1. 2015 Fall Statewide A+ Leadership Meeting

2. Good Morning! Where were you 20 years ago?
When did you first start with A+?
What is one strength of your A+ School?
What is one area for growth of your A+ School?
What is one thing you hope to gain from today?

3. CELEBRATE  SHARE  THINK FORWARD  INSPIRE ACTION
How do we value and celebrate the importance of A+ practice and philosophy?
How can we cultivate deeper connections by sharing innovative practice with our colleagues?
How are we thinking forward to plan for integration, collaboration and creative school culture?
How will we work to inspire others within and outside of our school community to take action towards the vision of a complete education that includes the arts for every student?
We will be working with the 20th anniversary theme throughout the year. Each A+ School should be considering these essential questions as they self-assess, reflect and plan for continued A+ implementation and growth.

4. WELCOME TO OUR NEW A+ SCHOOLS!
North Graham Elementary in Alamance County,
ZECA School of the Arts and Technology and New Bridge Middle School, Onslow County and
Townsend Middle School, Robeson County
This summer, the A+ Schools Program welcomed 4 new A+ Schools from across the state and a new school in Iowa. These schools range from urban to rural, large to small and from the west to the east in location. All schools participated in A+ Summer Institutes and will continue a three year process of engaging with the A+ Network.

5. And Hunt Elementary in Sioux City, Iowa!
WELCOME TO OUR NEW A+ SCHOOLS!
And Hunt Elementary in Sioux City, Iowa!
This summer, the A+ Schools Program welcomed 4 new A+ Schools from across the state and a new school in Iowa. These schools range from urban to rural, large to small and from the west to the east in location. All schools participated in A+ Summer Institutes and will continue a three year process of engaging with the A+ Network.

6. Legislative Funding for the A+ Schools Program!!!
$232,711 for FY15-16 and $482,711 for FY16-17
$715,422!
We are still waiting to see whether the $250,000 for the A+ Schools Program will remain in the final NC budget. But as schools worked to gather support for this potentiality, an educator from Sheep-Harney wrote this wonderful letter that shares the deep and meaningful impact that A+ had on one of her students.

7. A+ IS GROWING! 50 Schools in NC! 160+ schools in the nation
New states include Kansas and Iowa
A+ Africa!
A+ Switzerland!

8. BECAUSE A+ IS GROWING…
A+ LIAISONS!!

9. SPOTLIGHT ON: THE 20TH CONFERENCE
20 YEARS OF A+ SCHOOLS: A Celebration of Teaching and Learning Through the Arts, August 3-5, 2015 Thanks to everyone who joined us in Durham, NC on August 3rd through 5th to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the A+ Schools Program!  At this engaging national conference on learning through the arts, participants celebrated the importance of the arts in education, shared innovative practice, considered current trends that impact policy around arts in education and were inspired to action towards the vision of a complete education that includes the arts for every student.  Conference reflections were overwhelmingly positive with wonderful comments and lots of ideas for action steps and for continuing the work for the next 20 years.  Thanks to everyone who made the conference possible and especially the A+ staff and Fellows in NC, OK, AR, and LA, and the conference and legacy planning teams!

10. “Great time in Durham! Great folks, presenters, facilities, food (trucks!!!), and networking! Awesome experience - excellent conference!”
  – Mark Sidelnick, Associate
Professor of Education,
UNC Asheville
“It was the most creative and thoughtful conference, from an attendee point of view. It felt like a small family gathering, despite how large the attendee population was. I felt considered and
cared for ~
this I can not say for
other conferences.”
– Conference
Attendee

12. Concurrent Session Handouts
Handouts and resources provided by conference presenters are now available in PDF format.  CLICK HERE for a listing of session materials.
Presenting 20 Years of A+ Schools
At the 20th Anniversary Conference Legacy Event, a new video by filmmaker Rodrigo Dorfman was premiered, highlighting the impact of the A+ Schools Program on former students, faculty and A+ Fellows. Watch the inspiring documentary that illustrates the importance and effect of the largest, longest running, most successful arts-based whole-school reform effort in the nation.
You can find post-conference information at the link on this slide. We have posted the two new A+ videos, survey quotes and conference handouts on this page, along wth the link to the post-conference survey for attendees.

13.
“It’s powerful that these two organizations with such long histories of working in education can come together to create a unique partnership that will benefit both students and teachers”.

14. Forward Growth Action Plan
Strength areas/strategies to share with Network
Challenges/areas for growth
Plans for finding solutions to challenges/moving growth areas forward
Identifying changes that could provide solutions
Resources and support might aid in the process
How can A+/the A+ Network help?

15. School Groupings: ArtSpace/Arts-Based/ZECA/Community Charter
Avery MS/New Bridge MS
Banner Elk/Benton Heights/Central
Booker T. Washington/First Ward/Bugg
RN Harris/Mary McArthur/Douglas
Cranberry MS/Townsend MS
Creedmoor/Wendell/North Graham
Diggs/White Oak/TS Cooper
University Park/Meadow View/Jones County
Gatesville/Mabel
Reynolds/EMMMS/Rochelle
Powe/Davenport/Saluda

16. What we need from you!
YOUR A+ COORDINATOR(S) NAMES AND ADDRESSES
A DOUBLE-CHECK OF YOUR WEBSITE – IS THE A+ LOGO AND LINK PRESENT? HOW ABOUT YOUR A+ HISTORY AND/OR WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE AN A+ SCHOOL?
A SCHOOL UPDATE (SURVEY TO COME)
YOUR IDEAS/PLAN FOR CONTINUING YOUR GROWTH AS AN A+ SCHOOL AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUR COMMUNITY OF A+ SUPPORTERS
To keep us connected with each school and to continue to share your A+ journey with your community, we have listed a few tasks that need to be completed for each school.

17. EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING MULTIPLE LEARNING PATHWAYS
A+ ESSENTIALS GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT
CURRICULUM
ARTS
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
ENRICHED ASSESSMENT
MULTIPLE LEARNING PATHWAYS
COLLABORATION
INFRASTRUCTURE
CLIMATE
Remember that in addition to Principal Leadership and Faculty Engagement and Buy-in, Ongoing Professional Development is the third key component that needs to be in balance in order to support and create a high-quality A+ School. Professional development comes in many different forms. How can we support your ongoing work and growth?
A+ PD, ARTIST RESIDENCIES, SCHOOL VISITS TO OTHER A+ SCHOOLS, SNAPSHOT OF LEARNING WALKTHROUGHS, PEER NETWORKING, PARTNER BUILDING, STRATEGIC PLANNING…
HOW CAN WE HELP?

18. YOUR VERY IMPORTANT A+ COORDINATOR!
New “Role of A+ Coordinator(s)” Document
Remember that in addition to Principal Leadership and Faculty Engagement and Buy-in, Ongoing Professional Development is the third key component that needs to be in balance in order to support and create a high-quality A+ School. Professional development comes in many different forms. How can we support your ongoing work and growth?

19. A+ RESOURCES
We are continually updating and sharing resources for you on the website, facebook page and twitter feed. Make sure you are taking advantage of these resources!

20. Live Binder Update and Improvements
How to Access the Live Binder:
Access key:  A+NCNetwork
The A+ Live Binder is your “go to’ place for all A+ documents! We are in the process of updating and adding to this great resource!

21. SUMMER 2016 2 Day PD Refresher for any A+ School
3 Day PD for 2nd and 3rd year schools
5 Day Institutes for new A+ Schools
Locations and dates will be pre-determined
Likely New Bern, Raleigh/Durham, Asheville
A+ Funding will be available to assist on a first come, first served basis

22. MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Regional Information Sessions for Potential New A+ Schools
Eastern Information Session – Tuesday, October 20, 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. at the Kinston Community Council for the Arts, Kinston
Central Information Session – Wednesday, October 21, 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. at the North Carolina Arts Council, Raleigh
Western Information Session – Thursday, October 22, 5:00 – 7:30 p.m., Catawba County Arts Council, Hickory
Next A+ Network Webinars December 3rd and March 3rd from 4-5pm
Spring Regional Leadership Meetings April 12th – East; April 14th - West
NCCAT on Ocracoke: March 7th - 11th

23. THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO JOIN US TODAY!!