The vast majority of California's schools fail to meet state standards set in 2001 for teaching visual arts, music, dance, and theater, and access to arts instruction varies widely among the state's schools, a new study conducted by SRI International in Menlo Park, California, finds.

Funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation with additional support from the Ford Foundation, An Unfinished Canvas, Arts Education in California: Taking Stock of Policies and Practices (163 pages, PDF) is believed to be the first study to examine systematically the status of arts education in California. The study found that 89 percent of California schools fail to offer a standards-based course of study in all four disciplines — falling short of state goals — and 29 percent do not offer a standards-based course of study in any of the four disciplines. In addition, more than half (61 percent) of California schools do not have a full-time equivalent arts specialist. Students lag behind the national average in hours of arts instruction — up to 50 percent less in music and visual arts instruction at the elementary level. Moreover, standards alignment, assessment, and accountability practices are uneven in arts education and often not present at all.

Although California arts education funding was increased in the 2006-07 state budget, including $105 million in ongoing funds for a new Arts and Music Block Grant Program, this amounts to less than $16 per student per year. However, principals interviewed for the study said funding alone would not overcome deficiencies. In many schools, the focus on improving test scores means more instructional time is allocated for mathematics and reading at the expense of arts and other subjects. "This important and unprecedented research will provide decision makers with solid data as they consider the future of arts education in California," said Moy Eng, director of the Hewlett Foundation's performing arts program. "High quality, sequential arts education does more than help develop a sustained interest in the arts. It fosters the ability of our students to think in new and creative ways."