Through competing fiscal responsibilities, budget constraints, and rising bias shaped by the sociopolitical climate, the public education sector is under immense pressure, and it almost certainly has a magnified impact on a specific group: students.
As students navigate an environment facing multiple crises, it’s no surprise that access to a quality arts education falls low on the priorities of our system. However, arts education, specifically in Chicago Public Schools (CPS), points to broader, sectorwide trends, underscoring the need for philanthropic support to ensure teachers and community partners possess the tools to serve and invest in students.
Research-backed evidence of enhanced social-emotional learning through the arts challenges the notion that they are a luxury. They are, in fact, a necessity. That conviction drives the work of Ingenuity, a nonprofit that partners with Chicago Public Schools and the city of Chicago to expand access to quality arts education.
