1. Building & Sustaining A Quality System
Thriving Minds
Building & Sustaining
A Quality System
Gigi Antoni, president/chief executive officer
Jessica Malek, associate vice president
Seattle, WA
June, 2009
© June, 2009 by Big Thought. All Rights Reserved. 1

2. A Common Vision & Working Strategy
Our community believes
that it’s the relationship
between
a variety of
high quality
creative learning experiences, 
designed to
build over time,
that results in lasting benefits.
Communications
Research & Evaluation
Technology
Advocacy
Before we started designing the Thriving Minds we held community conversations through the city.
We listened to hundreds of parents, caregivers, educators and service providers to find out their ideas and thoughts on the kinds of arts learning activities our city needs.
From those conversations came this vision of what a high quality creative education should look like.
The common vision was to provide all Dallas children with equal access to high quality creative learning opportunities and to create & sustain a city-wide system that yields successful children, strong families & vibrant communities
Thriving Minds realizes this vision by bringing creative arts learning experiences to Dallas children and their families in their neighborhoods and schools, during the school day and in out of school time.
We’re doing this in part by:
increasing the amount & quality of arts learning in Dallas ISD elementary schools
better positioning arts as a teaching tool in science, math, social studies & language arts through arts integration
creating networks that coordinate arts programming through schools and city agencies at neighborhood level
Fundraising
Curriculum & PD
© June, 2009 by Big Thought. All Rights Reserved.

3. Building A Shared Definition of Quality
Need for a shared definition of quality
Community conversation & contributions from influencers
Principles of Learning (School District)
National standards (Arts Community)
Six dimensional tool developed
Tool refined by artists & instructors
© June, 2009 by Big Thought. All Rights Reserved. 3

4. Quality of Teaching & Learning Six Dimensions
Supports for Learning
Climate that Supports Learning
Engagement & Investment in Learning
Dialogue & Sharing
Rigorous & Creative Learning
Skills, Techniques & Knowledge of the Art Form
Creative Choices
Expectation, Assessment & Recognition
© June, 2009 by Big Thought. All Rights Reserved. 4

5. Quality of Teaching & Learning Six Dimensions
© June, 2009 by Big Thought. All Rights Reserved. 5

6. Quality of Teaching & Learning Who measures quality?
Quality Review Panel
Community Artists
Dallas ISD Fine Arts Teachers
Researchers from Dallas ISD & area universities
National Experts
© June, 2009 by Big Thought. All Rights Reserved. 6

7. Quality of Teaching & Learning Panel Review Process
Objective:
Collaboration of artists & fine arts teachers from
multiple disciplines, settings & time frames.
Three Day Quality Panel Agenda:
Day 1 Learn 6Ds & documentation of evidence
Calibrate scoring in teams & full panel
Day 2 Observe notified & scheduled sites
Day 3 Identify strengths & areas for investment
Share recommendations & plan next steps
Plan next 5 years of Thriving Minds
Later today you’ll received observation sites that represent both in school and after school settings. Instructors and administrators for all these sites have been contacted and are prepared for you to attend. When the full panel is convened this afternoon we review these sites in detail, for now we need to prepare you to be a strong observer. First you need to understand the lens through which we want you to investigate quality teaching and learning.
Dr. Dennie Palmer Wolf will share the community constructed rubric we will be using.
© June, 2009 by Big Thought. All Rights Reserved. 7

8. Quality of Teaching & Learning What are we learning?
There is room for improvement across disciplines & settings.
Highest rated dimensions:
Climate that Supports Learning
Engagement & Investment in Learning
Lowest rated dimensions:
Classroom Dialogue & Sharing
Creative Choices
When looked at by type of program:
In school program quality exceeded after school
Summer programs were not as strong as after school
Community-based summer programs exceeded
school-based, HOWEVER tuition-based programs
drove this result
© June, 2009 by Big Thought. All Rights Reserved. 8

9. Overall Quality Citywide
Quality of Teaching & Learning
By Quadrant
Overall Quality Citywide
Citywide is everything and this average serves as a baseline. Everything averaged together is 50 the exact middle of a 100 point spread. Thus, everything is compared against this average and is either “above average” or “below average”.
Very revealing
Maybe label the citywide, citywide average?
© June, 2009 by Big Thought. All Rights Reserved.

10. Overall Quality Citywide
Quality of Teaching & Learning
By Discipline
Overall Quality Citywide
Wow -- Does this suggest that what is being offered in school without partners may be weaker?
That the partnership can make a difference to quality?
© June, 2009 by Big Thought. All Rights Reserved.

11. Overall Quality Citywide
Quality of Teaching & Learning
By Setting
Overall Quality Citywide
© June, 2009 by Big Thought. All Rights Reserved.

12. Overall Quality Citywide
Quality of Teaching & Learning
In School & After School
Overall Quality Citywide
Would title something like Dimensions of Quality in Arts Teaching and Learning in School and After School
Interesting to note that while After School (Community) is has a lower overall quality than In School (see the preceding graph) After School (Community) exceed In School quality in Skills & Techniques and is comparable in the area of Creative Choices.
Is BT the afterschool (school)? If so this is a real call to action
© June, 2009 by Big Thought. All Rights Reserved.

13. Overall Quality Citywide
Quality of Teaching & Learning
In School & Summer
Overall Quality Citywide
Important messages laid out below
Are there bigger messages about partnerships for learning that could be raised in a final slide as part of what to think about?
Again, Community-Based programming excels in Skills & Technique which indicates that it has something to share with In School. Likewise, In School has much to share with Community Providers who offer programming in a “school setting” whether it be after school or summer learning. Community providers can clearly offer high quality programs on their “home turf”, but need the school fine arts teachers’ and administrators’ support and expertise to fully maximize their potential in a school setting.
© June, 2009 by Big Thought. All Rights Reserved.