Funding for string programs is an issue that concerns many, including music educators, arts supervisors, and school administrators at all levels.  How is it that some schools, in disadvantaged and advantaged areas, are able to offer excellent string programs?  Is there a commonality that can be gleaned to assist those not only in other disadvantaged areas, but in socioeconomically middle and upper districts as well?  Knowing more about how funding occurs, at any socioeconomic level, can only help everyone involved in seeing how string programs succeed.

In recent years, several descriptive research studies have been conducted to gather baseline data about access rates to string instruction in the public schools.  Leonard (1991), in an early study, randomly surveyed 1,326 schools in the United States to assess the status of arts education in the public schools.  Principals' reports regarding their arts programs were used to collect the data.  He found that approximately 35% of the elementary schools, 41.9% of large middle schools (more than 500 students), and 36.9% of large high schools (more than 1,000 students) offered string instruction.  Leonard compared his findings with a similar study conducted by the National Education Association (NEA, 1962) and reported a significant decrease in the number of schools that offered string instruction from 1962 to 1989.

Stewart (1991), in an examination of the data in the National Center of Education Statistics Report High School and Beyond: First Year and Follow-up (NCES, 1980), reported that string instruction was offered most often in the northeastern region of the United States (31.4%) and most often in schools ranked at the highest socioeconomic quartile level (31.6%).

Horvath (1993), in an investigation of string instruction in Ohio public schools, reported that over 50% of the school districts that offered such instruction were located in suburban areas, and that most schools began instruction in the fourth and fifth grades. Abeel (1994) surveyed all the school districts in Virginia to determine the number of public schools that offered string programs and found that 25% of the districts offered strings.  It was further found that 67% of the respondents reported an increase in string student enrollment due to increased program support.

Bergonzi (1995), examined the high school transcript records that are contained in the 1990 National Assessment of Educational Progress: Basic Math Assessment (NCES, 1994), and reported the following findings for high school orchestra offerings by geographical regions, school locations, and socioeconomic quartile rankings:

1. Geographical regions: (a) northeast -- 27.0%, (b) south -- 26.5%, (c) north central -- 35.5%, and (d) west, 34.8%.
   
2. School locations: (a) urban -- 43.5%, (b) suburban -- 50.0%, (c) rural -- 18.5%.
   
3. Socioeconomic quartile rankings: (a) lowest -- 12.2%, (b) second -- 34.1%, (c) third -- 40.5%, and (d) highest -- 36.6%.
   

Smith (1997), surveyed each of the 14,183 school districts that are listed in the 1994-1995 Market Data Retrieval School Directories (MDR, 1995), and identified a total of 2,268 (16.0%) school districts that offered string instruction.  Of these, it was found that 1,620 offered string instruction at the elementary school level, 1,781 at the middle school level, and 1,818 at the high school level.  In addition, it was found that string instruction was offered least often in low socioeconomic level school districts (N = 100, 4.4%) and that socioeconomic level and school district location were the most important predictors of access to string instruction.

Gillespie and Hamann (1998), surveyed 1,345 schools that offered orchestra instruction to gather baseline data that could be used to determine effective means of assisting string programs.  Orchestra teachers were asked to describe themselves, their schools, and their orchestra's curriculum, students, and music.  Findings indicated (1) a continued enrollment increase in school orchestras in the 1990s, (2) larger schools were more apt to offer orchestra, (3) the majority of orchestra students and teachers were white, and 4) 20% of the orchestra students were in the upper 10% of their graduating class.

Jensen (1992), in a study of federal arts education policy, reported that the Education Consolidation Act of 1981 resulted in a twenty-five percent reduction in federal aid to arts education.  This legislation had a direct impact on urban school districts where there were large numbers of economically and culturally disadvantaged students because many of the arts programs were eliminated.  The Senate Hearing Report on Arts Education and Magnet Schools (1999) indicated that the trend in urban districts during the 1980s and 1990s was toward providing arts education in magnet schools rather than in traditional K-12 schools.  This occurred primarily because federal grants were provided to school districts through the Magnet School Assistance Program to develop such schools.  This limiting of arts education to special schools further exacerbated the problem of access to string instruction for low socioeconomic level students because such instruction was only offered in a few schools within each district.

The studies by Bergonzi, Smith, and Stewart indicated that access to string instruction in the public schools was closely linked to socioeconomic level with strings offered most often in districts that were ranked in the upper socioeconomic quartiles.  Horvath and Bergonzi also pointed out that strings were offered most often in suburban school districts.  The Smith findings further indicated that socioeconomic level and school district location were strongly, positively related to each other. 

While the previously cited studies focused primarily on gathering data about the number of school districts that offered string instruction, none of them examined the types of string programs that were offered in low socioeconomic level school districts or how such programs were funded.  The purposes of the current study were to 1) gather data about the types of string programs that were offered in low socioeconomic level school districts where more than twenty-five percent of the children fell below the U.S. Census poverty level, and 2) to determine how such programs were funded.  Such information could then be used to determine how string programs might be implemented in similar districts where string instruction is not currently offered.

1. The number, type, and size of high schools that offered orchestra.
   
2. The time of day when the orchestra classes were held, how often they met, and the length of the class sessions.
   
3. The types of teachers who taught the orchestra classes and how their salaries were funded.
   
4. The funding sources that were used to provide string instruments, music, and other supplies such as rosin and strings.
   

Section two dealt with string instruction at the middle school level and contained questions that were similar to those in section one.  Additional questions were included that covered the following topics:

1. The grade levels at which beginning string classes were offered.
   
2. The grade levels at which string orchestra was offered.
   

Section three dealt with string instruction at the elementary school level and contained questions that were similar to those in sections one and two.  Questions were also included that covered the following topics:

1. The grade level at which beginning string class instruction  was first offered.
   
2. The type of string class groupings that were utilized.
   

The 100 low socioeconomic level school districts that had been identified in the Smith study as offering string instruction were contacted to determine if they still had viable string programs.  Of these, it was found that 72 districts offered strings during the 1999-2000 academic year and 28 had eliminated their programs due to budget constraints.  The districts that offered strings were grouped into size categories by total student enrollment as follows: 1) 3,500 to 9,999 students (23 districts), 2) 10,000 to 19,999 students (16 districts), 3) 20,000 to 29,999 students (10 districts), 4) 30,000 to 49,999 students (11 districts), and 5) 50,000 to 225,000 students (12 districts).  Questionnaires were then mailed to all 72 districts.

The findings for district location by size are presented in Table 2.  It was found that most districts with less than 10,000 students were located in rural areas.  All districts in the other size categories were located in urban areas.

The findings for high school orchestra offerings by district size and school type are presented in Table 3.  It was found that 90 percent of the districts offered orchestra at this level.  In addition, it was found that as district size increased orchestra was offered more frequently in either performing arts or academically gifted schools rather than in traditional grade nine through twelve high schools.  Fisher's exact test comparisons indicated that school type differences among the size categories were statistically significant at this educational level.  Orchestra classes met daily during regular school hours in all districts for either fifty-minute (37 districts) or ninety-minute (17 districts) class sessions.

The findings for middle school string offerings are presented in Table 4.  It was found that 85 percent of the districts offered strings at this level.  The findings were similar to those obtained for the high school level in that larger districts with more than 30,000 students also tended to offer strings more frequently in performing arts and academically gifted schools.  Fisher's exact test comparisons indicated that school type differences among the sizes categories were also statistically significant at the middle school level.   String classes met  during regular school hours in all districts either five days a week (33 districts) or three days a week (18 districts).  Class session length ranged from forty minutes in 23 districts to fifty minutes in 28 districts.  In addition, it was found that string orchestra was offered at all grade levels in 43 districts and in grades seven and eight in the remaining eight districts.  Beginning string classes used heterogeneous grouping and were offered in sixth grade in most districts.

The findings for elementary school string programs are presented in Table 5.  It was found that 70 percent of the districts offered string instruction at this level.  Although larger districts also tended to offer strings more frequently in performing arts and academically gifted schools at this level, school type differences among the size categories were not found to be statistically significant.  Classes met during regular school hours as follows: 1) once a week (12 districts), 2) twice a week (21 districts), 3) three times a week (5 districts), and 4) four times a week (4 districts).  Class session length ranged from thirty minutes in 27 districts to forty minutes in 15 districts. 

Beginning string classes were offered at the following grade levels: 1) grade two (5 districts), 2) grade three (19 districts), and 3) grades four and five (18 districts).  Heterogeneous grouping was used most often (31 districts) followed by homogeneous grouping (11 districts).

The lower percentage of districts that offered strings in the elementary grades most likely can be attributed to the limited funds that were budgeted for music programs at this educational level.  While high schools and middle schools are generally large enough to justify the employment of separate instrumental and choral music specialists, most elementary schools are too small to employ more than one music specialist.

The lack of significance for school type at this level can be explained by the decreased number of districts that offered strings in magnet arts and academically gifted schools in relation to the number that offered strings in traditional K-5 schools.  This was found to be especially true in districts with less than 30,000 students.

The findings for teacher type are presented in Table 6.  It was found that larger districts used more nonstring specialists to teach strings, particularly at the high school and middle school levels.  Fisher's exact test comparisons for all three levels indicated that teacher type differences among the size categories were not statistically significant.

The findings for the funding sources for the teachers' salaries are presented in Table 7.  It was found that 1) almost half the districts with less than 10,000 students used outside funding sources to pay the teachers; and 2) approximately one-third of the districts with more than 30,000 students used alternate funding sources.  Fisher's exact test comparisons revealed no significant differences among the size categories for this funding variable.

The findings for the funding sources for instruments are presented in Table 8.  It was found that approximately one-third of the districts with less than 10,000 students and those with 30,000 to 50,000 students used alternate funding sources to provide string instruments at the high school, middle school, and elementary school levels.  Fisher's exact test comparisons also revealed no significant differences among the size categories for this funding variable.

The findings for the funding for music and supplies are presented in Table 9.  It was found that forty percent of the districts with less than 10,000 students and forty-five percent of the districts with 30,000 to 50,000 students did not provide any funds for music or other supplies.  The amount provided in the other districts ranged from a low of $3,166.00 per district to a high of $7,360.00 per district.  Fisher's exact test comparisons further revealed no significant differences among the size categories for this funding variable.

Perhaps the most important findings of this study are those related to the funding of string programs in low socioeconomic level school districts.  Among the alternate funding sources identified were: