The Status of Arts Education in Ohio's Public ... - Ohio Arts Council

Comparisons among district types—grouped by size, location and median income—indicate some
inequities in access. Figure 6 shows that 12 percent of districts categorized as Type 5—major urban
districts with large student populations and very
high poverty—provided instruction in more than
two arts disciplines. However, 10 percent of major
urban districts report zero students enrolled in arts
courses. This means that a high number of the
students who lack access to arts education live in
urban districts with high or very high poverty
(Types 4 and 5). Those districts, along with lowincome
rural districts (Type 1), also show higher
percentages of schools offering access to instruction
in only one arts discipline.
Ohio’s 15 Major
Urban Districts (Type 5)
Akron City
Canton City
Cleveland Municipal
Cleveland Heights/
University Heights City
Cincinnati City
Columbus City
Dayton City
Total: 360,000 students
East Cleveland City
Euclid City
Hamilton City
Lorain City
Springfield City
Toledo City
Warren City
Youngstown City
Figure 6: Percentage of Schools in Each District Type Grouped by Number of
Disciplines Offered
% of Schools
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Zero One Discipline Two Disciplines Three Disciplines Four Disciplines
85% 88% 87%
88%
84%
79%
74%
7%
3%
10%
8%
2% 4% 6% 8%
5% 7% 9%
12%
8%
3% 5%
2%
3% 4% 3% 2% 2%
1% 1%
0.5% 0%
0.2% 0%
0.5%
1. Rural/
Agricultural –
high poverty
2. Rural/
Agricultural –
low-to-moderate
median income
3. Rural/
Small Town –
moderate-to-high
median income
4. Urban –
high poverty
5. Major Urban –
very high poverty
6. Urban/
Suburban –
high median
income
7. Urban/
Suburban –
very high
median income
Status of Arts Education in Ohio’s Public Schools 23