LAUSD faces obstacles in effort to make arts part of core curriculum

Heaven NezCree watches her students at her Greenway Arts Alliance dance class. Heaven has taught the class for three years and says the program gives girls newfound confidence.

We often hear about the decline of arts education in schools, especially with all of the budget cuts made over the last few years. Now, the L.A. Unified School District is trying to reverse that trend.

We often hear about the decline of arts education in schools, especially with all of the budget cuts made over the last few years. Now, the L.A. Unified School District is trying to reverse that trend. This fall, the district's board voted unanimously to make arts part of the public schools' core curriculum.

But turning that desire into a reality is more complicated than it might seem. KPCC's Tami Abdollah joins the show to discuss the effort and what roadblocks schools may face. She's been working for months on a collaborative project with grad students and arts journalism fellows at USC's Annenberg School for Communication.