California’s districts are cheating disadvantaged students out of music and arts education

For the record: Prior to Proposition 28 only 11% of California public schools were meeting state standards for visual and performing arts education. It is unknown how many schools have complied with the measure since voters passed it in 2022.

What if I told you there is an art form that could address top reasons teachers quit? What if  I told you that same subject could improve your child’s mental health, physical health and  behavior, with results lasting into adulthood? 

What if I told you it could improve a student’s IQ, school attendance and test scores, that students who study it are less likely to drop out of school, and it’s been credited with giving students the perseverance and drive they need to navigate life’s hurdles? 

You’d want it put into the core curriculum, right? Right? 

Science has been heralding the benefits of music education for decades. Yet school districts have been gutting music departments in schools every time there has been so much as a hiccup in finances. They’ve been blaming budgetary concerns and the need to double down on subjects like English and math. 

This shift has its roots in the No Child Left Behind Act, a federal law signed in 2002 that changed how public schools received federal funding, tying some of it to test scores. Ironically, it has coincided with the decline of students’ English and math scores. 

Adding to that irony is the fact studies show quality music education actually increases test scores. And some schools do provide quality music education — for the privileged few. It just happens to not be available for Black, Latino, immigrant and low-income communities. I wonder why? 

School districts like to blame financial constraints on their inability to provide quality music  education. Studies have proven this to not be the case. A 2021 study done on behalf of the NAMM Foundation — the charitable arm of the National Association of Music Merchants — found the cost of large districts providing quality music education was only $251 per student, that’s nearly 2% of a district’s per-student expenditure of $13,214. 

California voters took their concern a step further in 2022 and passed Proposition 28 to fill in for the alleged financial shortfalls. This money was supposed to be supplemental, with 80% used to hire new arts teachers so they could start new programs and 20% for supplies. 

Prior to Prop 28 only 11% of schools were complying with state standards for visual and performing arts educaton. It’s unknown how many are now, since the measure went into effect.

Los Angeles Unified School District is currently in a lawsuit spearheaded by students, parents and former Superintendent Austin Beutner, alleging the district failed to comply with Prop 28’s mandate to expand arts programs. The district tried to get the case dismissed but a judge denied the request.  

If the problem isn’t a lack of scientific facts about the benefits of music education, and it’s not due to a lack of money to hire qualified and certified music teachers, and it’s not due to a lack of interest and demand from students and parents, then what is it? Why are our kids being  denied access to music education? 

At some point this begins to feel intentional, racist, discriminatory and political — like there are people out there who want to keep our kids stupid and tone deaf. It begins to feel systemic. 

In California it is your child’s legal right to have access to a fine arts education. California  Education Code 51210 and 51220 states that students grades 1-6 and grades 7-12, respectively, are to have instruction in music, art, dance, and theater. These codes aren’t suggestions; they’re the law. Yet so many school districts ignore them with zero accountability and consequences.  

Some school districts, like LAUSD, are tricky and try to go around the laws by outsourcing the programs and classes to organizations like the Boys and Girls Club. But these organizations  provide zero evidence of meeting state standards and do not require their instructors to have the same training and certification that traditional teachers hold.

It’s time for school districts to be held accountable for denying students their legal right to  quality and equitable music education. It’s time for change.