Arts education in Los Angeles

We often hear about the decline of arts education in schools – especially with all the budget cuts that have come down the pipe over the last few years. But in L.A. and across the country, there appears to be a movement among arts educators to try and revamp how the arts is taught in schools. A collaboration between KPCC reporter Tami Abdollah and the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism's Engine30 project took a deeper look at what's driving changes in arts education in and around L.A.

Arts education: Redefining art and education

Tami Abdollah | KPCC

An effort is underway among arts educators in L.A. and across the country to reevaluate how the arts are taught so that they better address student needs in a world of advancing technology, evolving youth culture, and a broadening definition of art itself.

How do you measure quality in arts education?

Helena Liikanen-Renger | Univ. of Southern California: CoLAb

Measuring success in education has proven tricky enough, but how does one evaluate the success of a successful education in the arts? We take a look at how politicians, teachers and schools have tried.

Arts Education by the numbers

Ricky O’Bannon and Logan Young | Univ. of Southern California: CoLAb

We set out to track arts education spending, looking to compare arts funding levels over the years. We wanted to get some historical perspective, see the kinds of arts classes offered and how they’ve changed over time.

DIY online learning: The teaching power of peer-to-peer communities

Sarah Fisch | Univ. of Southern California: CoLAb

On YouTube and Vimeo, Soundcloud, Reddit, Facebook and other social networks, artists have become students and instructors of art. It’s transforming the way we think about learning—and participating in—the culture of education online.

Greenway Arts after-school program: Where are the kids?

Chima Benson | Univ. of Southern California: CoLAb

There are approximately twenty different programs offering after-school media arts in Los Angeles County according to Arts For All. At Fairfax High School, classes in filmmaking, digital music production, script writing and set design are offered on a daily basis. And they are free. But even though hundreds may sign up, there’s no guarantee they’ll show up.

This story was the result of a collaboration with Engine30, an outgrowth of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism's Master's program in arts journalism that experiments with digital media practices, systems and tools, using L.A. as a living laboratory.