A new action guide offers research insights and lessons learned from states that are harnessing the power of the arts to drive rural prosperity. Produced by the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices, the guide offers creative policy solutions that draw on home-grown arts and cultural assets to address the urgent problems facing rural America.

The report features the work of rural arts organizations across the country and offers case studies of successful rural arts programs and organizations. Some of the recommendations include:

• Provide leadership for the state’s creative sector to benefit rural communities
• Capitalize on existing regional cultural assets.
• Build the state’s cultural and creative partnership infrastructure.
• Develop local talent and human capital with creative skills.
• Create an environment that is friendly to investment and innovation.

Read the full report on the NGA website.

The Wallace Foundation has released a new report which examines 62 afterschool programs which meet the evidence stanards of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The programs, which span grades K-12, are focused on everything from academics to physical fitness to career development. “Taken together,” the authors write, “the programs improved a variety of outcomes, ranging from mathematics and reading/ELA achievement to physical activity/health, school attendance, promotion and graduation, and social and emotional competencies.” 

The report is accompanied by a detailed guide to the afterschool programs with evidence that meets research requirements of the top three ESSA tiers. The guide also includes summaries of studies of school-sponsored extracurricular programs, studies that fell short of Tiers I-III but could provide evidence at Tier IV, and studies of programs that combine afterschool and summer learning. 

Read the full report here.

United States Artists’ has announced a new award for arts administrators and cultural practitioners. The Berresford Prize will award one prize of $25,000 to one individual who has "contributed significantly to the advancement, wellbeing, and care of artists in society."

The prize was introduced as a recognition of those who have spent their careers supporting the arts through curation, editing, arts administration, scholarship, or production. “Art doesn't just occur on its own—it’s made, shared, and recognized because spaces and conditions are created for it to happen,” said United States Artists Trustee and 2007 Fellow Ann Hamilton.

The 2019 inaugural prize was awarded to artist, curator, artistic director, and frequent keynote speaker Kristy Edmunds. 

Learn more and read the full release here. 

Arts Education Parternship, whose mission is to adance the arts in education through research, policy and practice, has releaed its 2019 ArtScan. ArtScan is a searchable database of arts education policies. The database covers all 50 states and D.C.

ArtScan can be used to compare states, generate reports about state arts education policy, and read policy papers. 

Read more and access ArtScan here.

Sparked by a report from Yancey Consulting about what it would take for ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, and Native American) arts groups to thrive, New York Community Trust announced that it has formed the Mosaic Network and Fund. 

The network began with a gathering of ALAANA arts leaders last year to guide the work, and now has the goals of "changing the structure of the social network among collaborators and colleagues and establishing a new grants program to direct more resources to ALAANA arts groups." The organizers see the network as a radical space to foster trust, communication, and mutual learning among ALAANA arts groups and NYC philanthropies. 

The work will officially launch in March 2019, when they offer the first of a series of four learning exchanges. 

Learn more from the New York Community Trust.

In partnership with the GRAMMY Museum, Robert F. Kennedy is inviting student song-writers to submit their original songs that take a stand against human rights abuses. The winner of the contest will participate in a GRAMMY related event. 

Songs can focus on a local, national, or international human rights abuse. The format is open to any genre of music, and submissions will be judged by a panel of GRAMMY nominated musicians as well as human rights activists. 

In a statement on their website, the organization says that, "using their own voices and perspectives, students can create meaningful change on pressing issues such as sexual harassment and assault, bullying, police brutality and other important topics related to social justice."

Submissions are due May 12. 

More information and submission here. 

A new study by Florida International University's Community-Based Research Institute (CBRI) at Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work finds that students who are part of ensemble-based musical instruction in an after school program benefit academically, emotionally, and socially. 

Researchers worked with the Miami Music Project, which uses the internationally recognized El Sistema program, to study three different program locations. They found that students showed that the programs offered "students cognitive benefits as well as social and emotional enhancements, presumably as a result of learning in an environment that requires disciplined social cohesion."

Read the full article and report here.

Americans for the Arts is currently accepting nominations for their Annual Leadership Awards. Member organizations of Americans for the Arts can submit nominations for individuals, organizations, or programs committed to enriching their communities through the arts. There are multiple awards honoring individuals or leaders across arts sectors and disciplines. 

Nominators must be a member of Americans for the Arts, but nominees do not need to be. Nominations are open until March 11, 2019. 

Learn more and submit a nomination here.

Three major international arts organizations stepped up to design and deliver The Basics of Teaching Artistry, an introductory Program for new teaching artists. Lincoln Center Education, Sydney Opera House, and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre embraced the challenge to present a coherent, entry-level program, open to learners everywhere, and give unprecedented access to educational resources most would never have dreamed possible.

To host the Program the three partners selected Kadenze, Inc. an LA based global leader in presenting the arts and creative education online using their suite of creative technologies. The principles of arts-led learning infuse the whole program, which is made up of four courses:

Course 1: Introduction to being a Teaching Artist.

Course 2: The work of Teaching Artists presented by Lincoln Centre Education (NYC).

Course 3: Teaching Artists, Audiences and Communities presented by The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (Brisbane, Australia.)  

Course 4: The Places of Teaching Artistry presented by Sydney Opera House (Sydney Australia.)

Read more about the courses here.

A study released in February by the Houston Education Research Consortium explores the impacts of arts education on elementary and middle school students in Houston, TX. Researchers worked with the school district to randomly assign schools to participate in Houston's Arts Access Initiative, and studied students enrolled in the program as well as students not receiving additional arts education. 

Researchers found that "arts-learning experiences benefit students in terms of reductions in disciplinary infractions, increases in compassion for others and improvements in writing achievement," as well as improved school engagement.

Read the full study here.