1. every child, every school, every day
ACOE is uniquely positioned to convene and leverage through leadership around a shared vision.
Over the past ten years, the ACOE’s Alliance for Arts Learning Leadership has evolved into a model of coalition building, with:
District administrators,
Credentialed arts teachers and non-arts teachers,
community arts and service organizations,
education reform, higher education partners, and parents,
all united around a shared message that:
Art IS Education! a shared vision for a high quality education, in and through arts learning, for every child in every school, every day .

2. What’s the real product
of Arts Learning?
Through values based conversations, social marketing strategies and county wide advocacy and communication efforts, supported by the expertise and research of Douglas Gould and Co. – our Alliance partners have worked to make the real benefit of arts learning on the development of every child, strong schools, healthy communities and an animated democracy visible.
Our product is not the art work. The art work is the product of the child, revealing more about their developing skills and knowledge – their deepening understanding and meaning making. Our product is the child, strong schools, and healthy communities.

3. Equitable Access to Success in School
Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies
A Well Rounded Education
Learning in and Through the Arts
Sheila Jordan convenes monthly conversations with 18 superintendents focuses on the racial predictability of student success in schools.
The question is how do we support the success and engagement of every child in every school, every day?
Artworks are not our real outcome.
Successful students that can contribute to healthy communities and an animated democracy are the point.
We are supporting arts educators in bring high quality learning in and through the arts directly to their goals of CRT – recognizing and building on the assets, strengths and experiences that every child brings to school – and connecting their learning in and through the arts to math, reading, writing, science, social studies, service learning and civic engagement.

4. SHoM has been an invaluable research based tool – and a transformational contribution to our work. We piloted Studio Habits of Mind 5 years ago for Project Zero researchers, with arts teachers and we have been spreading this common language consistently across arts organizations and school communities. Arts Educators have a language to name and assess not only the development of skill and technique of artistic and creative work, but the development of artistic mind. Math teachers see the value – they also need students to engage and persist, envision, science teachers need kids to observe and take risks…..

5. We have a history of using research based educational frameworks SHoM, TfU and making learning visible in a growing network of schools funded through the US Department of Education, the Ford Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation and the resources of our school districts and local community partners.
This slide illustrates how we have piloted these tools to support research based teaching and learning, to make their learning visible to communicate wel with others for change, and then spread them to more and more networks of schools and districts.
In 2008 we launched the Teacher Action Research Institute and our strategic goal is to take it to scale by 2012.

6. Assessment in and Through the Arts Alameda County Office of Education’s Teacher Action Research Institute
The vision of our county superintendent Sheila Jordan.
Recognizing that it is not enough to look at the data about the racial predictability of student success in schools.
This is an institutionalized effort to create the capacity in the region of the California Bay area to respond to student learning needs with the instructional and pedagogical practices and relationships necessary.

7. Research Questions
What and how are students learning in the arts? (Studio Habits of Mind)
How can arts integrate with, develop and deepen student learning in other subjects? (Teaching for Understanding)
How can we know what students are learning so that we can be more responsive and responsible for better student outcomes?
(Making Learning Visible)
This year we launched the Institute in San Leandro for district wide implementation by 2012.
The initiative began this year with all of the arts teachers in the elementary schools and th e4th grade teachers.
This district was a particularly good choice because of their district wide work on equity with G. Singleton and Shirokie Hollie, and their stron arts plan with arts teacherrs in every elementary school.

8. 4th Grade Classroom Teacher Comment
“I was given opportunities to observe, analyze and communicate what I do in art in the language of CRT, SDAIE, SHOM, and TfU so that my 4th grade teacher partner and I could analyze, plan and collaborate together to discuss curriculum, create activities and project, analyze and reflect on our own and our students’ work and plan for the future.”
Directly responding to SRI’s research that barriers to equitable access to arts in schools are time, money and teacher capacity.
We are getting out of silos of math only , reading only, arts only and creating collegial opportunities feducators to learn with and from each other.
This is not research on students and teacher, but research with.
Through the Teacher Action Research Institute, arts teachers and teaching artists bring arts learning directly to the articulated educational goals of our school districts.
This year was the first year of a district wide implementation – 8 elementary schools, three middle schools and one high school – beginning at the 4th grade.

9. Creating a fuller learning profile of every child
Arts Teachers use the Studio Habits of Mind to see, name and assess how and what students are learning in arts classrooms
Arts Teachers share profiles of students learning in the arts with classroom teachers to co-develop appropriate arts integrated curriculum building on students’ strengths, assets and learning needs
Arts Teachers and 4th grade classroom teachers engage in ongoing shared accountability for students outcomes in the arts and across the curriculum
Especially those performing at below basic levels on standardized tests!
Focal students…..

10. Teacher Action Research helps arts and non-arts teachers focus together on creative ways to engage students performing at below basic according to standard measures, and develop a reflective practice
Teachers come together for quarterly full day professional development and monthly after school meetings to co-develop arts integrated curriculum,

11. Looking at What Students Do, Say and Make Ongoing and Authentic Assessment
Students demonstrate and develop their understanding through creations and performances that make learning visible for “just in time” revisions in instruction
They look together and talk about student work, learning and engagement, and make necessary revisions for next steps in instruction.
The recent report from Project Zero funded by the Wallace Foundation finds that “reflection and discussion about what constitutes quality is not only a catalyst for quality but a sign of quality.

12. On Line Tool Supports Reflection, Coaching, and Public Accountability
An on-line tool modeled after CAPE’s on-line documentation of student work.
Revised for our purposes as a process documentation.
Eventually units can be pulled from this teacher action research to share published units and examples of student and teacher learning.

13. Changes in Teachers’ Practice
Dr. Diane Friedlander, who co-authored a recent report with Linda Darling Hammond at the Stanford School Redesign Network on Equitable High Schools has led a research and evaluation team for us over the last six years. Here is some preliminary data from the first year of TARI. She also convenes an assessment advisory group that includes Alameda County teachers, district leaders, content experts from ACOE in ELD and History and colleagues using SHoM in Minneapolis and New York City. Together with Dr. Hetland, they are co-developing and refining assessment tools to measure improvements in student learning and teacher instruction.

14. Principal’s Observations of Changes in Teacher Practice
“More art happening in 4th in a way that expands to ELA curriculum. More energized and interested in working with students.”
“She is using more of the academic language that gets children to talk about their meta-cognition.”
“It is great to see art and classroom teachers collaborate in a structured way around culturally responsive practices.”
“I am very excited that equity as well as differentiation was embedded in the TARI training.”
“Students are very excited and motivated to begin working. Adjustments to the level of expertise was always offered in creating tasks for all students. The training promoted equitable lesson presentations and global participation.”

15. CCSESA Arts Learning Initiative
Connecting California Through County Offices and Regional Arts Learning Leadership
CCSESA Arts Learning Initiative
Professional Community of Learners
Last month we had a conversation with representatives from the AEI – UC Berkeley, Cal State East Bay and CCA about the ecology of relationships we are developing locally – students as researchers, teachers, professional development leaders and coaches, and university researchers. We hope to present at the AEP forum in October.
Through Hewlett funded CCSESA, we are sharing our efforts in our region with colleagues statewide. In California we have a statewide arts assessment initiative and we are working with Deb Brzoska from the Kennedy Center.

16. Our Challenge
“To use only standardized achievement tests is like casting a net into the sea -- a net that is intentionally designed to let the most interesting fish get away. Then, to describe the ones that are caught strictly in terms of their weight and length is to radically reduce what we know about them. To further conclude that all the contents of the sea consist of fish like those in the net compounds the error further. We need more kinds of fish. We need to know more about those we catch. We need new nets.”
William T. Randall
Our challenge – one that superintendents spoke to yesterday – and one that our national network must take on is “How do we measure and be accountable for student success in school TODAY, that prepare them for the future they will live and work in?

17. We Believe

18. STUDIO HABITS OF MIND Understand Art World Stretch & Explore Reflect
Engage
Persist
Observe
Develop Craft
Envision
Express