Arts Education Partnership

| A 2016 study examined the impact of music education on youth who are incarcerated, specifically exploring positive impacts on various personal and social measures associated with participation in ensemble musical activities. Participants reported feeling more positively about their self-esteem, engagement or mood while making music than when not making music. Read more at

Music and Juvenile Justice: A Dynamic Systems Perspective - ArtsEdSearch Dennie Palmer Wolf and Steven J. Holochwost, “Music and Juvenile Justice: A Dynamic Systems Perspective,” Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts 10, 2 (2016): 171-183. Abstract: This study investigated whether participation in an ensemble-based music education program was associated ...

| Did you know? A 2016 study reported that a pre-K/K music program increased confidence and communication in participants, particularly for English language learners. The research highlights the potential for early years practitioners to be more confident in their use of music in the classroom, and the value of music for educational growth, particularly in the areas of language and communication. Learn more at

Music, Language and Learning: Investigating the Impact of a Music Workshop Project in Four English Early Years Settings. - ArtsEdSearch This research used a range of methods to evaluate the 'Soundplay' project which ran in four early years (pre-K/K) settings in Sheffield, UK, in 2014-15.

Annual Convening breakout session proposals are due today! Breakout sessions at the 2026 Annual Convening will assist leaders in gaining the knowledge and insights to ensure that all learners receive an excellent arts education. This includes dance, folk arts, indigenous arts, media arts, music, theatre and visual arts. Learn more at https://ow.ly/qtUy50YGuPO

The 2026 ArtScan update is now live! This yearly updated resource includes the latest state policies supporting arts education from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity. ArtScan includes two-page summaries of the policies, state policy profiles and a comparison tool. Be sure to check back for updates to the Policy Insight Series two-page summaries in the coming weeks. Check it all out at https://www.aep-arts.org/artscan/

One week left to submit your proposal for the 2026 Annual Convening! Do you have a passion for arts education? Do you want to share that work with others? If the answer is yes, we want to collaborate with you! AEP invites you to share a session proposal for our 2026 Annual Convening, taking place from Sept. 1-4 in Jacksonville, Florida. Submissions are due Friday, April 10. Learn more at https://ow.ly/RNpj50YCJiH

A 2016 study found that integrating culturally-responsive music not only improved students' connections to their own cultures but also improved teachers' ability to communicate the validity of each music style and performance practice without providing a definition of “correct”. | Read more about the study at

“The Music I Was Meant to Sing”: Adolescent choral students’ perceptions of culturally responsive pedagogy. - ArtsEdSearch This article is based on a multiple embedded case study, the purpose of which was to explore adolescent choral students' perceptions of culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) in an urban nonprofit children's choir organization.

Have you read this week's ? This week's newsletter includes a new report on mentorship programs for early career arts educators, info about the National Coalition for Arts Standards update process, updates from Arts Administrators of Color Network and more! Read it all at

ArtsEd Digest | The State of Early Career Mentorship for Arts Educators Check out our newest report, The State of Early Career Mentorship of Arts Educators! This report, by our Partnerships With Higher Education Working Group, explores how mentorship programs can provide a solution for the supports needed for early career arts educators. The report highlights three men...

A 2008 study explored how dance develops a sense of control over dance student's bodies, emotions, intellects and interactions. Dancers cited examples of how this skill of control was applied to situations outside of dance class and how they felt more under control with life situations immediately after finishing dance class. The dancers described dance as a “safe place.” | https://ow.ly/NYna50Ys4fA

Growth in motion: Supporting young women’s embodied identity and cognitive development through dance after school - ArtsEdSearch This research examines embodied learning, how we know and learn through our body, from the perspectives of 30 teenage women participating at two community-based dance studios in Oakland, CA.

Do you have a passion for arts education? Do you want to share that work with others? If the answer is yes, we want to collaborate with you! AEP invites you to share a session proposal for our 2026 Annual Convening, taking place from Sept. 1-4 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Did you know? Network-based professional development involving arts specialists across all schools in a district has the potential to make large and lasting impact, more so than professional development that occurs at a single school. Learn more about the study at https://ow.ly/p8Mn50YkwI3 |

A study of professional development for arts teachers: Building curriculum, community, and leadership in elementary schools. - ArtsEdSearch This study examines the impact that network-based professional development has on arts specialists and their schools.

A 2005 study looked at an arts program for incarcerated young women ages 11-17. The study found that the program facilitated positive improvements across all relational contexts of the participants. The role of the teaching artist was central in establishing and maintaining an environment that facilitated student self-discovery and self-reported behavior changes. Learn more about the study at https://ow.ly/HrxF50YcBU6 |

“We are more than jailbirds”: An arts program for incarcerated young women. - ArtsEdSearch This qualitative study examines the effects of an arts project on juvenile female offenders who are incarcerated.

Did you know? A 2012 study found that can develop empathy, awareness of multiple perspectives and cultural sensitivity to others in students. The study also found that arts integration enables teachers to differentiate their instruction to meet the needs of all learners. Learn more about the study at https://ow.ly/Sv0c50Y4Ebm |

Voices from the field: Teachers’ views on the relevance of arts integration - ArtsEdSearch This two-year study undertaken by researchers at Lesley University (LU), funded by the Ford Foundation, examined the relevance of arts integration in today's educational climate from the perspectives of teachers who completed a graduate program in arts integration at LU.