An Introduction to - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

An Introduction to

The Transformative Power

of the

ARTS

in

Closing the Achievement Gap

California County Superintendents

Arts InitiativeSlide2

Acknowledgments

Introducing a new resource for understanding the critical role of the arts in closing the achievement gap and developing the capacities needed

for 21st century learning and successCCSESA Arts Initiative and the CISC VAPA Subcommittee

William and Flora Hewlett FoundationSan Francisco County Office of EducationFrancisca Sánchez, SFUSD Chief Academic Officer, Project Executive Producer

Dr. Fred Dobb, Principal Researcher and WriterAntigone Trimis, San Francisco USD VAPA Staff LeadDebra Koffler and José Luis Mejía, Conscious Youth Media Crew, Video Producers

Patty Taylor, CCSESA Arts Consultant, Document ReviewerSlide3

Context & Purpose

Focus on the Transformative Power of Visual and Performing Arts Education and Educators Spark, increase, and sustain student engagement, achievement and 21st century success, especially powerful for marginalized youth Provide positive, life-enhancing experiences, skills, and direction

Help eliminate demographic predictabilityPurpose Share this potential through a variety of connected resources

Provide the essential background parents and educators need to understand the relationship between the achievement gap and arts educationSlide4

Transformative Power

The ability to spark, increase, and sustain engagement, academic achievement, and 21st century success outside of school, particularly for students marginalized by traditional curriculum and instructional practice, narrowly focused standardized assessments, and institutionalized biases.Slide5

Convening the Community

If you had to live in one of the arts disciplines, which would you choose:Visual ArtsMusic

Go to the corner labeled with that arts discipline.Introduce yourselves.In what ways has this art transformed your lives? Create a summary statement about this.

What is one implication of your experiences for school reform efforts?

Dance

TheatreSlide6

Sharing OutSelect a spokesperson to:

Introduce the group members.Share A summary statement about your experiences of the transformative power of your art discipline.

An implication of this transformative power for our school reform efforts.Slide7

OutcomesEngage participants in expanding their understanding of how to use

The Transformative Power of the Arts in Closing the Achievement Gap with a variety of arts leaders and educators.Guide participants in exploring how to translate the ideas in to support transformative, gap-closing classroom practices in the arts. Slide8

Agenda

Welcome AcknowledgmentsContext & PurposeConvening the Community

OverviewOutcomes & AgendaJournalOrganization & Key Questions

Introduction to Key ConceptsThe Achievement Gap & the ArtsBenefits of the ArtsDiscussion & Reflection

Five Lenses for Understanding the Gifts of the ArtsThe Five Lenses

Introduction to the Jigsaw ActivityJigsaw ActivityLUNCHPoster Presentations

Supporting ResourcesClosing the DayElevator SpeechAfter Action Review

Closing Comments/EvaluationSlide9

Notes & Reflection Journal - Purpose

Organize workshop notesApply what we know about the brain

Writing helps us sort things out.Writing helps us solve problems.Writing helps us move new learnings into long-term memory.

Writing helps us personalize understanding. Writing makes us smarter.

JOURNAL

Transformative Power of the ArtsSlide10

Journal Organization

Table of Contents

#

Topic Page

First Page

TOPIC

Page

#

6 Pages In

Notes

Reflection/

QuestionSlide11

An Introduction

Document Organization & Key Questions

The Achievement Gap

ReflectionSlide12

Organization

Document Narrativehttp://www.ccsesaarts.org/content/TransformativePowerArts_guide.aspSection 1

Executive Summary (1)Acknowledgments (2)

Introduction (3) Section 2

What Is the Achievement Gap? (5)What Does All of This Have to Do with the Arts? (10)

What Are the Benefits of the Arts? (13)Section 3Language for Appreciating the Gifts of the Arts (21)

What Are the Gifts of the Arts? (26)

Section 4Gifts of the Arts in Action: Programs Reaching Across the Achievement Gap (32)

Professional Development (34)Section 5

Summary (36)References (40)

Visual Displays of Information (20, 23 – 24, and 26-31)Profiles

(4, 8, 12, 19, 35, 39)Video Profileshttp://www.ccsesaarts.org/content/TransformativePowerArts_guide.aspSlide13
Slide14

Key QuestionsWhat do the arts have to do with the achievement gap?

What are the benefits of the arts for students?What does research say about the arts and student academic and personal growth?What are the gifts of the arts for individuals and society?How do we artfully redefine the achievement gap and those trapped in it?Slide15

The Achievement GapOften used to refer to differential test scores between identifiable groups of students

Historically Underserved Racial/Ethnic MinoritiesAfrican Americans, Latinos, Pacific Islanders, American IndiansPoor Students

English LearnersSpecial Needs StudentsSlide16

The Achievement GapPersistent

Has Always ExistedThere are no “good old days.”Officially Recognized for Several DecadesResistant to and Sometimes Exacerbated by Most Official School Reform EffortsSlide17

The Achievement GapPervasive

Across Definitions of Achievement Test Scores, Grades, A-G Completion, and Credit AccrualDrop-Out, Graduation, and College-Going RatesPlacement in Honors/Advanced Courses, GATE Programs, and Special Education;

Retention in Grade, Suspensions, and ExpulsionsDisciplinary Referrals Across and Within Socio-Economic Levels

Across Geographic AreasSlide18

The Achievement GapPredictable

Achievement gaps in schools reflect social stratification, discrimination and power relations in the society.Institutional Biases & InequitiesConnected to Issues of Power and Access to:

Resources: Funding Instructional Materials, FacilitiesPowerful Curriculum & InstructionExperienced & Well-Qualified TeachersCulturally & Linguistically Responsive Approaches

High Expectations & Welcoming Learning EnvironmentsSlide19

The Achievement Gap & the Arts

He was transformed by this experience (acting in a film) and continues to follow an actor’s path. During times of incredible hardship, I watched him use this as a focus to transform his feelings of hurt and anger. Giving kids a chance to articulate and work through their emotions without taking it out on the street or another person is the most important reason to teach any art form. It is life-changing for many young people.

Anonymous Teacher’s Comment Forum, KQED Radio, April 12, 2009Slide20

The Achievement Gap & the Arts

Innovation, of course, is a business buzzword. So some business schools are embracing an innovation-oriented approach known as ‘design thinking’ in which students take their understandings of the world and use them on the path to creativity.

“Multicultural Critical Theory. At B-School?” New York Times, 1-10-10Financial firms are sending their back-office jobs overseas. But what do artists do? They create something new, unexpected and delightful that changes the world. Masters in Fine Arts’ abilities are harder to outsource and more important in an abundant world.

Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind Slide21

The Achievement Gap & the Arts

The arts can help students become tenacious, team-oriented problem-solvers who are confident and able to think creatively. These qualities can be especially important in improving learning among students from economically disadvantaged circumstances.U.S. Secretary of Education Arne DuncanSlide22

Discussion & Reflection

At your table, do a quick whip around so each person has 10 or 15 seconds to respond to this question:What stood out to you from what we’ve shared and experienced thus far?

Now, discuss the following:

How do the information and experiences match or not match your experience in your work setting?

Save 2 minutes to do a quick journal reflection.Slide23

BREAKSlide24

Benefits of the Arts

Benefits for All Students

Academic Benefits across the Curriculum

Benefits for Marginalized Populations

Intrinsic Benefits Slide25

Benefits for All Students

The Arts, Creative Learning, and Student AchievementHigher reading, writing, and science test scoresLower dropout rates Better preparation for future education and the workplace

Enhanced parental involvement Strengthened workplace skills of creativity and imaginationMaking a Case for the Arts

(3-year study of 10 elementary, middle and high schools) Higher standardized test scores Greater student motivation for school workGreater student roles in their own learning

Improved student behavior and attendanceSlide26

Academic BenefitsCorrelation v. Causality

Most studies show a relationship between student participation in the arts and growth in other areas, rather than direct causation.Doing Well and Doing Good by Doing ArtReports positive correlations between a student’s involvement in: The arts and academic success

Instrumental music and mathematics achievementSustained involvement in theatre arts and development of a student’s empathy, self-concept and motivationThese findings held for low-income students.James Catterall in Critical Evidence

Students involved in the arts are demonstrably doing better in school than those who are not.Slide27

Academic Benefits – Causal EvidenceListening to Music and Spatial-Temporal Reasoning

Medium-Sized Causal RelationshipSuggests that music and spatial reasoning may rely on some of the same underlying skills and on some of the same, or proximal, brain areasLearning to Play Music and Spatial Reasoning Large Causal Relationship

Effect greater when standard music notation was learned as well Effect works equally for both general and at risk populationsClassroom Drama and Verbal SkillsMedium-Sized Causal LinkDrama helped children’s verbal skills with respect to the texts enacted

Also helped children’s verbal skills when applied to new, non-enacted textsSlide28
Slide29

Benefits for Marginalized Students

Arts learning experiences play a vital role in developing students’ capacities for critical thinking, creativity, imagination, and innovation. These capacities are increasingly recognized as core skills and competencies all students need as part of a high-quality and complete 21st-century education. And, as a matter of social justice, we must be concerned when students are denied access to a high-quality education—one that includes learning in and through the arts—simply because of where they live or go to school.

Sandra Ruppert Critical Evidence of How the Arts Benefit Student AchievementSlide30

Benefits for Marginalized Students

The arts provide pathways of expression and understanding that come directly from the students’ experiences; they are ways for teachers to gather information about learners and their cultures. The arts are our history and our vision. They record, are shaped by, and reflect culture, and in turn, transform culture by providing a focus for reflection…. When students are actively engaged in creatively thinking, they focus on ways that call for flexibility in thought and integration of emotionality, rationality, and meaning that is necessary for success in academic settings and elsewhere.

Mary Stone Hanley and George W. NoblitCultural Responsiveness, Racial Identity and Academic SuccessSlide31

Benefits for Marginalized StudentsThe arts allow students to:

Own the process and content of learning Communicate their life experiences Reinterpret their lives.

Engagement in the arts may provide a means of redirecting the anger, anxiety, and alienation reported by numerous students of color. Stone Hanley and NoblitSlide32

Culturally & Linguistically Responsive Arts Instruction

Uses culture to promote positive racial and ethnic identity.Uses that identity as an asset in learning and development.Educates about racism and group advancement to encourage high achievement and resilience in the face of oppression.

Employs the arts to produce a wide range of competencies.Develops caring relationships as an initial step to inspire students to work academically.Builds on student strengths and assumes academic and personal success.Slide33

Intrinsic Benefits of the Arts

The arts are fundamental to children’s education and they are fundamental because the arts are fundamental to human nature, to the human being, so I do not see art as an instrument to teach something else. The primary reason why we need strong arts programs in the schools is that human beings are artists. One way we grapple with ideas is through the arts…. A school that has ignored the artist in us has done damage.Deborah MeierSlide34

Intrinsic Benefits of the ArtsStudents in Arts-Based Organizations/Programs

Exhibited strong motivation, persistence, and critical analysis and planning abilities.25% more likely to report feeling satisfied with themselves Twice as likely to win awards for academic achievement23% more likely to feel they can make plans and successfully work from them

The arts hold the potential for both personal and societal transformation.Slide35

Intrinsic Benefits of the Arts

Private Benefits

Captivation

Pleasure

Private Benefits

with

Public Spillover

Expanded Capacity for Empathy

Cognitive Growth

Public Benefits

Creation of Social Bonds

Expression of Communal Meaning

From

Gifts of the MuseSlide36

Discussion & Reflection

At your table, talk about:What new learnings or insights have emerged for you as a result of what you have heard or experienced thus far today?What one thing must you now do (differently) as a result of these new learnings or insights?

Save 2 minutes to write a quick reflection in your journal.Slide37

Gifts of the Arts Jigsaw

VAPA Framework Strands

Studio Habits of Mind

Pink’s Six Senses

Eisner’s Ten Lessons the Arts Teach

21

st

Century SkillsSlide38

Select Your “Lens”VAPA Framework Strands

(Pp. 21 and 28-31)Facilitator:Studio Habits of Mind (Pp. 22-23 and 28-31)Facilitator:Pink’s Six Senses

(Pp. 24-25 and 28-31)Facilitator:Eisner’s Ten Lessons the Arts Teach (Pp. 21-22 and 28-31)Facilitator:

21st Century Skills (Pp. 26-31)Facilitator:Slide39

Jigsaw Task

Review The appropriate section in the document.Brainstorm & Consider Specific arguments for and examples of how this lens connects to the other four and the power of these connections to increase student engagement, achievement, and 21

st century skills.Create A poster that captures the key points of the lens, the connections, and the impact.

Present A 3-minute poster session to the larger group.Slide40

Poster Pointers

A great poster is:Readable LegibleWell Organized

SuccinctDecide what the main message is and what text is required. Short and sweet titleMeasure the space you have.

Eliminate all extraneous material.

Pay attention to the layout.Center title at the top.

Sequence information from left to right.Include empty space.Make room for decorative elements. Vary the size of the lettering.

Larger = more importantAdd color and visual elements.Slide41
Slide42

Gifts of the Arts Jigsaw

REVIEW the

appropriate section in the document.

BRAINSTORM & CONSIDER specific arguments for and examples of how this lens connects to the other four and the power of these connections to increase student engagement, achievement, and 21

st century skills.

21st

Century Skills

CREATE

a poster that captures the key points of the lens, the connections, and the impact.

PRESENT a

3-minute poster session to the larger group.

VAPA Framework Strands

Studio Habits of Mind

Ten Lessons

Six SensesSlide43

LUNCHSlide44

Poster Presentations3-Minute Presentations2-Minute Q/A After Each Presentation

AudienceTake notes in your journal!Slide45

Supporting Resources

Featured Programs Videos

Inspiring Voice Materials

References ListSlide46

Transformative Power Videoshttp://www.ccsesaarts.org/content

/TransformativePowerArts_guide.aspPrograms

African Diaspora ProjectFundred ProjectOakland Tech Dance ProgramMusic National Service

Downtown HS Multimedia Arts ProjectORCHKIDS

Common FeaturesAn explicit commitment to students served with an understanding of their strengths, potentials, and needs.A consciousness that the skills taught are pathways to accomplishment within and beyond the arts curriculum.

The ability to draw in students by establishing how the programs are relevant to their lives, and fashion something different along the way.An ongoing exposure to working artists.Slide47
Slide48
Slide49

Inspiring VoiceAn ARTS LEARNING LEADERSHIP Professional Development Series

Sponsored by SFCOE and CCSESA Arts InitiativeExplores How to Engage and Motivate Students through Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Arts EducationMultiple Resources Availablehttp://www.ccsesa.org/Arts/ArtsLearningLeadershipSeriesInspiringVoice.cfmSlide50

References ListThe REFERENCES section of the document provides sources for a number of books, articles, research studies, and other resources.

Pages 40-42Slide51

Closing the Day

Elevator Speech

After Action Review

Evaluation

Closing CommentsSlide52

Your Elevator Speech

Think of one person not in this group who is critical to moving this work forward at your site or workplace.Real Individual OR PositionImagine that you’re in an elevator with that person.Create the 30 - 60 second elevator speech you would share that:

Captures what we intend to put into action; Provides a convincing message about why it matters to that person; and Shares a vision of how that person will play a key role in making it happen. Slide53

159

After Action Review

Take one of the colored cards at your table.Find the others in the room who share your color, and introduce yourselves.

Discuss the following questions:What happened today? What did we accomplish?What new learnings and insights emerged?

As a result of these new learnings and insights, what specific leadership actions or next steps will we take to move the work forward?Decide on one new learning/insight and one action/next step to share out to the larger group.Slide54

Journal Update & Evaluation

Use this time to update your journal.Finish notes.Add reflections or questions.Review your notes

.Complete the workshop evaluation.Slide55

When silence is impossible, when injustice is unbearable, sometimes a song, or better yet, a lifting of many voices can tell a radical truth that is not easily dismissed.

Carol Estes

My commitment to our struggle recognizes neither boundaries nor limits; only those of us who carry our cause in our hearts are willing to run the risks.

Rigoberta MenchúSlide56

RADICAL LEADER

It means facing a system that does not lend itself to your needs and devising means by which you change that system.The key word here is

YOU.Robert Moses

Radical Equations: Math Literacy and Civil RightsSlide57

To be human is to hope. To hope is to see with your heart. . .

In these definitive moments of leadership, be awake to possibility; . . . learn to believe;

and . . . step off the curb; and shine.,Andrew Razeghi

HOPE