PDF & Related InfoThe sampling frame for the FRSS Arts Education Survey was constructed from the 1992-93 NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) public school universe file and included over 78,000 public elementary, secondary, and combined schools. Excluded from the frame were special education, vocational, and alternative/other schools, schools in the territories, and schools with the highest grade lower than grade one.
Since two separate questionnaires were used for this survey-one for elementary and one for secondary schools-separate stratified samples of 751 schools were selected for each survey. Combined schools were given a chance of selection for both surveys. Those combined schools that were selected for the elementary sample were not given a chance of selection when the secondary sample was drawn. However, no bias resulted from this process, since the original samples were randomly selected. A combined school that was selected from the elementary school frame was requested to complete only the elementary school questionnaire, while one selected from the secondary school frame was requested to complete only the secondary school questionnaire.
The two samples were stratified by geographic region (Northeast, Southeast, Central, and West), metropolitan status (city, urban fringe, town, and rural), and school size (less than 300,300 to 599, and 600 or more for elementary; less than 400, 400 to 999, 1,000 or more for secondary). The samples sizes were then allocated to the primary strata in rough proportion to the aggregate square root of the enrollment of schools in the stratum. The use of the square root of enrollment to determine the sample allocation was expected to be reasonably efficient for estimating both school-level characteristics (e.g., percentage of schools that provide more than 1 hour of music instruction) and quantitative measures correlated with enrollment (e.g., the number of arts specialists or arts classes). Further, the sample sizes were large enough to permit analyses of the two questionnaires (along one dimension) by the four regions, four urbanicity classes, and three enrollment size classes (Table 15).
In October 1994, questionnaires (see appendix C) were mailed to751 public elementary school principals and 751 secondary school principals. The principal was asked to either complete the questionnaire or have it completed by the person in his or her school who was most knowledgeable about the school's art program. Principals completed 67 percent of the elementary school questionnaires and 57 percent of the secondary questionnaires. Teachers and arts specialists completed 24 percent of the questionnaires at both instructional levels. The remainder of the questionnaires were completed by other office staff (8 percent for elementary schools and 18 percent for secondary schools).
For the elementary survey, 15 schools were found to be out of scope (no longer at the same location or serving the same population), leaving 736 eligible schools in the sample. For the secondary survey 13 schools were out of scope, leaving 738 eligible schools in the sample. Telephone followup of nonrespondents was initiated in mid-November data collection was completed by mid-January 1995 with 679 schools in the elementary sample and 697 in the secondary sample (Table 15). Thus, the final response rates were 92 percent for the elementary survey and 94 percent for the secondary survey. The weighted response rates were 93 percent and 94 percent, respectively. Item nonresponse ranged from 0.0 to 1.0, with one item at 1.6 percent.
The response data were weighted to produce national estimates. The weights were designed to adjust for the variable probabilities of selection and differential nonresponse. The findings in this report are estimates based on the sample selected and, consequently, are subject to sampling variability.
The survey estimates are also subject to nonsampling errors that can arise because of nonobservation (nonresponse or noncoverage) errors, errors of reporting, and errors made in collection of the data. These errors can sometimes bias the data Nonsampling errors may include such problems as the differences in the respondents' interpretation of the meaning of the questions; memory effects; misrecording of responses; incorrect editing, coding, and data entry; differences related to the particular time the survey was conducted; or errors in data preparation. While general sampling theory can be used in part to determine how to estimate the sampling variability of a statistic, nonsampling errors are not easy to measure and, for measurement purposes, usually require that an experiment be conducted as part of the data collection procedures or that data external to the study be used.
To minimize the potential for nonsampling errors, the questionnaire was pretested with principals and arts specialists like those who completed the survey. During the design of the survey and the survey pretest, an effort was made to check for consistency of interpretation of questions and to eliminate ambiguous items. The questionnaire and instructions were extensively reviewed by the National Center for Education Statistics, the National Institute for Student Achievement, Curriculum, and Assessment, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Manual and machine editing of the questionnaire responses were conducted to check the data for accuracy and consistency. Cases with missing or inconsistent items were recontacted by telephone. Imputations for item nonresponse were not implemented, as item nonresponse rates were very low (less than 2 percent), Data were keyed with 100 percent verification.
The standard error is a measure of the variability of estimates due to sampling. It indicates the variability of a sample estimate that would be obtained from all possible samples of a given design and size. Standard errors are used as a measure of the precision expected from a particular sample. If all possible samples were surveyed under similar conditions, intervals of 1.96 standard errors below to 1.96 standard errors above a particular statistic would include the true population parameter being estimated in about 95 percent of the samples. This is a 95 percent confidence interval. For example, the estimated percentage of elementary schools reporting that they offer instruction in visual arts is 85 percent, and the estimated standard error is 1.5 percent. The 95 percent confidence interval for the statistic extends from [85 - (1.5 x 1.96) to 85 + (1.5 x 1.96)], or from 82.1 to 87.9.
Estimates of standard errors were computed using a technique known as jackknife replication. As with any replication method, jackknife replication involves constructing a number of subsamples (replicates) from the full sample and computing the statistic of interest for each replicate. The mean square error of the replicate estimates around the full sample estimate provides an estimate of the variance of the statistic (see Welter 1985, Chapter 4). To construct the replications, 50 stratified subsamples of the full sample were created and then dropped one at a time to define 50 jackknife replicates. A proprietary computer program (WESVAR), available at Westat, Inc., was used to calculate the estimates of standard errors. The software runs under IBM/OS and VAX/VMS systems.
The survey was performed under contract with Westat, Inc., using the NCES Fast Response Survey System (FRSS). Westat's Project Director was Elizabeth Farris, and the Survey Manager was Nancy Carey. Judi Carpenter was the NCES Project Officer. The data were requested by Michael Sikes of the National Endowment for the Arts, in coordination with Rita Fey, National Institute on Student Achievement. Curriculum, and Assessment, OERI, U.S. Department of Education.
The survey instruments were developed with input from several persons in the field of arts education, including individuals from the following organizations: the Music Educators National Conference, the Council for Research in Music Education, the Getty Center for Education in the Arts, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, the American Association of School Administrators, the National Dance Association, the Arts Education Partnership Working Group, the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, and the Educational Theatre Association. In addition, arts specialists and school principals who attended a focus group meeting to review the questionnaires provided valuable input as to the appropriateness of questions and wording of items.
This report was reviewed by the following individuals:
For more information about the Fast Response Survey System or the Arts Education Survey, contact Judi Carpenter, Elementary/Secondary Education Statistics Division, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, National Center for Education Statistics, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20208-5651, telephone (202)219-1333.
Consortium of National Arts Education Associations. 1994. National Standards for Arts Education. Reston, VA: Music Educators National Conference.
Leonhard, C. 1991. Status of Arts Education. Urbana-Champaign: Council for Research in Music Education, University of Illinois.
National Endowment for the Arts. 1988. Toward Civilization: A Report on Arts Education. Washington, DC.
The WESVAR Procedures. 1989. Rockville, MD: Westat, Inc.
U.S. Public Law 103-382. 103d Cong., 20 Oct. 1994. Improving America's Schools Act of 1994.
Welter, K. 1985. Introduction to Variance Estimation. Springer-Verlag.
Artist-in-residence - A visual, literary, or performing artist or folklorist who visits a school for an extended period for the purposes of teaching artistic techniques and concepts, conducting inservice teacher training, or consulting in the development of curricula Artists-in-residence may be sponsored by the district or by the school directly.
Classroom teacher - A certified education professional who instructs students in abroad range of subject areas on a regular basis.
Creative writing - An instructional program that describes the process and techniques of original composition in various literary forms, such as short stories, plays, and poetry.
Creative writing specialist - A certified education professional who has expertise in creative writing and is responsible for a school's creative writing program.
Dance - An instructional program that prepares students to express themselves through the performance of one or more of the dance disciplines, including ballet, modern, jazz, ethnic, and folk dance, and that describes dance as a cultural phenomenon. Includes instruction in choreography, dance history and criticism, and dance production.
Dance specialist - An education professional who is certified to teach dance.
District - An education agency at the local level that exists primarily to operate public schools. In this questionnaire, the term "district" includes smaller units of administration, such as areas.
Drama/theatre -An instructional program that generally describes the study of dramatic works and their performance. Includes instruction in dramatic literature, dramatic styles and types, and the principles of organizing and producing plays.
Drama/theatre specialist - A certified education professional who has expertise in drama/theatre and is responsible for a school's drama/theatre program.
Music - An instructional program that generally describes the study and appreciation of music and the study of music performance. Includes instruction in music appreciation, music theory, the historical development of music, the fundamentals of various musical instruments, and vocal and instrumental (band and orchestra) performance.
Music specialist - An education professional who is certified to teach general, vocal, or instrumental music.
Technology - Instructional tools such as computers, 1- and 2-way video, CD-ROM, telecommunications, multimedia, hypermedia, networks, etc., that are incorporated in instructional components in order to enhance teaching and learning in the arts.
Visual arts - An instructional program of arts disciplines that includes fine arts, communication and design arts, architecture and environmental arts, and crafts such as ceramics, jewelry, and works in wood, paper, and other materials.
Visual arts specialist - An education professional who is certified to teach visual arts.
Urban - a central city of a Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA).
Urban fringe - a place within an SMSA of a central city, but not primarily its central city.
Town - a place not within an SMSA, but with a population greater than or equal to 2,50(1 and defined as urban by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.
Rural - a place with a population less than 2,500 and defined as rural by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.
Northeast - Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
Southeast - Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Central - Illinois, Indiana, Iowa Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota Missouri, Nebraska North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
West - Alaska, Arizona California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
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