Multigoal Policy Analysis of the Arts in Education Program of the National Endowment for the Arts and Five Selected State Arts Agencies

This study examines the grant-making policies employed at the federal level by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and at the state level by state arts agencies in regard to the federal Arts in Education (AIS) program during fiscal year 2002. The study provides an overview of the NEA's role within the context of the development of cultural policy in the U.S. that is inclusive of the evolving role of arts education policy and investigates its influence as arts education is experienced in the schools today. A consequential aspect of the study involves the examination of federal and state grant making criteria for the AIS program to determine the extent to which their funding policies reflect the generally accepted standards of broader public policy goals such as efficiency, equity, human dignity, political feasibility, and budget availability. To this end, a multigoal policy analysis was conducted to determine if in fact, the AIS program was serving the public interest and Congress and state legislatures as well as whether the federal and state arts agencies are justified in continuing funding for the AIS program. Through the use of qualitative research methods, including content analysis, the examination of the relationship between the amount of NEA funding to the national network of state arts agencies and the extent to which state funding criteria to local communities emulated the NEA's funding policies is documented. These factors in combination with the collection of quantitative data provide an overall picture of the status of the federal and state arts agencies and their ultimate impact on the communities and schools at the local level.