The Colorado Department of Education

Offices | Staff Contacts | Colorado.gov

Support For The Arts

Welcome to Colorado Arts

This site is designed to provide a hub of visual and performing arts information and resources to support the academic achievement of all Colorado students.

Content support in arts education is now available through the Colorado Department of Education. Support will focus on:

  • Development of internationally benchmarked quality standards.
  • Aligning curriculum to standards
  • Identifying model curricula
  • Provide direct communication to educators in the field.
  • Disseminating best practices in instruction
  • Identifying and communicating promising practices from successful Colorado models.

Teaching in and through the arts is essential for preparing students for post-secondary workforce success.

NEW!

Now Available!- Arts Education in Colorado: Guidebook and Resources

A comprehensive guide for high quality arts education programming to meet the demands of the Colorado Creative Economy

As a way to support requirements of the Arts Education for Workforce Development Act (House Bill 10-1273) that was passed by the Colorado General Assembly in 2010 an HB 10-1273 The Arts Education task force convened to support efforts to prepare students for a creative and competitive 21st century workforce.

Thanks to funding and contributions by many sponsors, contributors and the CDE Dropout Prevention and Student Engagement Unit, an Arts Guidebook was created in an effort to connect educational needs with visual and performing arts activities in communities across the state.

This guidebook had its origins in a desire to provide Colorado schools and districts with research-based information and ideas on ways to improve or expand their arts education programs. As the economic needs of the state have evolved, so has the urgency to provide our students with an education that will best prepare them for the workforce of tomorrow, one that will require the learning and innovation skills that are taught most effectively through the arts: invention, creativity and innovation, critical thinking and reasoning, self-direction, communication, and collaboration.

The task force recognizes that all students in Colorado should have access to quality arts instruction during their learning process in school. This guide is intended to help schools, districts, parents, community members and most importantly, the students, gain equal access to the arts. Whether you live in an urban setting or a rural setting, arts education is vital to developing the next generation of American innovators.

This guidebook is available in two formats:

  1. Download a low resolution version of the guidebook (PDF)
  2. Please visit the e-magazine version of the Arts Education Guidebook

    * Please note- for text readers and non-flash mobile devices, use the "download" selection on the left navigation bar for a readable version of this document.*

 

Colorado Student Art Galleries

View Art at the Apex: An Exhibit of Works by Colorado Students a gallery on display during the month of May at the National Library of Education in Washington D.C.

Visit the Colorado Department of Education's on-line student art gallery

Visit the Colorado Department of Education's on-line student art gallery, round 2

To encourage and showcase student creativity and imagination as a strategy for educational success, the halls of the Colorado Department of Education’s main building at 201 E. Colfax and the agency’s Web site will become “living museums” of student expression through the visual arts. Staff and visitors will be inspired by a rotating display of student accomplishments in the arts, and will understand the connection between creativity and student success.

Standards Implementation