Ingenuity State of the Arts Progress Report 2015-2016 | Page 50

the arts in CPS
ARTS ASSETS IN SCHOOLS
In addition to arts staffing, minutes of
instruction, and graduation requirements,
the Creative Schools Certification also tracks
elements essential to providing arts access in
schools such as:
Does the school have dedicated funding for
arts education?
Did any instructor or administrator have artsspecific professional development?
Is arts integration used to facilitate learning in
non-arts disciplines?
Does the school maintain a partnership with at
least one community arts partner?
Does the school have student, parent, and
community engagement in the arts through
school-based exhibits, performances, volunteer
opportunities, or community events?
Schools’ answers to these questions are
important indicators of a quality school-level
arts education program. They are therefore
included in both the elementary school and
high school rubrics.

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In 2015-16, schools maintained high levels of
achievement on each of these indicators. The
highest percentage of schools reported having
programs to engage parents and community
members in arts education and having at least
one community arts partner—98 percent and
96 percent of schools, respectively. Of these
five arts assets, CPS schools were least likely
to say that an instructor or administrator
had participated in arts-specific professional
development, 80 percent answering yes, a 4
percentage point decrease from 2014-15.
When comparing elementary schools to
high schools across these arts assets, the
most notable difference is the percentage of
schools whose instructors took part in artsspecific professional development. In 201516, 82 percent of elementary schools and 75
percent of high schools reported that their
instructors (arts or non-arts) had arts-specific
professional development opportunities.
The overall decrease in schools engaging
in professional learning in the arts and the
lower participation of high schools in these