[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2485 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2485
To expand arts education, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 31, 2025
Ms. Bonamici (for herself, Mr. Bacon, Ms. Pingree, Ms. Leger Fernandez,
Ms. Norton, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Randall, Ms. Stansbury, and Ms.
Tlaib) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To expand arts education, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Arts Education for All Act''.
TITLE I--EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAMS
SEC. 101. EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAMS.
The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C.
9857 et seq.) is amended--
(1) in section 658G(b)(1), by striking subparagraph (A) and
inserting the following:
``(A) offering training, coaching, or professional
development opportunities for child care providers that
relate to the use of evidence-based, developmentally
appropriate and age-appropriate strategies to promote
the social, emotional, physical, adaptive,
communication, and cognitive development of children,
including key programmatic strategies, and offering
specialized training for child care providers caring
for those populations prioritized in section
658E(c)(2)(Q), and children with disabilities;''; and
(2) in section 658P, by adding at the end the following:
``(16) Key programmatic strategies.--The term `key
programmatic strategies' means strategies related to--
``(A) nutrition and physical activity;
``(B) recommended practices for age-appropriate
exposure to screen media; and
``(C) the integration and utilization of
instructional methods to assist learning across
disciplines, including methods that use the arts,
language, literacy, mathematics, science, and social
studies.''.
TITLE II--AMENDMENTS TO THE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT OF
1965
SEC. 201. REFERENCES.
Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this title an
amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal
of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to
be made to a section or other provision of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.).
SEC. 202. STATE AND LOCAL PLANS.
(a) Section 1111(g) (20 U.S.C. 6311(g)) is amended by adding at the
end the following:
``(5) Use of arts education to improve student
achievement.--Each State's plan shall describe how the State
educational agency will--
``(A) support and encourage the offering of a
variety of arts education experiences to students as
part of the State educational agency's overall strategy
to improve student achievement in the subjects
described in section 8101(52);
``(B) integrate arts education instruction into the
curriculum;
``(C) increase the number of arts educators,
including arts education specialists, in schools;
``(D) utilize partnerships with specialized
teaching artists to train teachers to augment creative
thinking techniques into the instruction provided in
math, reading, English language arts, science, and
other subjects described in section 8101(52);
``(E) ensure that arts instruction provided in the
State is standards-based, as applicable, and sequential
with arts courses offered in the grades 6 through 12
building upon such courses offered in earlier grades;
``(F) increase the number of classes taught by arts
educators, including arts education specialists, with a
particular focus on classes with high percentages of
students who are low-income, students with
disabilities, English learners, or students of color;
and
``(G) support partnerships that increase the amount
of arts education and creative youth development
available in afterschool and summer learning
programs.''.
(b) Section 1112(b) (20 U.S.C. 6312(b)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (12), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) by redesignating paragraph (13) as paragraph (14); and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (12) the following:
``(13) how the local educational agency will support
learning in the arts and encourage the use of the arts
education to improve student achievement consistent with
section 1111(g)(5); and''.
SEC. 203. REPORT CARDS.
Section 1111(h)(1)(C) (20 U.S.C. 6311(h)(1)(C)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating clause (xiv) as (xv); and
(2) by inserting after clause (xiii) the following:
``(xiv) Information on arts courses,
including--
``(I) the number of, range, and
sequence of course offerings;
``(II) the average pupil-to-teacher
ratio in such courses;
``(III) the average amount of
instructional time in such courses; and
``(IV) for each semester, the
percentage (in the aggregate and
disaggregated by high-poverty compared
to low-poverty schools, which for the
purpose of this subclause, means
schools in the top quartile of poverty
and the bottom quartile of poverty in
the State) of--
``(aa) schools offering
arts courses;
``(bb) students taking arts
courses; and
``(cc) arts courses taught
by arts teachers with full
State certification or
licensure.''.
SEC. 204. SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT.
Section 1111(d)(2)(B) (20 U.S.C. 6311(d)(2)(B)) is amended--
(1) in clause (iv), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a
semicolon;
(2) by redesignating clause (v) as clause (vi); and
(3) by inserting after clause (iv) the following:
``(v)(I) provides for an evaluation of the
arts courses offered at such school during the
school day and the certification, training and
skills of staff that are teaching such courses
including teaching artists; and
``(II) based on such evaluation,
incorporate the offering of arts courses into
the offerings of such school; and''.
SEC. 205. ARTS FOR NEGLECTED AND DELINQUENT CHILDREN AND YOUTH.
Section 1415(a)(2)(B)(ii) (20 U.S.C. 6435(a)(2)(B)(ii)) is amended
by inserting ``access to the arts and arts education and'' after
``improving''.
SEC. 206. SUBGRANTS TO LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES.
(a) Local Uses of Funds.--Section 2103(b)(3) (20 U.S.C. 6613(b)(3))
is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (O), by striking ``; and'' and
inserting a semicolon;
(2) by redesignating subparagraph (P) as subparagraph (Q);
and
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (O) the following:
``(P) carrying out activities to increase pathways
to obtain rigorous, high-quality teacher certification
or licensure for individuals seeking to become teachers
of the arts; and''.
(b) Professional Development for Arts Teachers.--Section 2103 (20
U.S.C. 6613) is further amended by inserting at the end the following:
``(c) Professional Development for Arts Teachers.--In carrying out
the programs and activities described under subsection (a), a local
educational agency shall provide professional development for teachers
of the arts, as appropriate, to fulfill the needs of such agency and
the schools of such agency.
``(d) Professional Development for Integration of the Arts.--In
carrying out the programs and activities described under subsection
(a), a local educational agency shall provide professional development
for teachers to integrate the arts into their instruction in math,
reading, English language arts, science, and other subjects described
in section 8101(52).''.
SEC. 207. 21ST CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS.
(a) Arts Organizations.--Section 4205(a) (20 U.S.C. 7175(a)) is
amended--
(1) in paragraph (13), by striking ``; and'';
(2) in paragraph (14), by striking the period at the end
and inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(15) partnering with, integrating the services of, and
utilizing the services and offerings provided by arts services
organizations or other community-focused arts nonprofits and
organizations that further creative youth development.''.
(b) Professional Development.--Section 4203(a)(6) (20 U.S.C.
7173(a)(6)) is amended by inserting ``, including arts education''
after ``areas''.
TITLE III--AMENDMENTS TO THE JUVENILE JUSTICE AND DELINQUENCY
PREVENTION ACT OF 1974 AND TO THE OMNIBUS CRIME CONTROL AND SAFE
STREETS ACT OF 1968
SEC. 301. AMENDMENTS TO THE JUVENILE JUSTICE AND DELINQUENCY PREVENTION
ACT OF 1974.
Section 223(a) of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5633(a)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (32) by striking ``and'' at the end,
(2) in paragraph (33) by striking the period at the end and
inserting ``; and'', and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(34) describe how the State will coordinate services,
activities for juvenile justice and delinquency prevention with
State and local agencies and organizations, including State and
local arts agencies, arts organizations, and organizations that
further creative youth development.''.
SEC. 302. AMENDMENTS TO ADULT AND JUVENILE OFFENDER DEMONSTRATION
PROJECTS AND THE STATE, TRIBAL AND LOCAL REENTRY COURTS
PROGRAMS.
The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 is amended
in section 2976(b)(4)--
(1) by striking ``; and'' in subparagraph (A);
(2) after subparagraph (A), by inserting the following:
``(B) use arts education programs and services to
better facilitate reentry and reduce recidivism and
connect offenders to educational opportunities and
employment after reentry into the community; and''; and
(3) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (C).
TITLE IV--AMENDMENTS TO THE EDUCATION SCIENCES REFORM ACT OF 2002 AND
THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS AUTHORIZATION ACT
SEC. 401. ARTS RESEARCH.
Section 133 of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C.
9533) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) by striking ``; and'' at the end of
subparagraph (10)(D);
(B) by redesignating subparagraph (11) as
subparagraph (12); and
(C) by inserting after paragraph (10) the
following:
``(11) carry out research on the use of the arts and arts
education that is rigorous, peer reviewed and large scale to
determine which methods and uses of the arts and arts education
are most effective, cost efficient and able to be applied,
duplicated, and scaled up for the use in elementary and
secondary classrooms, including in low-performing schools;
and''; and
(2) in subsection (c)(2), by adding at the end the
following:
``(L) Use of the arts and arts education in
improving elementary and secondary education.''.
SEC. 402. ARTS STATISTICAL DATA.
Section 153(a)(1) of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20
U.S.C. 9543(a)(1)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (N), by striking ``; and'' and
inserting a semicolon;
(2) by redesignating subparagraph (O) as subparagraph (P);
and
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (N), the following:
``(O) access to, the integration of and the
inclusion of arts education; and''.
SEC. 403. NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS.
Section 303(b) of the National Assessment of Educational Progress
Authorization Act (20 U.S.C. 9622(b)) is amended by adding at the end
the following:
``(7) Arts assessment.--The Assessment Board shall select
the arts as a subject to be assessed under this subsection, at
the same frequency and in the same grades (at a minimum) as
such assessment was scheduled prior to July 24, 2021.''.
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