Act One fills an education equity gap
For most Arizona schools, the arts fall into the “extra” category. While some Arizona school districts and schools continue to integrate the arts into their curricula, others have reduced or cut arts programs in the face of tightened budgets and testing requirements. For students — especially those in schools that have a high percentage of students on free and reduced lunch — this means no field trips and no specific arts classes.
The Importance of Arts in Education
For hundreds of thousands of Arizona students, arts field trips have disappeared from their school days. Many Title 1 schools where most of the student body receives free/reduced lunch don’t have budgets to transport students to arts venues or funds to pay for tickets. This creates an equity gap among students whose schools can afford these experiences and those who are unable to attend field trips to museums, theater productions and music performances. Studies show that the arts enhance learning, and field trips open worlds to students they may not otherwise ever encounter.
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“This type of experience benefits all of our students because this is likely their only opportunity thus far in life to see this type of performance. With close to 100% of our students considered low-socioeconomic status, this is a very unique and rewarding experience for them!”