Advancing Equity With Policy

American education is facing more than one crisis right now as attendance rates are slipping, literacy scores are falling, the Department of Education is shrinking, and on top of all that, arts education and extracurricular activities are vanishing from our schools. These enrichment opportunities are often dismissed as extras but they’re not. They’re experiences that help students find their voice, connect with their peers, and see their place in the world. They also boost academic performance, social skills, and civic engagement.

But across the country, local, state, and federal decisions are pulling these programs out from under students. At the federal level, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is facing unprecedented dismantling. In early 2025, the Trump administration cut key staff positions, pulled dozens of grants, and stripped funding from programs meant for rural and underserved communities (Washington Post, 2025). The administration’s proposed FY 2026 budget goes even further: the complete elimination of the NEA as part of a $163 billion reduction in non‑defense discretionary spending (National Association for Music Education, 2025). At the same time, local school districts are making their own cuts. The San Francisco Unified School District is facing a massive budget shortfall, and to resolve this issue, plans to slash arts clubs, student internships, and other after‑school activities. These cuts are expected to leave disadvantaged children further behind in academic success and college readiness (San Francisco Chronicle, 2025). 

Arts and extracurricular programs are often the first to be cut because they are perceived to be “extra”. This is a misconception of arts education and other enrichment opportunities, as the arts are the scaffolding that connect what kids learn in the classroom to real‑world application. They teach collaboration, discipline, and creative problem‑solving, skills they’ll need in college and careers.Sociologist Pierre Bourdieu argued that cultural capital is the non‑financial social assets, like knowledge of the arts, participation in cultural events, and access to enriching networks. Public schools, especially those serving low‑income communities, have been one of the few reliable ways to give all kids access to that capital ((Bourdieu, 1986). However, when funding cuts gut enrichment programs, schools lose a critical lever for equalizing opportunity. Erickson et al. found evidence that the acquisition of cultural capital had positive impacts on student development. Students who attended field trips throughout the year had developed a greater tolerance for people with different opinions, fewer behavioral infractions, attended school more frequently, scored higher on end-of-grade exams, and received higher course grades (Erickson et al., 2022). 

The problem is, access to enrichment opportunities has been shrinking for decades. Between 1982 and 2008, the share of 18‑year‑olds taking any arts courses in high school dropped from 65% to 50%. In high‑poverty schools, access plummeted by 23 percentage points. These losses have been particularly severe for African American and Hispanic students, while access for white students has remained relatively consistent. These declines in the availability of enrichment through budget cuts and the narrowing of curricula under standardized testing policies have meant that marginalized students have been losing formative experiences that shape their worldview, civic identity, and personal growth (Rabkin & Hedberg, 2011). Therefore, the erosion of enrichment opportunities is not just a budget issue; it is an equity crisis. Students from higher‑income families can often access private music lessons, theater programs, and sports leagues even when schools cut these opportunities but students from low‑income families cannot afford to do the same. As a result, the enrichment gap widens alongside the academic achievement gap. 

To close the enrichment gap, partnerships with local cultural institutions, nonprofits, and universities can help extend enrichment opportunities at low or no cost to students, but these partnerships require stable funding and logistical support from our policymakers. To provide stability and funding to enrichment opportunities, Congress should reject efforts to dismantle the NEA and instead expand its grant programs to prioritize schools in high‑poverty districts. States and districts should set aside dedicated funds for arts and extracurriculars, shielding them from the chopping block when budgets get tight. Enrichment opportunities and their subsequent cultural exposure are foundational to student success and social mobility, so stripping them away undermines not only individual opportunity but also the democratic promise of public education. If we continue to hollow out enrichment, we will leave behind a generation of students less prepared, less connected, and less capable of navigating a complex and culturally rich world.

References

Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). Greenwood Press.

Erickson, H. H., Watson, A. R., & Greene, J. P. (2022). An experimental evaluation of culturally enriching field trips. The Journal of Human Resources, 57(1). 

National Association for Music Education. (2025, May 7). Support federal funding impacting arts education for FY 2026. https://nafme.org/blog/support-federal-funding-impacting-arts-education-fy-2026/

Rabkin, N., & Hedberg, E. C. (2011). Arts education in America: What the declines mean for arts participation (Research Report No. 52). National Endowment for the Arts. https://www.arts.gov/publications/arts-education-america-what-declines-mean-arts-participation

San Francisco Chronicle. (2025, July 30). SFUSD to slash student internships, extracurricular activities to close budget gap. https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/extracurricular-activities-school-student-20786354.php

Washington Post. (2025, May 7). The NEA is losing staff and programs as the Trump administration pushes cuts. https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/2025/05/07/nea-staff-departure/