At the beginning of school year 2007/8 Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel I. Klein announced ArtsCount, a new set of strategies to enhance arts education in New York City public schools. ArtsCount builds upon the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts , which provide common benchmarks and curriculum goals for dance, music, theater, and visual arts. ArtsCount incorporates arts metrics into the Administration's measurement of school performance, establishing first-ever accountability for arts programming and signaling the importance of the arts to a student's overall education.

The Office of the Arts Special Projects will assist schools in increasing their arts education opportunities for students through the provision of technical assistance services and the development of Blueprint-based tools for principals and arts educators. These tools and more details about arts education at the Department of Education can be found in ArtsCount : A Guide for Principals , a newly-published reference manual to support school leaders as they implement high-quality arts programs. Schools are also invited to designate an Arts Education Liaison (preferably an assistant principal) to serve as a conduit for arts learning and help all students meet New York State Instructional Requirements for arts education. The liaison will be the arts point person for his or her school, facilitating all communications around the arts, including surveys, reports, and reviews. The Liaison will also assist in arts programming and establishing relationships with arts organizations and cultural institutions. A Cultural Pass will be provided to all Arts Education Liaisons to support this work.

Accountability

Schools will be evaluated based on a series of arts education metrics, the results of which will impact schools' Annual Arts in Schools Report, Progress Reports, Annual Compliance Review, and Principals Performance Evaluations:

• Annual Arts Education Survey. Tracks compliance with student participation in arts education according to New York State Instructional Requirements in the Arts; space; arts teachers; cultural partners; sequences in the arts, etc.

• Parent, Student, and Teacher Learning Environment Survey. Measure students, teachers, and parents satisfaction with arts education in NYC schools;
• Quality Reviews. Measure the extent that the school exhibits broad or engaging curriculum, including the arts, to enhance learning both within and outside the school day; and
• Regents Diplomas with Advanced Designation through the Arts. Tracks the number of students who earn Advanced Regents Diplomas through the Arts by participating in an arts sequence, and passing a NYC Standards-based arts exam (exam requirement begins in 2009).

These metrics will be tracked to understand progress by the entire system and each school on the Annual Arts in Schools Report which will be found on each school's DOE webpage.