Arts education is not “extra.” Arts education is education!

Arts Justice will be achieved when every student has the advantage of a consistent, exemplary arts education, 3 or more times per week in multiple art forms, regardless of their zip code, race, or access to wealth.

“Arts in schools is a child’s right. They are not a luxury, they are a necessity.”

-Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf

What is AOK’s Arts Justice Initiative?

AOK’s Arts Justice Initiative is an interconnected, 3-pronged approach to building educational equity in Oakland to ensure that no student goes a single week without baseline access to arts education (one arts education class per week, for a minimum of 16 weeks per semester) and every student in Oakland’s financially oppressed public schools receives an equitable arts education of 3-5 classes per week in 2 or more artforms.

AOK’s annual OUSD Arts Education Survey & Report identifies precisely what arts education each OUSD student is receiving. The Survey pinpoints inequities, informs AOK’s priorities, and assists our colleagues in directing their efforts.

AOK’s Rapid Response Fund (RRF)  is designed to provide grants that quickly address any identified gaps in baseline arts education offerings (baseline = one arts education class per week, for a minimum of 16 weeks per semester).

AOK’s Landis Grants build equity through stability of funding and growing the number of offerings per week within each school.