This survey focuses on the role of the performing arts in educating disadvantaged youth in over 320 community arts centers in 20 major cities and 12 rural counties. The variety of programs and the state of the arts are illustrated by detailed narrative description. The report characterizes the successful artist/educator as having a common ethnic background, a successful work history, and an ability to communicate extraordinarily with minority group youth. The most successful arts programs are considered as offering immediate opportunities to be actively involved, short-range objectives for quick perception and achievement of goals, and an informal, easily accessible, and student dominated work environment. Recommendations include: (1) implementation of a performing arts academy or high school in every major city; (2) giving high priority to development of reading and writing skills through film and television productions; (3) launching of a nationwide campaign for the arts as an essential ingredient in general education; and, (4) use of the arts as an early recruitment vehicle for minority group teachers. Appended are school-related and non-school-related arts project listings, information on tapes, films, cartoons, scripts, and scores produced by individual students outside of school, and samples of questionnaire, interview, and letter formats used in the survey. (RJ)