A core function of the work of the Music & Arts Education Data Lab (MADLab) is to understand the present status of music and arts education in American schools.

In this work, we analyze large government and administrative datasets to answer questions about the state of the arts. If a rising body of research suggests that there are tangible educational, psychological, and social benefits to studying music and the arts, then it is imperative that parents, teachers, researchers, and policymakers know who has the opportunity To receive the benefits that music and arts instruction might provide.

MADLab research on the status of arts education documents the demographics of music and arts students, music and arts teachers, and the characteristics of schools that are associated with the availability of comprehensive arts education.

Current research projects on this line of inquiry are answering questions such as:

Who takes music, art, dance, and drama in K-12 schools, and how do these students differ from non-arts students?

What are the demographics of arts educators, and how do arts teachers differ from teachers of other subjects?

What schools offer arts programs? What school characteristics promote the availability of comprehensive arts education?