in required plans, school report cards, and certain school-improvement plans. The provisions cover state and local school systems, including schools governed by the referenced improvement-planning rules. State plans would cover instruction, staffing, partnerships, underserved classrooms, and afterschool and summer programs. Report cards would show offerings, class size, teaching time, participation, and teacher credentials, including comparisons between the highest- and lowest-poverty schools. Certain school-improvement plans would review arts courses and teaching staff before including arts courses in the school's offerings.

Local school agencies would provide arts-related training, while specified programs could use funds or services for arts education. This covers teachers, community learning centers, and education programs serving children and teens in neglect or delinquency programs. Arts-teacher training would be provided as appropriate to local needs, while other teacher training would cover using arts in subjects such as math, reading, and science. Community learning programs could partner with arts organizations that support young people's creative growth.

Federal child care grant rules would cover provider training in defined child-development and teaching strategies. The training covers child care providers, including those serving priority groups and children with disabilities. The strategies would be evidence-based and suited to children's development and age. Defined strategies would also cover nutrition, physical activity, recommended screen use, and teaching methods that connect learning across subjects.

States would plan coordination with arts organizations, and covered programs for people returning from custody would use arts education services. This covers state youth justice and delinquency prevention plans and specified adult and youth return-from-custody projects. Youth justice coordination would involve state and local agencies and organizations, including arts groups that support young people's creative growth. Arts services for people returning from custody would aim to ease that return, reduce repeat offenses, and connect people with education and jobs.

Federal education research and statistics would cover arts education, and the national Assessment Board would select arts for student assessment. The research would examine elementary and secondary classrooms, including low-performing schools. Research would be rigorous, peer-reviewed, and large-scale, and would examine effectiveness, cost efficiency, and whether methods can be repeated and expanded. Federal education statistics would cover access to arts education and its place in instruction. The arts assessment would occur at least as often and in the same grades as scheduled before July 24, 2021.