Leading the Way to Arts Education: A Reference Guide for Educational Leaders Produced by: Alameda County Office of Education Project Coordinator Louise Music

Before we open up the Arts Leadership Guide, let’s take a few minutes to look at some of the thinking that went into creating the guide. Learning in and through the arts is essential to a meaningful, high quality education. To support that learning, California has adopted the Visual and Performing Arts Framework and Content Standards for grades K-12 and has adopted Visual and Performing Arts textbooks for grades K-8.

All children in California should have access to a comprehensive, sequential and standards-based arts education. To support that equity and access, the state legislature has committed ongoing funding to the Visual and Performing Arts, though this funding can now be spent in the General Fund. Despite these advances, 89% of California K-12 schools fail to provide a standards-based arts education in all four arts disciplines: dance, music, theatre, and visual art.

Pause to reflect… Is there a statement on the previous slide that you strongly agree with? Is there a statement that you strongly agree with? Do you have a burning question about any of the statements? Take a moment to process and discuss. Here are the statements again…

Learning in and through the arts is essential to a meaningful, high quality education. To support that learning, California has adopted the Visual and Performing Arts Framework and Content Standards for grades K-12 and has adopted Visual and Performing Arts textbooks for grades K-8. All children in California should have access to a comprehensive, sequential and standards-based arts education To support that equity and access, the state legislature has committed ongoing funding to the Visual and Performing Arts, though this funding can now be spent in the General Fund. Despite these advances, 89% of California K-12 schools fail to provide a standards-based arts education in all four arts disciplines: dance, music, theatre, and visual art.

Everyone is an Arts Leader! Now let’s open up the Arts Leadership Guide and look at the Table of Contents. You will notice that the Guide provides information for a broad range of stakeholders – School and District Administration – School Boards – Teachers – Teaching Artists and Arts Organizations – Parents – Business Community One important idea that guided this work is that...

The Introduction, pp. 1-2, offers a list of resources that the Guide will supply for arts leaders… Which key questions to ask about arts learning in the classroom Where to begin in the planning and/or program improvement process How to establish clear roles and responsibilities for everyone involved

How to build districts’ capacity to offer comprehensive, standards- based arts programs How to address teacher professional development needs How to establish infrastructures that support arts programs

Chapter I, pp. 3-4, is titled Advancing Arts Education For Every Child In California This chapter offers planning suggestions for reforming arts education at the school or district level. – Start where you are – Establish a clear vision – Move from vision to policy-driven planning

Chapters II, III and IV, pp address each of the stakeholder groups identified in the Table of Contents. In these three chapters, educators, board members, parents and the business community are offered… – Suggestions for arts leadership – Roles and Responsibilities – References and Resources

Chapter V, p. 18 is titled Arts Education Matters to All of Us and provides compelling insights into the importance of arts learning for all children. Appendices A-F, p offer a variety of arts education planning and policy resources

Now it’s time to dive into the Arts Leadership Guide! And discover how learning in the arts… depends on the leadership of each and every one of us.

And why is that important? I wonder…

This presentation was created by Robert Bullwinkel, VAPA Coordinator for the Fresno County Office of Education. This work was funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation through a grant to the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association’s Arts Initiative. All images are non-restricted. This work may be used free of charge for all non-commercial applications. Please give appropriate credit as listed above.

Leading the Way to Arts Education: A Reference Guide for Educational Leaders Produced by: Alameda County Office of Education Project Coordinator Louise Music