Gaining the Arts Advantage: Lessons from School Districts That Value Arts Education
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 429 029 SO 030 865 AUTHOR Longley, Laura, Ed. TITLE Gaining the Arts Advantage: Lessons from School Districts that Value Arts Education. INSTITUTION President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, Washington, DC.; Department of Education, Washington, DC.; National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, DC.; White House Millennium Council, Washington, DC.; Arts Education Partnership, Washington, DC. SPONS AGENCY General Electric Foundation, Ossining, NY.; Binney and Smith, Inc., Easton, PA.; John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Chicago, IL. PUB DATE 1999-00-00 NOTE 93p. AVAILABLE FROM President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 526, Washington, DC 20506; Tel: 202-682-5409; Web site: http://www.pcah.gov PUB TYPE Reports - Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC04 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Art Education; *Community Influence; *Community Involvement; Educational Resources; Elementary Secondary Education; *Financial Support; Program Development; Public Schools; *School Districts; *Staff Development ABSTRACT This report responds to questions posed by school and community leaders throughout the United States about public school districts that have made competence in the arts, as well as literacy, one of the fundamental goals of education for students. Ninety-one school districts are featured in this report, but hundreds more were identified by state and national education and arts organizations as having outstanding arts education throughout their schools. The report provides information about how school districts developed and sustained arts education in the face of the enormous pressure to prove the success of their schools by accountability measures that focus largely on reading, mathematics, and writing. It documents practices used by the school districts to address staffing and program and resource needs. The central finding of this report is that the critical factor in sustaining arts education in schools is the active involvement of influential segments of the community in shaping and implementing the policies and programs from each school district. (LB) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** 4, .t At:* 1 4.1 N 0 \ 'I\ r \\ '":4'\\\, 1\ i , il j) A U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement 111111111111 EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) ErThis document has been reproducedas received from the person or organization originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. o Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. eitiAgibt - - BEST CON AVA LA3 E 2 NEF,Inwris COMMIT:EP THF ARTS ANTHE, HUMANITIES aid ARTS EDUCATION. PARTNERSHIP PRESIDENT'S ARTS COMMITTEE ON ADVISORY THE ARTS AND COMMITTEE ARTS EDUCATION THE HUMANITIES PARTNERSHIP GORDON AMBACH JANE WALTERS HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON RICHARD J. DEASY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COMMISSIONER Honorary Chair COUNCIL OF CHIEF STATE Director TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT JOHN BRADEMAS SCHOOL OFFICERS OF EDUCATION Chairman WASHINGTON, DC NASHVILLE, TN PEGGY COOPER CAFRITZ Vice Chair BENJAMIN CANADA DENNIE PALMER WOLF SUPERINTENDENT EMILY MALINO SCHEUER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Vice Chair PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS PACE - HARVARD PORTLAND, OR TERRY SEMEL GRADUATE SCHOOL Vice Chair OF EDUCATION RAMON C. CORTINES SUSAN BARNES-GELT CAMBRIDGE, MA EXECUTVE DIRECTOR LERONE BENNETT, J. THE PEW NETWORK FOR OTIIER ADVISORS MADELEINE HARRIS BERMAN STANDARDS-BASED REFORM STANFORD UNIVERSITY ELLEN MCCULLOCH-LOVELL CURT BRADBURY PALO ALTO, CA DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE JOHN H. BRYAN PRESIDENT AND ADVISOR "'MARIO CANDELA DIANE FRANKEL TO THE FIRST LADY ON ANNE COX CHAMBERS DIRECTOR THE MILLENNIUM MARGARET CORBETT DALEY INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM WHITE HOUSE AND LIBRARY SERVICES EVERETT L. FLY MILLENNIUM COUNCIL WASHINGTON, DC WASHINGTON, DC HARVEY GOLUB RICHARD S. GURIN DOUG HERBERT SARAH HOWES DIRECTOR IRENE Y. HIRANO AGENCY REPRESENTATIVE ARTS IN EDUCATION DAVID HENRY HWANG OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT NATIONAL ENDOWMENT OF EDUCATION QUINCY JONES FOR THE ARTS WHITE HOUSE ROBERT MENSCHEL WASHINGTON, DC MILLENNIUM COUNCIL RITA MORENO JIM HERBERT WASHINGTON, DC ANTHONY PODESTA DIRECTOR ANN SHEFFER DIVISION OF RESEARCH RAYMOND SMITH AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS ISAAC STERN NATIONAL ENDOWMENTFOR SHIRLEY WILHITE THE HUMANITIES WASHINGTON, DC HAROLD WILLIAMS FEDERAL MEMBERS DAVE MASTER DAVID BARIUM DIRECTOR ARTIST DEVELOPMENT JAMES H. BILUNGTON AND TRAINING WILLIAM R. FERRIS WARNER BROTHERS FEATURE DIANE B. FRANKEL ANIMATION GLENDALE, CA JOHN D. HAWKE, JR. I. MICHAEL HEYMAN BONNIE POLITZ BILL IVEY SENIOR PROGRAM OFFICER CENTER FOR YOUTH JAMES A. JOHNSON DEVELOPMENT TERRY PETERSON AND POLICY RESEARCH ACADEMY FOR EARL A. POWELL, III EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ROBERT STANTON WASHINGTON, DC HARRIET OR FULBRIGHT t)Executive'Diltor BEST COPY AVAHABLE GAINING THE ADVANTAGE Lessons From School Districts That Value ARTS EDUCATION President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and Arts EducationPartnership Arts Education Partnership Funded by GE FUND THE JOHN D. AND CATHERINE T. MACARTHUR FOUNDATION BINNEY & SMITH (GE Fund Additional Support Provided by NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION WHITE HOUSE MILLENNIUM COUNCIL COPYRIGHT © 1999 PRESIDENT'S COMMITTEE ON THE ARTSAND THE HUMANITIES AND ARTS EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP EDITOR/WRITER: LAURA LONGLEY PUBLICATION DESIGN: PETER M. SAK, BINNEY & SMITH PRODUCTION CREDITS PRINTING: STRINE PRINTING COMPANY, INC. PAPER STOCK: MEAD OFFSET ENAMEL, 80 LB. TEXT AND 100LB. COVER INKS: KOHL MADDEN PRINTING INK CORPORATION COVER IMAGES: PHOTODISC, TONY STONE, AND SWB PERMISSION TO COPY, TO DISSEMINATE, OR TO OTHERWISE USEINFORMATION FROM THIS REPORT IS GRANTED AS LONG AS APPROPRIATE ACKNOWLEDGMENT IS GIVEN. THIS REPORT IS PUBLISHED IN ELECTRONIC FORMAT ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB AT WWW.PCAH.GOV WEB SITE DESIGN: IMC (ISTROS MEDIA CORPORATION) FUNDED BY: BELL ATLANTIC FOR AVAILABILITY OF PRINT PUBLICATIONS, CONTACT: PRESIDENT'S COMMITTEE ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES 1100 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, NW, SUITE 526 WASHINGTON, DC 20506 VOICE: 202-682-5409 FAx: 202-682-5668 E-MAIL: [email protected] 5 GAINING THE ADVANTAGE dyCl ENTS FOREWORD PAGE 4 by Harriet Mayor Fulbright and Richardj. Deasy INTRODUCTION PAGE 5 by Ratnon C. Cortines HOW THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED PAGE 7 THE STUDY'S FINDINGS PAGE 9 SCHOOL DISTRICT CASE STUDIES AND PROFILES PAGE 15 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS PAGE 8 7 Lessons From School Districts That ValueARTS EDUCATION his study was directed on behalf of the FOREWORD President's Committee ('n Hu, Arts and tile Hmmmities and Arts Educaihm by Harriet Mayor Fulbright and Richard J. Deasy Partnership by Harriet Mayor Fulbrisht and Richard I. Horsy Tcis report responds to ques- schools by accountability measures 1)-6.!,3'ident's r:dmmitt,,c cm thi:r tions posed by school and that focus largely on reading, math, Art,:and 'the Humanitiess nee ommunity leaders through- and writing. e spring of 1997, has spent out the United States about public We believe this reportand most of her adult life in the school districts that have made the database available on its accom- fields of education and the competence in the arts as well as panying Web siteprovide answers arts. tier administrative literacy one of the fundamental to both sets of "how." It documents experience includes the purposes of schooling for all their some of the best practices used by Congressional Arts Caucus fits first assistant director), the students. these school districts to address Fulbright Association (execu- As Dr. Benjamin Canada, staffing, program and resource tive director), the Center for then superintendent in Atlanta, needs. Yet if there is a single, over- the Arts in the Basic Georgia, and now in Portland, riding lesson they teach it is that Curriculum (president), and Oregon, put it to us when we first the presence and quality of arts the Fulbright International considered undertaking this study: education in public schools today Center (president). "I want to know what is going on in require an exceptional degree of these districts, how they are doing involvement by influential seg- Richard J. Deas it, and what effects they see." ments of the community which qirecldi Education Similar questions were value the arts in the total affairs of Parbierollir:formerly nown framed by school superintendents the school district: in governance, as the Goals 2000 Arts and school board members we gath- funding, and program delivery. Education Partnership, served as assistant state superinten- ered in focus groups at the beginning Orchestrating this involve- dent of schools for Maryland, of this study. The "hows" that inter- ment so that the arts are seen as where he had responsibility ested them were not only the fundamental to the general educa- for all curricular areas and strategies and practices regarding tion of all students is a task that statewide assessments as staffing, programs, and facilities. falls on school and community well as services to special They were perhaps even more inter- leadership alike. This report shows student populations. Deasy ested in how these districts developed ways it is being done throughout also served as executive and sustained arts education in the the United States. assistant to the secretary