FINAL FINAL REPORT 2 - Mississippi Arts Commission - Arts .

Executive SummaryThe Whole Schools Initiative (WSI) is an arts integrated conceptualapproach to education reform that redesigns the school learningenvironment to promote enhanced learning using the arts as the vehicle tosupport high quality education and instruction for all students. The WholeSchools Initiative is housed at the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) and issupported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the state of Mississippi,and with private funds. Since 1991, the Mississippi Arts Commission hasprovided support to Mississippi schools seeking to adopt the WSI artsintegration model. Over 70 Mississippi schools are current or pastparticipants in the Whole Schools Initiative.This study examined the impact that arts integration has on the academicperformance of 4,275 students enrolled in Mississippi public elementaryschools and 1,172 students enrolled in Catholic elementary schools that arecurrently participating in the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Whole SchoolsInitiative. The study explored factors that contribute to the effectiveimplementation of arts integration across the curriculum in Mississippischools. To analyze the performance of Mississippi public schoolsparticipating in the Whole Schools Initiative, the study used databases fromthe Mississippi Department of Education for student performance onstandardized Mississippi Curriculum Tests, Grade 4 Mississippi WritingAssessment Tests, and the 5th Grade Mississippi Science Test. TheA Study of the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Whole Schools Initiative

performance of Catholic schools participating in the Whole SchoolsInitiative used data from the Stanford Achievement Test. In addition to theanalysis of student performance on standardized tests, surveys of schooladministrators, principals, arts specialists, classroom teachers and studentsat participating WSI schools were used to evaluate the Mississippi ArtsCommission’s Whole Schools Initiative.This study found the percentage of students scoring “Proficient or Above”on standardized Language Arts and Mathematics Mississippi CurriculumTests, Grade 4 Mississippi Writing Assessment Tests, and 5th GradeMississippi Science Tests was significantly higher at schools participating inthe Whole Schools Initiative that had effectively implemented the WSI artsintegration model when compared to student performance statewide andwhen compared to district level student performance for the school districtwithin which the WSI school was located. WSI schools that effectivelyimplement arts integration were found to have reduced or actuallyeliminated the academic achievement gap for economically disadvantagedstudents. In WSI schools that effectively implement arts integration, ahigher percentage of economically disadvantaged students score“Proficient or Above” when compared to all students (not just economicallydisadvantaged students) at the district and state level, across multiplegrade levels, and across multiple subject areas on standardized tests.A Study of the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Whole Schools Initiative

Extensive research has found a consistent and robust link between artsintegration and a range of positive student outcomes to include increasedacademic achievement, improved critical thinking skills, enhanced creativethinking, augmented school engagement, and the reduction of theachievement gap for economically disadvantaged students. More recentdevelopments in neuroscience provide additional support for the role ofthe arts in brain development and learning. The findings of this study onthe Whole Schools Initiative provide additional evidence that artsintegration can make a significant contribution to improved educationaloutcomes for Mississippi students.Engagement in quality professional development experiences was found tobe a key requirement for the effective implementation of arts integration.Professional development provides classroom teachers with the requisiteproficiency to integrate the skills and content of the arts across thecurriculum; it enhances their capacity to use multiple arts disciplines aslearning tools, and enables them to identify the natural connectionsbetween the arts and other subject areas. Participation in professionaldevelopment activities was found to increase teachers’ feeling ofcompetency using arts integration, which in turn increased the frequencywith which teachers practice arts integration in the classroom.Participation in the WSI Summer Institute and WSI Fall or Spring RetreatsA Study of the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Whole Schools Initiative

sponsored by the Mississippi Arts Commission and working with teachingartists was found to be positively associated with teachers’ feeling ofcompetency and their increased practice of arts integration across thecurriculum. The study found that survey respondents who reported a highlevel of participation in the WSI Summer Institute and WSI Fall or SpringRetreats sponsored by the Mississippi Arts Commission were more likely toindicate that their students’ academic performance “improvedsignificantly.”Historically, Mississippi has fallen short of meeting the educational needs ofstudents. The U.S. Department of Education’s National Center forEducation Statistics reported that in 2011, 78 percent of 4th grade studentsin Mississippi public schools scored below a “proficient” level on readingtests. These percentage rates have not changed significantly since 2007. Ifchildren cannot read proficiently by the end of the 3rd grade their futureeducational achievement is in jeopardy — they are highly likely to continueto be poor readers and struggle with mastering subject content throughouttheir remaining years in school, they are more likely to drop out of highschool, and they are more likely to become the state’s least‐skilled andlowest‐income citizens.The state has recently adopted the Common Core State Standards to“create a world‐class education system in the state of Mississippi thatA Study of the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Whole Schools Initiative

provides students with the skills and knowledge required for them to besuccessful in college and in the 21st century workforce.” The Common CoreState Standards are precise in conveying a detailed description of “what”level of performance is to be expected of students for every standardacross grade levels, but are not prescriptive in terms of “how” teachers willachieve these levels of performance.Implementation of the Common Core State Standards in the State ofMississippi will require a significant investment of time and resources byschool districts, school administrators, and classroom teachers as theymove up the learning curve regarding “what” the Common Core StateStandards require. Arts integration has demonstrated the potential tosuccessfully answer the question of “how” to achieve the deeper learningof content, creative problem solving, and mastery of advanced higher orderthinking skills to be achieved by the adoption of the Common Core StateStandards.Arts integrated learning presents an opportunity to improve theeducational attainment of students in Mississippi public schools. Toachieve this objective will require the development of an augmentededucational strategy that builds upon the successful arts integration modelof the Whole Schools Initiative to improve educational achievement inschools throughout the state and to assist the state of Mississippi to meetthe objectives of the Common Core State Standards.A Study of the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Whole Schools Initiative

This report makes the following recommendations, for consideration bydecision‐makers: Provide school administrators and teachers with resources,professional development, and information on specific practices toaddress the new Common Core State Standards through artsintegration Increase the number of elementary schools participating in the WholeSchools Initiative and expand the adoption of arts integrated learningby early childhood education programs Prioritize Whole Schools Initiative resources to maximize the benefitsof arts integrated learning for children during early childhood andelementary school Expand teaching artists programs, increase access to teaching artists,and use teaching artists to augment the implementation of theCommon Core State Standards Leverage the existing resource of K – 12 Arts Specialists Develop state policies that reinforce the adoption and expansion ofarts integration education models Increase arts integration professional development opportunitiesThe Whole Schools Initiative’s arts integrated model of educational reformwas found to have a significant positive impact on the educationaloutcomes of Mississippi students. The recommendations contained inthis report are designed to build a sustainable system to support artsintegration in Mississippi schools and to provide all students in Mississippiwith the opportunity to thrive in a world‐class educational system.A Study of the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Whole Schools Initiative

A Study of the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Whole Schools Initiative

A Study of the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Whole Schools Initiative

Table of ContentsIntroduction . 7Overview of Research on Arts Integrated Learning .13Prior Research on Mississippi’s Whole Schools Initiative . 27Analysis of the Impact of the Whole Schools Initiative on Student Academic Performance onStandardized Tests . 31Saltillo Elementary School. 35Poplar Springs Elementary School . 38Pierce Street Elementary School. 41Cook Elementary Fine Arts Magnet School. 44Casey Elementary School . 46Nora Davis Magnet School . 49Mason Elementary School . 53Quitman Upper Elementary School . 55Review of the Findings on the Whole Schools Initiative and Student Performance on StandardizedTests . 59Survey of Schools Participating in the Whole Schools Initiative . 65Student Academic Performance . 70Administration and Principal Support. 77Participation in Arts Integration Professional Development Activities . 80Teacher Comfort with Using the Arts in the Classroom . 93Parental Engagement and Business Participation . 95The Implementation of Arts Integration . 98Student Survey . 103Student Academic Performance at Catholic Schools Participating in the Whole Schools Initiative . 106The Mississippi Arts Commission’s Whole Schools InitiativePage i

Sacred Heart Catholic School . 106Annunciation Catholic School . 108Saint Richard Catholic School. 110Saint Anthony Catholic School . 110Review of the Findings . 111Conclusions and Recommendations . 119Appendix A: Maps of Arts Certified K – 12 Classroom Teachers by County . cxxxviiIndex of FiguresFigure 1: Saltillo Elementary School 4th Grade MCT Performance as Compared to State and Lee County School DistrictPerformance . 35Figure 2: Comparison of Math Scores over Successive Grades.

A Study of the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Whole Schools Initiative sponsored by the Mississippi Arts Commission and working with teaching artists was found to be positively associated with teachers’ feeling of competency and their increased practice of arts integration across the curriculum.