Qualities of Quality in Arts Education

The Qualities of Quality was a multi-faceted study of how arts educators define and strive to create high-quality arts learning experiences for children and youth, both in and out of school. This study focused far less on legislative and preparatory efforts to achieve quality than on the nature of the arts learning experience as it actually occurs. The study used qualitative approaches to gain insight into the complex and ephemeral nature of people's thoughts about quality, what informs those thoughts, and how their ideas guide the decisions they make that impact the quality of arts learning experiences.

The project yielded a set of tools for educators and policy makers to help them reflect on and discuss issues of quality in their own settings.

The Qualities of Quality: Excellence in Arts Education and How to Achieve It was funded by the Wallace Foundation.