Improving Arts Education With A Stronger Family-School .

Improving Arts Education with aStronger Family-School PartnershipLEARN TO:D Start a PTA ArtsEd Committee at your schoolD Engage more families and build strongercommunity partnershipsD Lead improvements to ArtsEd programs,practices and policies1

Table of ContentsIntroduction.3Steps to Create an ArtsEd Action Plan.4D STEP 1: Build Your ArtsEd Action Team. 5y Chart to Build Your ArtsEd TeamD STEP 2: Assess Your ArtsEd Program and Family Engagement. 7y Questions for Informational Interviews with Key Stakeholdersy Rubrics to Conduct the ArtsEd Program Health Assessmenty Questions for the Family Engagement AssessmentD STEP 3: Develop Your ArtsEd Action Plan.19y Template to Create Your PTA ArtsEd Action PlanD STEP 4: Evaluate Your ArtsEd Action Plan.22Looking Forward.22References.232

IntroductionThrough this nationwide ArtsEd initiative, PTA, Americans forthe Arts and our collaborators will empower families—parents,grandparents, foster parents or any other caring adult in a child’slife—and amplify their voices as advocates for improving theavailability and quality of arts education in their schools andcommunities.ARTS EDUCATION IS A CIVILRIGHT FOR ALL STUDENTS.All students deserve the opportunity to take part in the arts,both in school and in their community. The arts positively affectindividual student performance—especially student motivation,attitudes and attendance—and the entire school culture, whichencourages students to stay in school, succeed in school, succeedin work and succeed in life!Use this guide to create an ArtsEd Action Plan and engage morefamilies in school and community decision-making—such asimprovements to programs, practices and policies. Let’s ensurethat every child has access to, and takes part in, high quality andlifelong learning experiences in the arts, both in school and in thecommunity.Arts education enables every child to develop the critical thinking,collaborative and creative skills necessary to thrive in the everchanging diverse and global economies of today’s world.DID YOU KNOW?As a parent, the facts and figures probably aren’t the only reasonwhy you support arts learning for your child. You have probablywitnessed the intrinsic benefits of the arts, such as igniting joy inyour child or sparking their curiosity to learn and attend schoolregularly. We hope that you will use your appreciation for andlove of the arts—dance, media arts, music, theater, visual art andmore—to demonstrate to other parents and teachers in yourschool community the value of these disciplines for all students.D S tudents who take at least four years of arts classes scoreon average 100 points higher on the SAT [College Board,2011]D H igh arts-involved students report better job outcomes—higher pay, job satisfaction and more promotionopportunities [Cantrall, 2009]D A rts participation decreased discipline infractions by 10%[Rice University, 2019]3

Fast Facts!Students involved in the arts are:D 4 times more likely to participate in amath and science fair timesD 3 times more likely to win an awardfor school attendanceD 4 times more likely to be recognizedfor academic achievementD 3 times more likely to be elected toclass officeFacts and figures by Americans for the Arts.Steps toCreate anArtsEdAction PlanAs a PTA ArtsEd leader, you work to ensure thatevery student has equitable access to high-qualityarts education opportunities and that every familyis equipped to guide arts education choices,regardless of race or heritage, primary language,gender, sexual orientation or socioeconomicstatus.This guide will take you through the four steps tobuild a community effort focused on improvingarts education in your school:D B uild your ArtsEd Action Team, comprisedof committed arts education supportersfrom your school and communityD A ssess the health of the current ArtsEdprogram in your school and how wellfamilies are engaged in arts educationso you can identify areas for growth andimprovementD D evelop an action plan to build or furtherdevelop the health of ArtsEd in your schoolD I mplement a sustainable action plan thatincorporates continued evolution andallows you to monitor progress4

Steps to Create an ArtsEd Action PlanStep 1: Build Your ArtsEdAction TeamTo successfully improve and expand artseducation in your school, you must first recruita team of leaders from your community whoare committed to the arts. Cast a wide net whenbuilding your team. In addition to memberslike artists, family engagement experts, parentadvocates and education professionals, invitecommunity members like business leaders in theneighborhood who have a passion for the arts.Your team helps you establish a high-qualitypartnership with school leaders in support ofarts education from the beginning. Diverseperspectives will ensure that advocates are heard,and all barriers and concerns are considered.There are multiple people involved in students’arts learning experience. Americans for the Artsdeveloped the Spheres of Influence as part of theArts Education Field Guide to help arts educationadvocates visualize the stakeholders in the artseducation ecosystem. Use the Arts EducationField Guide to discover local arts and educationprofessionals (like your school’s art teacher) andexplore their potential role as an effective memberof your team.To Represent Families:D School’s Family Engagement LiaisonD Parent VolunteerD Student LeaderUsing the Spheres of Influence (at right), identifypeople who are truly dedicated to studentachievement and school success in your artseducation ecosystem who you can recruit for yourArtsEd Action Team.To Represent the School:D AdministratorD School Board MemberD Arts CoordinatorD TeacherTo Represent the Community:D Community Arts Organization LeaderD College/University ProfessorD Local Arts Agency StaffD Business LeaderD Local ArtistD Nonprofit Leader5

Our ArtsEd Action TeamNAMEAREA OF INFLUENCE(School, Family, Community)CONNECTIONto the ArtsMy School’s ArtsEd Action TeamD S park a broader conversation about the role of the arts inyour school and community.Use the chart above to document members of your ArtsEd ActionTeam, their areas of influence, and their connection to the arts.D D evelop a shared understanding of how a quality artseducation prepares students beyond school.D C onsider key facts and figures about the benefits of artseducation and how its decline has impacted students.TIP 1: Set up a preliminary meeting with your schooladministrator to discuss your PTA’s interest in supportingarts education, gain their commitment to being a part of theArtsEd Committee and receive their approval to continue theconversation with your school arts coordinator, if one exists atyour school.D E xplain PTA’s commitment to arts education and sharethe vision for a successful PTA ArtsEd initiative: Familiesare equipped and empowered to guide educationaldecisions while amplifying their voices as advocates forimproving the quality of arts education available to allstudents.TIP 2: Consider inviting team members from multiple areas ofinfluence who can help bring different perspectives and solutionsto planning and implementation.D E xplain PTA’s ArtsEd initiative and what it wouldinvolve (e.g. assessment of programs, policies, practices,implementation of family engagement strategies andevaluation).How to Establish a Positive andProductive ArtsEd Action TeamD G ive school-based team members an opportunity to sharesuccesses and present challenges they are facing beforediscussing possible solutions and ideas.Setting a strong foundation for your ArtsEd Action Team will helpthe group’s efforts in the long term. Use the following guidelinesto shape your team’s initial conversations about what you hopeto achieve as a team.6

Steps to Create an ArtsEd Action PlanStep 2: Assess Your ArtsEdProgram and Family EngagementAlthough your ArtsEd Action Team may alreadyhave an idea of what to focus your efforts on, it isimportant to conduct a formal assessment to fullyunderstand the arts learning environment, qualityof resources, value of community partnerships andstrength of school policies.Use the worksheets provided below to guide yourinterview questions with key stakeholders—likeschool administrators, teachers and families—tolearn more about the current state of arts learningin your school.Things to Consider:D Interview multiple stakeholders to geta fuller picture of the current program.Some interviewees might have differentor supplementary information that willhelp when you identify areas of need andsolutions to address them.Organized by PTA’s top four ArtsEd priorities, theassessment will help your action team set goals,discuss common challenges and prioritize yourefforts. It will also provide a baseline for your teamto compare your progress to and illustrate theimpact of your efforts.D S ome interviewees may be reluctantto share information if they think theinformation puts them or the school in abad light or will be used in an adversarialway. Set a collaborative tone before theinterview to assure the interviewee that theinformation will be used to help improvethe school to benefit each student’s artslearning experience.How to Gather theInformation You Needto Complete the ArtsEdHealth AssessmentYour ArtsEd Action Team will need to do somefact finding and research in order to accuratelycomplete the ArtsEd Health Assessment. Membersof the ArtsEd Action Team can split up the researchwork to help accomplish it more efficiently. Oncethe research is complete, your team can worktogether to finish the ArtsEd Health Assessment. Conduct Informational Interviews with KeyStakeholdersThe PTA ArtsEd Initiative supports strengthenedfamily-school partnerships that enrich students’educational experiences and overall well-being.The first step in the process is to gather feedbackfrom school and community leaders on currentarts education programs, policies and practicesimplemented by your school.D B e sure to follow up with your intervieweesto let them know about your ArtsEd ActionTeam’s progress and solicit feedback alongthe way.TIP:Research your state’s policies related to artseducation. The Arts Education Partnership’sArtScan is a great resource to get a quicksnapshot of your state’s policies on arts graduationrequirements, teacher credentialing and more.7

Worksheet: ArtsEd Questions forSchool Administrators and TeachersPTA ArtsEd Priority 1: Student Access to andParticipation in Arts OpportunitiesThe PTA ArtsEd Initiative aims to ensure all children have access to a well-rounded education includingthe arts, specifically ensuring that under-resourced and under-represented student groups are supportedto participate fully in arts-rich learning opportunities. Use the following questions to assess the currentconditions:1. D oes every student have access to and participate in the arts? If not, what is needed?Key Context: A healthy arts learning program in the school should consist of multiple accesspoints—arts-specific classes, arts-integrated learning in general education classes, and communitybased arts experiences. Access and participation should be measured for all three access points.2. H ow does the school support under-resourced students in participating in the arts?Key Context: Students with special needs, transfer/migrant students, English language learnersand students in low socio-economic areas may not have the opportunity to explore any or all artsdisciplines, including dance, media arts, music, theatre, visual arts, etc.3. D oes the school mandate a minimum amount of instruction time in the arts? If so, what is theminimum for each student?4. What is the current ratio of arts-specific teachers to students?8