High-quality arts education provides young people with opportunities to learn valuable academic, social-emotional, cognitive, and other 21st century skills. When students create a visual masterpiece, develop a performance, write a poem, or design a game, they bring together connections from both inside and outside the classroom, using their critical-thinking, problem-solving, and artistic skills. Arts instruction allows students to break free of rote memorization and gives them ownership of their learning.
Educators understand the benefits of arts instruction, but shrinking budgets, testing demands, and other priorities have forced schools and districts to curb arts education by scaling back class offerings or canceling arts classes altogether. Such drastic measures especially affect disadvantaged students in high-poverty schools.
Despite the tough times, several school districts and schools in cash-strapped areas continue to make arts instruction not just a focus of education reform but also a top priority. This "How To" article offers tips and resources for planning an initiative to increase arts education offerings at the school or district level through classroom instruction, after-school programs, and activities with local arts groups.
Taking Advantage of the Arts in Boston
In Boston, Mass., a three-year collaborative effort aims to expand arts education for all of the district's students. The Boston Foundation, a charitable foundation established to benefit the local area; EdVestors, an education philanthropy group that makes strategic private investments in urban schools; and the Boston Public Schools (BPS) Arts Expansion Initiative began the project in 2009, and it will continue through 2012.
BPS's strategic effort includes leveraging funding, partnerships with community groups, teaching artists, and staff resources to provide instruction for the full academic year to 100 percent of the district's K–8 students and to increase regular access for high school students through both in-school instruction and after-school programs.
In the recently released The Arts Advantage: Expanding Arts Education in the Boston Public Schools, Year 1 Progress Report, BPS Superintendent Carol R. Johnson discusses why the district sees boosting arts education as vital to student learning. "Our vision of the BPS graduate is not simply a young adult who can demonstrate proficiency on exams, but one who exhibits growth, self-discipline, and reflection through innovative expression and artistry," says Johnson.
During the first year of the initiative, students worked with performers from Opera Boston and BalletRox and with stage designers, graphic designers, media artists, and more. Educators worked with local universities, including Harvard and Tufts; museums; and other institutions to increase arts education offerings. The initiative includes making arts instruction more inclusive for students with disabilities through partnerships with Very Special Arts, which works with artists with disabilities, and for English language learners through partnerships with local cultural organizations.
Expanding Arts Ed in Your School or District
- Designate a Planning TeamForm an advisory board or planning committee dedicated to creating, monitoring, and evaluating a strategic plan for expanding arts education.Invite a cross-section of school officials, teachers, arts instructors, arts leaders, and other stakeholders to participate in the planning process in order to gain early buy-in and build a robust plan that draws on as many available funding streams, resources, and potential partnerships within the community as possible.
- Ask Tough QuestionsShould every student in the school or school district receive arts instruction? Which disciplines will be taught? How does providing increased access to arts instruction align with school, district, and state education goals? Asking tough questions will help the committee begin the strategic planning process.The planning committee also must ask, "What does success look like?" and "How will success be measured?" as well as crucial questions like, "How much will it cost?" and "Where will we get the money?" (Although the funding question will always loom large, seeking art, foundation, and community grants can help at least get the project underway.)The committee cannot answer all of these questions up front. Seek feedback from educators and community stakeholders before crafting a final plan.
- Gather the FactsThrough a needs assessment study, a survey, or discussions with diverse stakeholders, determine the current state of arts instruction in the school or throughout the district.Find out from a wide range of respondents, both inside the school and in the community, which students at which schools have access to regular, high-quality instruction.Do elementary students have weekly instruction in various disciplines? How are schools using community resources to enrich classroom lessons? Do students with disabilities, low-income students, or other special populations have access to regular arts instruction?Gather the information necessary to develop a comprehensive plan that will provide the greatest access to high-quality instruction, taking advantage of what is in place and adding instruction where it's needed.
- Partner for SuccessOnce you know where you are, you can move forward. Analyze the needs assessment data, and find the gaps in instruction. Conduct a community audit to identify potential partners, including universities, community colleges, performing arts groups, museums, and art and other cultural institutions.Do your research on each prospective partner. Understand the organization's mission, the demographic it serves, and its community influence. After meeting and determining that a partnership would benefit the school or district and the organization mutually, draft a proposal and suggest options for what the partner can provide, ranging from instructors to professional development to mentors to transportation. Be sure to include measures for evaluating the efficacy of the partnership.
- Identify Teaching ResourcesCompile a list of artists in the community. Some artists, called "teaching artists," have the background and skills to develop lesson plans, while other artists who do not have K–12 classroom experience might serve as mentors, coordinators for after-school programs, or workshop instructors. A teaching artist may come to a school independently, as a fellowship recipient, or through an arts organization and may serve for one day or participate in a longer residency.When seeking proposals from teaching artists, identify criteria for selecting these instructors. It's important to remember that bringing artists into the classroom should serve educational goals and objectives while engaging students in fun, creative activities.
- Provide Professional DevelopmentIncreasing the scope of arts education throughout the school or district and fostering and maintaining partner relationships will require intensive professional development for teachers and administrators.For instructional help for non-arts teachers, call the education departments of local museums and cultural organizations to take advantage of workshops where teachers can learn to integrate the arts into the curriculum. Art teachers can also learn about innovative class projects.
- Engage Members of the CommunityThe arts provide the perfect avenue for engaging parents and members of the community in the life of the school. Organize art shows in local restaurants, coffee shops, community centers, and other public spaces; host a student film festival at the school; or organize student performances at senior centers, child care centers, or in public spaces, for example. Sharing arts with the community will enrich the lives of both students and their neighbors.
