Of the 1,700 grant applications submitted nationwide, only 49 were selected to receive funding. Of the 49 highest ranking applications, only three projects listed a dedicated arts focus.

The A4L Project was developed by Young Audiences and is an academic program that integrates standards-focused, text-based content and arts strategies to improve student achievement in literacy learning and life skills. The project will serve all 3-5 grade students in the Beaverton School District over five years, with a particular emphasis on high needs students, i.e. English Language Learners, students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged, and ethnic/racial minority students.  In all, nearly 13,000 students will be served by this 5 year project.

The Investing in Innovation Fund, established under section 14007 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), provides funding to support (1) local educational agencies (LEAs), and (2) nonprofit organizations in partnership with (a) one or more LEAs or (b) a consortium of schools.  The purpose of this program is to provide competitive grants to applicants with a record of improving student achievement and attainment in order to expand the implementation of, and investment in, innovative practices that are demonstrated to have an impact on improving student achievement or student growth, closing achievement gaps, decreasing dropout rates, increasing high school graduation rates, or increasing college enrollment and completion rates.

Gail Hayes Davis, Executive Director of Young Audiences Arts for Learning of Oregon/SW Washington, had this to say about the award:  “We recognize the importance of integrating the arts into the curriculum and we do this through the Arts for Learning Lessons program. This grant is an extraordinary endorsement of that work and the Beaverton School District’s commitment to the arts. In addition to increasing academic performance, the arts motivates students to become innovative and creative thinkers, increases learning for all students, and develops a sense of craftsmanship, goal setting, collaboration and focus…which increases self esteem and skills needed to succeed in school and beyond.”

This particular project will put Arts for Learning Lessons “to the test” for the first time when it comes to improving students’ scores on standardized tests.  Depending on the results, this project could actually help secure a permanent place for the arts in schools by demonstrating how music, dance, visual arts and theatre can improve test scores.

“It has been my great fortune to be the site coordinator for Art is Education at Luis Munoz Marin K-8 for two years. The goal of Young Audiences’ Art is Education program is to make the arts a part of every child’s education, every day. Luis Munoz Marin Elementary is one of eight Cleveland Metropolitan School District schools participating in Art is Education. We have a large school that includes approximately 100 teachers and 800+ students. Every student in our building has been involved with different artist groups provided by Art is Education for those two years.

There are so many success stories that I have observed at our school, and I wanted to share a few. Many of our students struggle with letter sounds, but through Art is Education we have discovered a kinesthetic method to cement sounds with the written letter. Last year our K-2 students (including our self-contained special education classes) worked with professional dancers from Verb Ballets to learn the alphabet and phonetic sounds through movement. The students loved it and amazed their teachers by writing words using the movements they learned. The first graders this year remembered the movements and were teaching the kindergartners to use the same movements. This year the K-2 students are learning new techniques with Dance Afrika Dance. Actors play different roles teaching students about letter sounds and numbers. The teachers are enjoying the activities as much as the students and the results are positive again.”

To continue reading more from Kitty Merk about the Art is Education program, visit the Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio blog at http://youngaudiences.wordpress.com/ .

Young Audiences Arts for Learning submitted a paper titled Humpty Dumpty Looks to the Future ‘Putting the Arts and Education back Together Again’ with a vision for the future that places arts learning as a “distinct and distinctive means of enhancing young people’s creativity, learning, and quality of life.”  The author proposes a list of ‘To Do’s by 2040 which includes the need for academically conducted research that affirms the effects of arts learning on creativity, learning and life skills and habits of mind.  The paper envisions a future where all young people are allowed the opportunity to experience arts learning instruction delivered by arts specialists, classroom teachers, and by teaching artists as part of a unified and comprehensive curriculum.

While the past 50 years have seen a growing understanding of and appreciation for the intrinsic and fundamental value of arts instruction, the arts are still far more likely to be marginalized or pushed to the periphery than integrated as part of the core curriculum.  The value of the arts as an essential tool for developing creative and cognitive skills in today’s youth is yet to be fully realized and put into practice by many in-school decision makers.  The ambitious and inspiring vision for arts in education that the Young Audiences Green Paper proposes is a glimpse of an attainable reality, but only if discussions and dialogue continue about this topic.  Visit the Arts Learning for Children and Youth Blog on Americans for the Arts at http://blog.artsusa.org/2010/02/16/green-paper-arts-learning-for-childrenyouth/ to read the paper in its entirety, and take part in this important conversation.

Paul Herbert, an edweek.org blogger, recently posted his thoughts on the matter:

The 21^st century economy will rely, more than ever, on workers creative capacity –the ability to think unconventionally, question established practices, imagine new scenarios and produce astonishing work.
So how can thinking be taught without impacting on the time given to traditional subjects and affecting the content requirements of our curricula?

The key is integration.  By using a framework that teaches students to 1) work together to create an end product, 2) reflect on and revise their work, and 3) think of many ways to arrive at an answer, teachers can improve students’ learning and life skills while also teaching math, science, history and literacy.

Developed by a team of researchers at the University of Washington, Arts for Learning (A4L) Lessons is an arts integrated literacy program that is based on a framework grounded in the science of How People Learn (HPL), a publication by The National Research Council under Dr. John Bransford’s leadership.  A4L utilizes carefully selected arts integration techniques that naturally enhance, or “leverage,” students’ literacy learning, helping them acquire deeper understanding and facility for challenging literacy concepts and skills for thinking and working.

While students are learning to read and write, they are also learning how to collaborate, to plan ahead, and to think critically and creatively through the arts, effectively addressing both curriculum requirements and the need for 21^st Century skills.

Here is one story, told by a teacher, which captures the effect an integrated arts curriculum can carry to the classroom.

“The student I mentioned is a Special Ed student. His grades before the project were mostly F’s. He did not do well in a regular class. He did not complete assignments or turn them in. He spent most of his time drawing pictures. I knew right away this project could change his life.

He is gifted in the area of drawing pictures. After seeing his pictures, the students in the class were amazed at his talent. They gave him so much attention during the project that I suggested that he charge them for his autograph-since the other students would not be able to afford it later when he became a famous ‘graphic artist.’

His entire persona changed during the course of this project, his metamorphosis was fun to watch. He became more confident among his peers—before he had little interaction with anyone. He volunteered to read aloud for the first time all year! He was walking the halls with his head held high—before he would not be noticed. His posture in class and his work ethic dramatically improved. He often was seen with 3-4 students around his desk explaining his latest drawings. I heard from his other teachers that remarked how much better he was doing in their classes.”

The student in the story participated in Arts for Learning Lessons, a national literacy program which has been shown to increase student literacy gains through three independent evaluations conducted since 2006. But for the students making these strides, the value of the program lies in their personal growth, not just their test scores.

You may be familiar with cases just like this one.  If so, please feel free to share your stories with us.

Properly delivered, high-quality arts instruction ought to be cultivated as part of the whole culture of the school, both as it is integrated into the core subjects and taught as a stand alone, fundamental element of the curriculum.  Developing arts integrated programs that concurrently and significantly impact arts and academic learning involves collaboration among classroom teachers, arts specialists, and teaching artists.

Arts integrated programs like Arts for Learning Lessons combine professional development sessions for teachers to implement the program withteaching artist residencies that build on art skills introduced during classroom instruction.  By collaborating with in-school art specialists, teaching artists can develop adaptations for their residencies that enhance the skills being addressed as part of the in-school curriculum.  A synergetic approach to integrated learning means the students are participating in high quality arts and academic instruction with depth rather than breadth.

As states continue to cut arts funding, it is important to develop and implement programs that involve participation from arts instructors, educators, and teaching artists, and address both the academic and creative needs of children and young people.   Arts in education organizations need not be viewed as cannibalistic entities, supplying teaching artists to schools to undercut the necessity of full time arts instructors.  Through collaboration and reinforcement of the curriculum and state standards, a seemingly dichotomous relationship can become much more collegial.

One benefit in particular is the way in which the artistic process of creation that includes cycles of reflection and revision can impact student literacy.

Sustained and revised thinking about texts is a critical skill for literacy, though it is often neglected when teaching children to use reading comprehension strategies.  Because artistic creation intrinsically involves extensive revision, arts integration can help students learn how to change and manipulate their thinking about texts.

Teachers who practice deep reading instruction encourage children to select books that cause them to question and rethink what they know and believe. They also show them how to reread selectively as a way to affirm, expand on, or alter their knowledge and beliefs.

The Arts for Learning (A4L) Lessons Units use different art forms to help students understand and experience how artists rework an artistic piece over time, allowing them to discover, and then rediscover, new and different things about their understanding of their art and their worldview in the process.  By linking these art forms to reading through the process of sustained and revised thinking, teachers can help their students discover a deeper meaning in their texts.

In each A4L Unit, students begin with the text then create artwork that reflects their initial understanding of the reading.  By encouraging students to share their interpretations and art with one another, the class discovers new and different things about the text.  Then, as the students read further, they return to their original artwork and revise it to reflect those new discoveries.  This process not only encourages students to manipulate and revise their interpretations of a text, but it also creates an awareness of one’s thought process and encourages them to be persistent in searching for deeper meaning when reading.

The A4L Unit called Planting a Community is a case in point. The Unit draws parallels between themes in books and themes in musical pieces, helping teach kids higher level thinking skills.  By drawing the connection between thinking as an artist and thinking as a reader, the program teaches students that both activities require similar skills, such as creativity and critical thinking.

The unit also supports “soft skills,” like teamwork, as well as self-esteem, added Dana Sudduth, Executive Director of Young Audiences of Northeast Texas.

Why are the arts in general so effective in reaching kids? Victoria Tilney, in an Instructor Magazine article (http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4314) explained:

 “The arts allow students to develop self-esteem, to be self-expressive, and to apply their knowledge of other academic subjects in creative ways.”   Integration of the arts with the curriculum captures the magic and substance of the arts for all students, while also engaging students in the substance and skills of other subjects. This can be effective in building students’ confidence, especially for those who are not engaged by the standard curriculum and teaching styles. 

Says Tileny, “Because the arts address multiple intelligences, they provide a gateway for students to enter academic areas that they may have otherwise found difficult or off-putting.”

Kids who love what they’re doing in school—whether it’s dramatizing a scene from Little Women or creating a class mural—stay actively engaged. In a study conducted by the University of Washington as part of their work on design and development of the program, teachers who participated in Arts for Learning Lessons reported that the overall level of student engagement in their classrooms is extremely high. Said one teacher:

“A major benefit is the kids are so excited about the program. They love doing it. They are engaged the entire time period. I don’t see any children who are bored or who are looking out into space or who are distracted. And for learning to take place, children must be engaged, so I see that as a huge benefit.” (A New Window Into A4L: 2008-09 Interview Study)

 A4L addresses many different learning styles, and therefore provides an opportunity for all students to excel, even those who do not normally do so. According to interviews with several A4L teachers, the arts-integrated curriculum gives many students the chance to succeed. Some teachers said it was one of the first times they were able to reach kids who were not typically good “at standard school stuff.” Other teachers mentioned that the program involves children emotionally with a greater than usual engagement in school. When her A4L Unit was over, one teacher said, some kids were in tears because the unit had been so meaningful to them. “The impact [of the program] is not just intellectual or cognitive. It’s emotional,” she observed.

 A4L was also effective in reaching ESL and ELL learners in that the arts-integrated program—whether children were drawing their own graphic novel or dancing to demonstrate a word or phrase—allowed students to learn through whole body activities. (A New Window Into A4L: 2008-09 Interview Study)

Certainly, children who are more engaged for sustained periods have greater opportunity to learn

 According to Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, if we are to provide our children with a competitive edge in the 21^st century, they should be well equipped through an arts-integrated education that promotes creativity, engages students, and encourages kids at all levels of achievement to succeed. And, as the Executive Summary in Champions of Change (1999) reports, we must provide arts and arts-integrated programs that give young people “authentic learning experiences that engage their minds, hearts, and bodies.”

Students who participated in Arts for Learning Lessons showed a marked improvement in difficult reading, writing, and communication skills compared with students in a standard literacy curriculum. A recent study by the independent research organization WestEd found that Arts for Learning Lessons accounted for student improvements in an array of literacy skills, including the ability to make inferences to create meaning, identify the theme of a novel, and describe a character’s or the author’s traits, emotions, and thoughts. Significant majorities of elementary and middle school students demonstrated improvements in these skills based on pre- and post-tests. (WestEd Formative Evaluation, 2007-08)

Arts-integrated curriculum increases reading outside the classroom, too, say many educators. Teachers in some arts-integrated programs notice an increase in students’ pleasure reading. Many report that students are reading more during free time, on weekends, and during vacations breaks.

What changes in students’ pleasure reading have you observed as a result of your arts-integrated programs?