Appraising metropolitan arts education partnerships: a policy analysis

Abstract

Over the past 20 years, some of the most notable arts education policy initiatives have taken place in urban areas with the creation of metropolitan arts education partnerships. Aside from a few impact studies and isolated reports, little research exists that specifically analyzes their policy implications. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe the formation of high-profile metropolitan arts education partnerships. Research questions were: 1) What stakeholders are involved and how do they interact? 2) How are the metropolitan arts partnerships framed?, and 3) What are the goals and metrics associated with the partnerships? Using a policy-focused multiple case study approach, data collection included document analysis and interviews with key stakeholders from five partnerships. There were a variety of structures behind the partnerships, and stakeholders described interactions in terms of collective impact and negotiations over agendas. Partnerships were framed around equitable access to arts education alongside more sentimentalized rhetoric about the power of the arts. Finally, partnerships collected data on both arts-specific and non-arts-specific metrics to track progress.