^{Courtesy of Garden State Dance Project (Matthew Wright)}

NDEO frequently receives requests for information from journalists, dance educators and administrators, and NDEO members on a wide range of issues about the state of dance and dance education in the United States. Common requests include questions on the following topics:

• The number of dance programs and students receiving dance education in PreK-12 education, colleges and universities, studios and private schools of dance, and performing arts organizations.
• States that require state dance certification.
• State licensure requirements in dance.
• The distribution or penetration of dance programs in various environments.
• Employment opportunities for dancers and dance educators.

Back to Advocacy Tools

NDEO has created and identified various resources to help address these requests. However, in all cases, the statistics change year to year as policy and funding impact dance and dance education in each state.

Statistics: General US Education and Dance Education

To view National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) data for US education and NDEO data for dance education in the U.S., click here.

Employment and Job Outlook

To view Bureau of Labor Statistics data on dance employment, job outlook, projections data, earnings, and related occupations, click here.

State Certification for K-12 Education

To view a map of the United States with a list of states that require dance certification in K-12 education, click here. (These statistics are subject to change depending on state policies and funding.) 
 

Credential, licensure, and certification requirements for K-12 education differ from state to state due to lack of standardization in terminology, state legislation and policies, and funding. To download a chart comparing the credential requirements for dance, theater, music, and the visual arts in each of the fifty states, click here.

Fast Facts: Dance Education Fact Sheets

Every year NDEO assembles one-page advocacy papers for Congressional leaders, encouraging them to support the inclusion of dance in US education. These "fast facts" provide a snap shot of the state of dance education, including information on the impact of dance on SAT scores, research on multi-cultural populations as kinesthetic learners, states that require K-12 dance certification, and the number of children receiving, or denied access to, quality dance education in the United States. To download these fact sheets, click here.
  

Evolution of Dance in Arts Education

To read about the transition of dance education from physical education to the arts, click here.

To learn about the role the national arts education agenda has played in shaping the evolution of dance in arts education, click here.