In the post-NCLB accountability era, researchers have found consistent evidence of curriculum narrowing in school districts across the country. While macro-level studies have examined the redirection of instructional time and resources toward tested subjects (e.g., mathematics and reading) and have shown cuts to school arts programs, little research has focused on how school districts decide to make arts instruction cuts. With the intent of improving our understanding of cuts to elementary arts programs, the purpose of this research was to investigate how one urban school (Lansing School District in Lansing, Michigan) eliminated its elementary arts specialists. Research questions were: (a) What policy conditions enabled the Lansing School District’s decision to cut its elementary arts specialists? (b) How did the decision-making process unfold? (c) How do people involved with the decision describe the subsequent impacts of the cuts? This instrumental case study drew on policy analysis to investigate how macro-level policy conditions interact with micro-level decision-making processes to cause arts education policy changes. Data sources included 18 interviews with former Lansing School District teachers, current employees, and community arts provider representatives, as well as related documents and researcher memos. Data were collected over the course of six months. After interviews were coded emergently for themes, I used the Advocacy Coalition Framework (Sabatier & Jenkins-Smith, 1993) to organize findings by research question. Trustworthiness was enhanced through researcher reflexivity, collection of multiple data sources, prolonged engagement with the research site, participant member checks, and peer review of analysis.Findings showed that a confluence of macro- and micro-level policy conditions enabled the cuts. Conditions included declining enrollment and budget problems spurred by school choice laws and other factors, faltering school achievement performance, and a negative perception of elementary arts teachers and subject areas. The elementary arts programs had also been weakened through teacher layoffs, permissive teacher certification/assignment policies, poor oversight, and lapsed grant funding. Analysis showed that the decision-making process was characterized by rival coalitions whose membership was defined by belief systems. These coalitions engaged in framing/imaging tactics, policy-oriented learning, “devil shift” blaming, and coordination to advance their agendas. Elementary arts teachers were likely weakened by a diversity of coalition membership and a lack of a parental/community coalition. I also found that when a community arts provider coalition surfaced after the cuts were announced, its influence was hindered by internal disagreements.Finally, analysis suggested that in the wake of the cuts to specialist positions, elementary students in Lansing have received inconsistent arts education experiences. Because of classroom teachers’ lack of efficacy and ability, loss of daily planning time, and the inconsistent visits from community arts groups and small contingent of arts coordinators employed by the district, little or no curricular arts education is occurring for students in grades kindergarten through sixth grade. Based on the findings, I offer critical reflection on a number of topics and offer general recommendations as well as implications for researchers.
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