Teacher-focused accountability started to ramp up in the United States in 2007-2010 as the focus of accountability shifted from schools to individual teachers. Since that time, there has been a remarkable amount of change to the way that teachers are evaluated, and music teachers have been placed squarely under the microscope of accountability. In…

In this literature review, I explore poverty, the barriers to participation that exist for students in poverty, and why this issue should matter to music educators. Research findings about students and poverty generally fall into three categories: logistics, teacher attitudes, and policy. I identify participation barriers in each of these…

This article provides the author's thoughts concerning nine major events, reports, and pieces of legislation that have shaped American education over the past 65 years. It also lists several lessons he has learned from these efforts. In addition, a number of proposals are offered for achieving genuine reform in education, and for strengthening the…

On December 10, 2015, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (P.L. 114-95), legislation which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, and replaces the widely criticized No Child Left Behind Act. After various versions were offered, rejected, or revised, the ESSA ultimately passed both chambers of…

The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' perceptions about the viability and benefit of using a digital music curriculum in the elementary music classroom. A survey was created that focused on three leading digital curricula providers: PK-5/8: "Quaver's Marvelous World of Music®", "MusicPlay Online®" by Themes and…

Federal laws and funding initiatives, such as the No Child Left Behind Act and the Race to the Top campaign, have created an increasing incentive for schools nationwide to document student progress, standardize assessment practices, and evaluate teachers according to student success. In response, the Common Core State Standards, a popular yet…

In 1994, aggressive leadership from the National Association for Music Education resulted in the adoption of the nine National Standards for Music Education. Now, almost two decades later, much has changed. Standards have been studied and critiqued, and scholars have undertaken a great deal of research to identify best practices not only for…

Race to the Top is the latest in a line of federal programs reshaping K-12 education. This article traces the history and goals of Race to the Top, with particular attention paid to the means by which practicing classroom teachers are evaluated and held accountable for student learning as measured by standardized tests. Implications for music…

Recently, state and federal legislators have emphasized teacher quality in their efforts to improve public education. Many reformers believe that merit pay may prove invaluable in attracting highly qualified educators to the workforce and retaining them, as well as in improving students' test scores. While merit pay's ability to recruit and retain…

This is the second of two articles reporting the results of a study by the author regarding the status of elementary music education in the state of Utah. This article focuses on the qualifications of Utah's elementary music teachers (music certified, elementary classroom certified, artists-in-residence, volunteers, and paraprofessionals) and the…

Prior research suggests that the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is having an adverse effect on school music programs, particularly in schools that have not made "adequate yearly progress." In many instances, music programs are being reduced or eliminated, music teachers are being required to assist with the teaching of other subjects,…

Music teachers across the country are taking advantage of a wide range of grants from any number of sources--cities and towns, states, the federal government, nonprofit foundations, businesses, even generous individuals--to lend extra strength to their programs. Finding the right grantor for one's program is a major part of the equation. Before…

Although arts partnerships in schools have existed since the 1960s (National Endowment for the Arts), they are becoming more prevalent and may encourage the emergence of a different kind of music teacher. These new music teachers are often musicians termed teaching artists (Association of Teaching Artists). Although teaching artists are more…

Music education organizations achieved a huge success in Texas several years ago when legislation declared music as a part of the core curriculum. Similarly, more recent national education legislation like No Child Left Behind has recognized music as a core curricular subject. Since that time, little has been done to assess music students to…

Busy educators find it difficult to work creatively in conditions imposed by ill-conceived, politically charged reform initiatives such as the No Child Left Behind Act. In order to keep up with research findings, emerging theories and practical recommendations in the creativity literature, they need accessible, highly condensed distillations of…