Oklahoma One of 21 States to Participate in Nationwide Data Project

OKLAHOMA CITY (April 6, 2021) – Oklahomans for the Arts, in partnership with the State Department of Education, the Oklahoma Arts Council and the Kirkpatrick Family Fund, have launched the Oklahoma Arts Education Dashboard to increase and advocate for equity in arts education in Oklahoma.

The dashboard was developed as a part of the national Arts Education Data Project, a nationwide initiative with 21 states including Oklahoma. The interactive, color-coded dashboard shows arts education data for all schools and districts in Oklahoma to show the status of arts education in the state and give arts educators a way to show the importance of their programs.

“Not only do we believe in the importance of arts education and educators, but we can also prove the worth of arts programs through data,” said Tonnie Dosser, executive director of Oklahomans for the Arts. “When we are able to understand the current state of art in Oklahoma, we can advocate and educate the public, lawmakers and school officials to create a healthy and sustainable curriculum in our state.”

The dashboards are designed to answer questions, such as which schools are providing access to arts education, how many students are participating and access to arts instruction. OSDE has been an active contributor in data for the dashboard.

Many local educators are already aware of the impact a data project dashboard can have on their arts education programs. 

“Arts education is crucial to succeeding in education and future endeavors,” said Brandy Sitts, coordinator of fine arts at Putnam City Schools. “Cultivating empathy, opportunities for tolerance and reflection of others and ourselves are just a few reasons arts programming – and the ability to prove its worth through this dashboard – is so important in our world today.”

A toolkit is also available for those curious about advocating for the arts and sharing its launch on social media. It can be viewed at https://www.ok4arts.org/ok-arts-education-data-project.

The dashboard is now live and anyone can access it at www.ok4arts.org/ok-arts-education-data-project-dashboard.

###

ABOUT OKLAHOMANS FOR THE ARTSFounded in 2011, Oklahomans for the Arts is a nonprofit statewide arts advocacy organization made up of a consortium of individuals and organizations committed to advancing the arts as essential to improving the lives of Oklahomans and the economic vitality of our state. For more information about Oklahomans for the Arts, visit https://www.ok4arts.org/.