Superintendent Woods announces continued expansion of fine arts instruction

State School Superintendent Richard Woods is announcing a continued expansion of fine arts instruction in Georgia.

The Georgia Department of Education is creating new fine arts pathways for high school students and advocating for an expansion of fine arts staffing at the elementary level along with the inclusion of AP, IB, and Cambridge fine arts courses for HOPE Rigor credit.

“The fine arts have always mattered immensely to me because of what they do for students as learners and as people,” Superintendent Woods said. “As an educator, I’ve seen time and again how the arts help students build confidence, discipline, and a deeper connection to their education. When we expand access to fine arts instruction, we’re not adding something extra. We’re strengthening the foundation of a well-rounded education and honoring the talents and interests of every student in Georgia.”

New Actions to Expand Fine Arts Instruction

Currently, there are four Pathway options for high school students: Academic Pathways, Advanced Academic Pathways, CTAE Pathways, and Academic Career Pathways. Academic Career Pathways offer a blend of existing academic and Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) courses, recognizing the strong link between higher academic learning and hands-on CTAE application.

GaDOE is adding a new Fine Arts Advanced Academic Pathway, and Superintendent Woods has called on the Georgia Student Finance Commission to add AP, IB, and upper-level Cambridge Fine Arts courses to the HOPE Rigor course list. Currently, many creative industry careers are included on Georgia’s High Demand Career List, and schools are being incentivized through the state accountability system to involve students in those pathways – but students are simultaneously being penalized through impacts on their HOPE eligibility. By creating Fine Arts Advanced Academic Pathways and including courses on the HOPE Rigor list, the agency hopes to recognize students pursuing high-level fine arts instruction, like AP Music Theory, that prepares them for careers in the creative industries.

Additionally, GaDOE is launching Creative Industries Pathways as part of the state’s Academic Career Pathway offerings, supporting career preparation in the creative industries by blending CTAE and fine arts courses. The Creative Industries Pathways will include eight offerings, including four new fine arts-focused pathways: Teaching as a Profession, Audio-Video Technology and Film, Audio Technology for Live Production, and Audio Technology for Post-Production. All eight offerings in the new Creative Industries Pathways are tied to careers on Georgia’s statewide and regional High Demand Career lists. For example, the Teaching as a Profession Creative Industries pathway mixes CTAE Teaching as a Profession courses with fine arts courses for students interested in a fine arts-focused teaching career.

To enhance access to the fine arts and build the creative industries pipeline, GaDOE’s legislative priorities call on the General Assembly to adjust the elementary school staff ratio in the Quality Basic Education (QBE) formula to increase funds for elementary art, music, and physical education. The current QBE ratio provides only one art, music, or physical education teacher for every 350 students. Kindergarten is not included in the QBE ratio.

Superintendent Woods shared these new initiatives last week with arts educators at the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA)’s annual conference.

“GMEA values our continued partnership with the Georgia Department of Education in advancing high-quality fine arts instruction for every student,” GMEA President Andy Esserwein said. “The initiatives proposed by GaDOE will expand fine arts opportunities that enrich students’ lives and strengthen the creative capacities essential to Georgia’s future workforce. We applaud Superintendent Woods’ leadership and unwavering commitment to ensure that music and the arts remain integral components of a well-rounded education.”

Georgia’s commitment to the fine arts aligns directly with the Governor’s Top State for Talent initiative – as many of Georgia’s High Demand Careers and connected to the creative industries.

“Georgia’s creative industries are thriving, and they need students who are skilled adaptable, and prepared for careers in these fields,” GaDOE Fine Arts Program Manager Jessica Booth said. “When we invest in strong fine arts programs, we’re both nurturing creativity and building pathways into fields like film, audio production, design, and arts education that are vital to our state’s economy.”

History of Fine Arts Expansion in Georgia

GaDOE has been focused on expansion of fine arts instruction throughout the last decade. In 2015, Superintendent Woods created the agency’s first state-level fine arts role – now a team of three supporting multiple fine arts disciplines. This team has expanded virtual fine arts access, developed curriculum resources for arts courses, and launched a statewide dashboard to track fine arts access. To represent arts stakeholders from across the state, they also convened a District Arts Coordinators Council and established a Fine Arts Advisory Committee.

GaDOE also introduced Science, Technology, Engineering, and Arts (STEAM) school certification focused on arts integration with STEM instruction, created new fine arts pathways and a Fine Arts Diploma Seal, and invested more than $2 million in grants to help school districts launch, build, and sustain fine arts programs.

The arts remain a core priority for the agency outlined in the Student Bill of Rights, which affirms students’ right to access opportunities aligned to personal needs, interests, and passions – including the fine arts.