The Virtual Library

The Virtual Library:
Arts Education

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Arts in classes rise from ashes. The state is providing money, and setting student standards after decades of neglect. The rebirth of the arts is evident in classrooms where theater, music, dance, painting and sculpture can now be seen and heard. This renaissance, however, still requires ingenuity to chase grants, and political muscle to defend newly won gains.

Required curriculum may be the key. When the arts curriculum became a legally required part of school, arts advocates celebrated. But when grade by grade standards defined what students should know about art (and "do" art), champagne flowed. Now the UC system is about to require art courses of all applicants.

Schools short on fine-arts teachers. Districts get creative to take up the slack. Good art teachers are hard to find. Lifting the arts out of the ashes requires talented teachers, and they're still few and far between.

Students' experience in art programs - one rich, one poor. Art may be required, but the experience of students and the quality of teaching vary dramatically. This feature profiles two students, one at prosperous Los Altos High, the other at hardscrabble Mission High in San Francisco.

The Kollage concept: Funding for arts education in California may have declined, but one unique, thriving art school fills the gap for many Bay Area kids. This profile of the school and its dedicated founder shows how a community-wide collaboration can make a difference.