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More, Not Less, Arts For Kids

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Data from the National Endowment for the Arts shows fewer children are getting exposure to the arts, whether at school or elsewhere. The report in Education Week cites the decline for African American and Hispanic youth as "alarming."

Reports from adults revealed that from 1982 to 2007, those receiving arts education dropped from 65% to 50%. Among Hispanics, data plummeted from 47% to 28%. It has been suggested that arts education has fallen off since No Child Left Behind legislation.

In Philadelphia, concerns about the decline have resulted in important initiatives. Public Citizens for Children and Youth, PCCY, during the past ten years, has sponsored the Picasso Project, providing teachers who design arts projects the opportunity to apply for small grants.

Arts Rising, a major new collaboration determined to bring more arts to schools citywide, was organized for a three year period by local foundations and non-profit organizations including Fleisher Art Memorial, the Philadelphia Education Fund and PCCY, through which arts groups are building relationships with schools to bring the arts to neighborhoods. For information, contact MyArtsRising.org.

Reported By Dr. Marciene Mattleman, KYW Newsradio

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