Blog | California Alliance for Arts Education

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From 1 Art Teacher to 20

published by CAAEStaff on August 31, 2017 - 1:45pm

The Challenge: An Arts Plan Was Never Fully Implemented

The Strategy: Community Engagement

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Measuring Success: State of Arts Education Survey

published by CAAEStaff on August 30, 2017 - 2:32pm

The goal of the Arts Now Campaign is to establish the expectation that every district is responsible for providing their students with a high quality, comprehensive education that includes a strong arts program, complete with instruction by credentialed arts teachers as well as arts integration strategies being implemented across the curriculum. But how do we measure our progress toward this goal?

This fall we are launching a new, more robust set of metrics that includes both quantitative measures such as number of participants and event survey results as well as qualitative tools such as open ended responses to surveys and interviews.

With the launch of the Arts Education Data Project, arts enrollment data for every school in the state is widely available and easy to use. This provides us with a clear baseline as we begin our work with individual districts and counties. In addition, the Alliance has developed a rubric called the State of Arts Education Survey to measure a district’s capacity to deliver arts education. The survey includes seven components essential to standards aligned, high quality arts learning:

Curriculum, Student Assessment & Professional Development
Resources & Facilities
Partnerships, Collaborations and Community Engagement
Teaching Personnel
Funding
Leadership and Planning
Advocacy and Communications

The State of Arts Education Survey is scored through an interview process between a member of the Alliance Arts Now team and a local leader. This format provides an opportunity for a fruitful conversation and learning opportunities on both sides. This summer, the Alliance has completed scoring for our current Arts Now Communities and will update our findings annually to track progress and understand common challenges and trends among the groups. We have also incorporated the State of Arts Education Survey into the planning process undertaken through our Arts Now Planning Initiative. These two tools, along with our annual LCAP scan and narrative reports from the districts we work with, will enable us to better track our year-to-year progress and set specific program goals for the coming years.

If you would like more information about arts planning or Arts Now Community development, please contact the California Alliance for Arts Education. Peggy Burt, peggy at artsed411 dot org for the Arts Now Planning Initiative and Robin Hampton, robin at artsed411 dot org for Arts Now Communities.

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Implementing a Strategic Arts Plan in Napa

published by CAAEStaff on June 27, 2017 - 3:52pm

Guest author: Robin Hampton, Local Advocacy Field Manager

The Challenge: How to keep a strategic arts plan from ending up in a drawer

The Strategy: Engage community and stakeholders through events and updates

The Story: The Arts Council Napa Valley (ACNV) Education Alliance was launched in 2013 to assess the state of arts education in Napa County. A countywide assessment by this public-private alliance resulted in the drafting of an Arts Education Master Plan, which presents a comprehensive framework for the development of TK-12 sequential, standards-based arts education curriculum for Napa Valley Unified School District (NVUSD). The NVUSD Board unanimously voted to adopt the NVUSD Arts Education Master Plan in June 2016.

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Strategic Communications with District Leadership: Creating Arts Champions!

published by CAAEStaff on May 30, 2017 - 2:54pm

Guest Author: Peggy Burt, Senior Advisor, Arts Planning Initiative

The Challenge: How to communicate strategically with district leadership to demonstrate progress in arts education.

The Strategy: Structured, reflective, brief monthly reports to leadership, turning district leaders into arts champions!

The Story: The coordinators of Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA coordinators) as well as other arts leaders and arts educators in school districts often find that their work is well known by some in the district, but almost “invisible” to others.

In an environment where information is often “information overload,” how can we be strategic about getting the facts and the stories to decision makers who have influence around arts education for all students in the district?

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Building Relationships with School Leaders in San Benito County

published by CAAEStaff on April 26, 2017 - 7:51am

Arts Now Community: San Benito County

Guest Author: Amanda Chiado, Program Manager, San Benito County Arts Council & San Benito County Arts Education Alliance

The Challenge: How to build on collaboration between a school district and community organization

The Strategy: Developing 1:1 relationships with key school leaders

The Story: The San Benito County Arts Council is a key community partner in providing arts education programming to their county’s largest and most underserved school district, Hollister Elementary School District (HESD). For the last four years, they have garnered district support and funding for their comprehensive Arts in Education Program, which they have translated into direct programming at each of the district’s 11 schools.

In 2016-17, the Arts Council joined the Arts Now Communities program with the goal of sustaining and increasing district funding for arts education from HESD and to begin to build their local Arts Education Alliance. With a new superintendent, the San Benito County Arts Council was concerned about the security and continuity of their ongoing partnership. Not only did they want to maintain previous levels of funding and support, they were eager to garner active district participation in the newly founded Alliance. This is where the importance of developing 1:1 relationships with key individuals became a crucial factor in building the Alliance and sustaining arts education advocacy.

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Letter on Title I Funding to Support Arts Education

published by CAAEStaff on March 31, 2017 - 4:42pm

The California Department of Education (CDE) released last month an updated letter to county and district superintendents outlining the appropriate uses of federal funding, in particular Title I funding to support arts education, signed by Deputy Superintendent Keric Ashley.

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Murrieta Valley Unified Joins Arts Now Communities

published by CAAEStaff on March 1, 2017 - 12:28pm

Murrieta Valley Unified School District joins the Alliance's Arts Now Communities program, a statewide network of districts and counties working to increase access to arts education in local public schools. This month, Riverside County Supervisor Chuck Washington, Murrieta Valley Unified School District (MVUSD) Superintendent Patrick Kelley, and Miyamoto Music Studio Director Susan Miyamoto hosted a group of 50 parents, teachers, school leaders, arts organizations and local businesses to launch the new effort. Carol Hernandez, MVUSD's Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Coordinator, presented on the amazing arts programs currently underway and invited attendees to participate in the district's upcoming strategic arts planning process, which aims to ensure that all students in the district have access to the arts.

The Arts Now Communities program offers coaching and training, communications tools and field-tested strategies for advancing arts education in California schools. Start a coalition.

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Bringing Arts into the Lives of All Students: Burton School District Strategic Planning Success Story

published by CAAEStaff on December 15, 2016 - 9:50am

The Challenge: How to bring equitable access to arts education to a rural school district

The Strategy: Use a strategic arts plan to provide a framework for arts education throughout the district and community

The Story: Teacher Mentor Hector Marquez is highly motivated, and he has been promoting the arts within the Burton School District for some time. But he realized that in order to provide equity and access to the arts for all students, he was going to need a team, and a plan!

With the support of the California Alliance for Arts Education’s Arts Planning Initiative, Hector gathered a team of district and community members in October of 2016 to make arts education history in a small school district in the Central Valley of California.

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Bringing Arts Masterpieces to Life for All Students: A Pasadena Strategic Planning Success Story

published by CAAEStaff on November 21, 2016 - 11:34am

Guest author: Peggy Burt, Senior Advisor, Arts Planning Initiative

The Challenge: How to create a greater impact in arts education by connecting to your local arts organizations and city

The Strategy: Use a strategic arts plan to provide a framework for arts education throughout your district and city

The Story: How many times have you driven by a piece of public art or a local museum without taking the time to stop and really see the work?

Pasadena is a special place - rich with arts and creativity. But we asked ourselves, “How do we share these riches with the school district?

In 2003, the Pasadena Unified School District began a strategic planning process to strengthen arts education district-wide. The team came together to create a comprehensive arts plan to provide dance, music, theatre and visual arts education to all students, K-12 within the school day. In partnership with the Los Angeles County Arts Commission: Arts for All and the California Alliance for Arts Education, the district received a coach and planning assistance. As the comprehensive arts plan moved into implementation, the team asked “How can we create an authentic connection between the school district, our city, and our arts organizations in support of arts education?”

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Classroom Guide for Student Voices Campaign Available for Download

published by CAAEStaff on November 17, 2016 - 5:11pm

January 11th Webinar: Student Voices Campaign Classroom Guide. Slides.

In California, students are guaranteed a voice in planning and budgeting for their local school district. The Local Control Funding Formula, or LCFF, requires that districts consult with students, parents, teachers and community members each spring to create an official plan for the coming years. The Student Voices Campaign is a creative way for young people to make their voices heard in their school district.

THE STUDENT VOICES CLASSROOM GUIDE IS HERE! Click icons to download. The Classroom Guide structures the Student Voices Campaign as a project-based learning opportunity. It uses California Social Studies Standards, National Core Media Arts Standards, and Common Core Anchor Standards.