A+ WELCOMES 5 NEW SCHOOLS!! Global Scholars Academy, Meadow View ES, Durham County Meadow View ES, Onslow County A+ WELCOMES 5 NEW SCHOOLS!! Artspace Charter, Buncombe County Chadbourn ES, Columbus County This summer, the A+ Schools Program welcomed 5 new A+ Schools from across the state. These schools range from urban to rural, large to small and from the far west to the far east in location. All schools participated in A+ new school professional development this summer and will continue a three year process of engaging with the A+ Network. Sheep-Harney ES, Pasquotank County

WELCOME!! New A+ Principals Rickey Eley, Windsor Elementary Cory Hogans, Little River Elementary Malorie McGinnis, Black Mountain Primary Lisa Parker, Aulander Elementary Cindy Talbert, Snipes Elementary Blaire Traywick, Benton Heights Elementary Cheryl Wilson, Oaks Road Elementary Andrea Adams, Sheep-Harney Elementary Agatha Brown, Global Scholars Academy Vickie Brown, Meadow View Elementary Lori Cozzi, Artspace Charter Deanna Shuman, Chadbourn Elementary This school year, A+ welcomes 7 new Principals to returning A+ Schools, plus the 5 Principals from our new schools.

SUMMER STATS 5 NEW SCHOOLS AND 18 RETURNING SCHOOLS 16 SITES OVER 800 EDUCATORS 75% RECEIVED SOME FUNDING FROM A+ IN ORDER TO ATTEND VARIED FROM 1 DAY – 5 DAYS Statistics from A+ Summer Professional Development. Next summer, we plan to bring schools together to increase the school-to-school networking.

SUMMER FOCUS UNDERSTANDING THE NEW COMMON CORE AND ESSENTIAL STANDARDS CONNECTING ARTS STANDARDS TO NON- ARTS STANDARDS DEEPENING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT CONNECTING WITH REVISED BLOOMS AND 21ST CENTURY SKILLS REFLECTING ON COLLABORATIVE PROCESSES There were several content areas in which the A+ Fellows (A+ training faculty) focused their efforts this summer. All of this was with direct support from DPI to assure our alignment with the new state standards.

CURRENT NETWORK STATS 40 active schools, five of which entered the network in summer 2012 11 schools that have closed or have moved to Alumni status  16,614 students and 1,223 teachers All 8 regions of the state 33 Local Education Agencies (LEAs), including 5 charter schools and 28 public school systems 26 counties

The majority of active A+ Schools (97%) are eligible for Title I Assistance; Higher than the North Carolina average of 82% The majority of students enrolled in active A+ Schools (66%) are eligible for Title I Assistance; Higher than the North Carolina average of 52% A+ Schools serve a higher percentage of minority children (58%) than the North Carolina average of 47% The majority of active A+ schools (77%) met or exceeded their growth goals in 2011-2012 All of the active A+ schools offer Arts Education in at least one discipline with the majority (68%) offering Arts Education in three or four of the arts disciplines, higher than the typical school offering of two arts disciplines.

Cultivation and Strategic Partnerships 2012-2013 A+ Focus Cultivation and Strategic Partnerships School self-assessment, goal setting and planning Continued support with CC&ES connections: whole staff PD, demo teaching, one-on-one coaching and lesson analysis Re-connecting with less engaged schools; Increased networking across all schools Exploring NC Teacher Evaluation Tool, Schools and Classroom Expectations and A+ Walk-throughs Supporting development of partnerships Data collection and analysis For the 2012-2013 school year, we have identified several area that we will be focusing our work with schools.

SCHOOL TASKS CONNECT/RE-CONNECT WITH YOUR LOCAL ARTS COUNCIL MAKE SURE YOUR CENTRAL OFFICE KNOWS WHAT A+ IS AND THAT YOU ARE AN A+ SCHOOL CHECK YOUR WEBSITE – A+ LOGO AND LINK? A+ HISTORY AT YOUR SCHOOL? WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE AN A+ SCHOOL? As part of the A+ Network, schools commit to several things, including promoting the Program to their local community. These tasks for all A+ Schools will help each A+ Community to better understand what it means to have an A+ School in their area.

A+ IN THE NEWS Principal Magazine – Champion Creatively Active Children Insert Columbus County Hosts A+ Discussion Forum Budding Partnerships with Crayola; P21; VIF International Education; SECCA; The Phillips Collection; NC Wolftrap NC Education Summit New Engines of Growth The A+ Schools Program continues to garner recognition and interest across the nation.

GRANTS ARE COMING NC Arts Council Residency Grants DUE March 1st, 2013 http://www.ncarts.org/grants_resources.cfm Crayola Champion Creatively Alive Children Grants - December 3rd, 2012 http://www.crayola.com/for-educators/ccac-landing/ccac-grant-program.aspx Power2Give is coming!

https://twitter.com/AplusSchoolsNC A+ WEBSITE & FACEBOOK http://aplus-schools.ncdcr.gov/ www.facebook.com/aplusnc and TWITTER 177 Facebook Followers as of 9/6. Let’s make it to 200! Like us on Facebook! https://twitter.com/AplusSchoolsNC

FROM THE ARTS COMMISSION REPORT The Commission recognizes that the nationally recognized, research-based A+ Schools Program serves as a model for whole-school reform with arts instruction central to student learning and integrated throughout the curriculum, and that A+ teachers should be used as resources and consultants within schools and across local administrative units (LEAs).

FROM THE US DEPT OF EDUCATION  “The arts, perhaps more than any other subject, prepare young people with creativity and innovative thinking.” Arne Duncan

DPI SUPPORT FOR A+ Christie Lynch Ebert Arts Education Consultant and A+ Liaison christie.lynchebert@dpi.nc.gov 919-807-3856 Brenda Wheat Whiteman A+ Arts Education Specialist brenda.whiteman@dpi.nc.gov 919-807-3820 NC Department of Public Instruction Division of K-12 Curriculum and Instruction K-12 Programs Section Arts Education

Michelle Burrows | Director A+ Schools Program michelle.burrows@ncdcr.gov tel: 919.807.6503