Comparing selected art programs in Arizona charter schools and non-charter schools

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine how art is taught in charter schools in Arizona as compared to how art is taught in non-charter schools in Arizona. A review of the literature, in general, over the past several years, indicates how art is being taught in non-charter schools, but does not indicate how art is being taught in charter schools. Therefore, the study I have undertaken will, hopefully, provide some initial understanding of how art is being taught in Arizona's charter schools. In this study, I began by selecting a random sample of 102 charter schools and 111 non-charter schools, and surveyed all 213 by using a 17-question survey. My analyses of the data indicate that: (1) there are very few charter schools that do not have some kind of art program, and (2) those that do have problems very similar to those in non-charter schools.