In today’s increasingly data-informed world, the ability to access, collect, analyze and act on data is vital for organizations across all sectors, and arts education is no exception. For arts education organizations and community-based arts programs, data serves as a valuable tool to raise awareness, enhance programs, share stories, secure funding, inform strategic plans and demonstrate the transformative impact of the arts on individuals and communities.

This guide provides a clear and practical overview of how arts education stakeholders can harness data to support and elevate their work. It serves as an accessible introduction tailored for individuals who may not consider themselves data experts, but who recognize the importance of data in enhancing arts education. This guide is designed to help arts educators, arts organizations, advocates and stakeholders understand how to access, collect and use data to advance goals for arts education. It can be a resource whether you’re a public or private school educator or leader, running afterschool arts programming, leading a youth theatre company, managing a nonprofit music school, coordinating museum arts-focused education or working in education policy.