Systemic Inequities in Access to Arts Education: A School-Level Analysis of U.S. Secondary Schools

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 3:45 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Navigating Structural Inequalities with Social and Techical Networks

Abstract

Arts education can enrich students’ academic, emotional, and civic development, yet access to its instruction in public schools remains inequitable. This study investigates disparities in access to arts education across U.S. secondary schools, drawing on data from the 2009 FRSS School Arts Education Survey. It examines how school location, composition, and size shape the availability and depth of visual arts, music, dance, and drama instruction. Findings reveal pronounced inequities: high-poverty, rural, and Southeastern and Western schools offer fewer arts courses. Schools serving majority-BIPOC populations offer fewer courses in most arts disciplines, with the exception of dance, where access is higher. These patterns reflect long-standing systems and histories that stratify and structure opportunity within public education.

Author

• day parker, University of Michigan