Survey your constituents: community, arts organizations, students, parents, school administrators and officials, town political and civic leaders, teachers, senior citizens, business leaders. Get a pulse on your community and how different segments of the population feel about arts education and what the arts can do for the community, both within the school and in the broader community. You may think you know how people feel about the arts, but you may really be surprised at what you learn by doing an “environmental scan” of different segments of your town, village, or city.

RESOURCES

State

National

TOOLS

Arts|Learning Toolkit Sample Surveys

CURRENT RESEARCH

  • Arts|Learning Research Summary
  • Creative Minds/ Cognition
    The Arts develop cognition and creative thinking.
  • 21st Century Workforce Skills/ Creative Economy
    The Arts develop skills and habits of mind crucial to 21st Century workforce preparation.
  • Engagement/Drop-Out Prevention and At-Risk Students
    The Arts reach students who are not otherwise being reached and engage students in hands-on, project based learning.
  • Civic Mindedness and Character Building
    The Arts develop character and promote civic engagement through community service and teamwork.
  • State and National Regulations/ESSA
    Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) states that the arts are part of a well-rounded education and they should be taught sequentially. Massachusetts recommended high school sequence for graduation, MASSCORE, includes an arts credit in theĀ  high school curriculum. Additionally, the arts are included in the MA 1993 Education Reform Act as part of the “common core of learning” for all students in Massachusetts.

What Should be on your bookshelf?

CURRENT NEWS

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2. Organize Your People