The San Gabriel Valley Partner Schools Project's goal was to support selected schools in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles in developing sequential, standards-based arts learning programs in alignment with the goals of Arts for All: Los Angeles County Regional Blueprint for Arts Education. Central to this goal was building the capacity of teachers to know and be able to teach the arts in their classrooms. The recently completed three-year project consisted of planning, program implementation for students and educators, and assessment activities.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Through the San Gabriel Valley Project, the Music Center helped to strengthen arts education in selected elementary schools in the greater San Gabriel Valley area. 274 schools in 28 districts throughout the region were invited to attend a Project Orientation Meeting prior to considering the Project's three options or levels for participation: Level One (January to April 2006): Arts Education Needs Assessment: Using data to guide school leadership in identifying schools' areas of strength and areas of need in arts education. Level Two (May to December 2006): Professional Development in the Arts: Developing instructional leadership for the arts through school team participation in the Introductory Institute for Educators and providing follow-up artist observation and mentoring for teacher-led arts curriculum development and implementation Level Three (November 2006 to June 2007): Artist/Teacher Partnerships: Facilitating quality teaching and learning experiences in the arts though Integrated Arts Packages which provide instructional models for teachers and hands-on activities for students. Project Timeline

PROJECT BENEFITS

1. Each selected school has the opportunity to focus time and attention on arts education, and benefits from an in-depth assessment of the current status of arts education across all classrooms. 2. A cohort of five to eight teachers per school each year benefit from participation in the Institute, developing new skills to create curriculum units (five or more lesson plans) linked to the study of a masterwork of art. 3. Each school principal gains from participation in the Music Center summer Institute for Educators, job-alike sessions with other principals, and advice and recommendations on future planning for arts education. Principals meet quarterly from October through May. 4. In year one, schools participated in a suite of arts experiences including ongoing professional development for teachers and in-school services such as student workshops, residencies and performances, all designed to increase educators' ability and comfort in leading arts instruction. 5. In year two, teachers and Music Center artists are forming partnerships to co-plan, co-teach, model or observe, and provide feedback about the anchor work lessons, arts strategies, facilitation techniques, and assessment. 6. The principal and core teachers profit from the opportunity to build relationships and share with colleagues from the other participating schools. 2006 -2007, YEAR ONE PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Level One : Arts Education Needs Assessment

Following the Project Orientation Meeting, in early February 2006, interested schools submitted a two-page Letter of Interest to participate in Level One. Submitted by the principals, letters described the current status of arts education at the school, outlined what the school hoped to gain by engaging in the Music Center ArtStrategy Survey, and included ideas for how the school would use the information garnered by the survey. Six elementary schools participated in Level One: Arlene Bitely Elementary and Dan T. Williams both in Garvey USD, Sunkist Elementary, Edgewood Academy and Van Wig Elementary in Bassett USD; and South Ranchito Elementary in El Rancho USD. On April 27, 2006, a team of five to eight educators and principals from each school attended a meeting at the Music Center to review the results of their schools survey data. Through facilitated conversations led by Music Center staff, school teams analyzed their survey data and discussed long and short term goals for their programs revolving around central questions such as: What is the status of arts education at your school? What are possible key next steps and/or priorities for your arts education program? How might your school use the resources of the San Gabriel Valley Project to address short-term goals? Based on this meeting, schools and the Music Center began to develop priorities for the Project content for Level Two which would focus on professional development for teachers and administrators in order to increase their capacity to implement, develop and assess quality arts instruction, focusing on Theatre and the Visual Arts.

Level Two: Professional Development in the Arts

In May 2006, four schools applied to continue on to Level Two. These schools included: Van Wig School, Rice Elementary, Arlene Bitely Elementary, and South Ranchito Elementary. These four schools were selected to take part in the Level Two Institute for Educators which took place at the Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles during one week in July 2006. Each school sent a school team consisting of five to eight teachers and one school administrator (principal). Teacher teams were assembled by the school principal based on the following criteria for participation: Familiarity with the California Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards Willingness to make time to include a new curriculum unit early in the school year Ability to document and share evidence of teaching and student learning Willingness to participate in an active partnership with a teaching artist in the classroom Prior experience using broad curricular themes to draw connections across many subject areas Comfort level working conceptually, as well as with specific applications Ability to collaborate with other teachers to share and disseminate effective practices The 2006 Introductory Level focused on Theatre and Puppetry at the Core of Learning with Lead Artists, Peter Kors, theatre and poetry artist, and Beth Peterson, puppetry and mask-making artist. This Institute also featured "On the Pulse of Morning" by Maya Angelou as its anchor work poem. Dr. Angelou presented her poem at the 1993 inauguration of President Clinton. Institute Artist Fellows partnered with San Gabriel Valley Project schools as follows: Kathryn Johnson-Schwartz and Arlene Bitely Elementary, Sam Robinson and Rice Elementary, Dawn Dyson and Van Wig School, and Eiko Amano and South Ranchito. At the conclusion of the Institute, teacher teams began to develop their own grade-level specific arts curriculum units based on the Institute model. In October-November each school received intensive Institute follow-up including: Two full-day site visits with their Music Center Teaching Artist Fellow who observe teachers implementing their arts curriculum unit lessons and provided written and verbal coaching and feedback on lesson content and implementation. One school-wide two-hour teacher in-service with one of the Institute Lead Artists (Peter Kors or Beth Peterson) to provide ongoing support to each school Institute Team and to 'widen the circle' beyond the core Institute participants and include additional teachers in introductory training on arts instruction and integration. One school-wide assembly featuring a theatre or storytelling artist to provide all teachers with quality artistic models that related to the skills and concepts in theatre and visuals arts that were introduced in the Institute and that were the basis for the teachers' own curriculum units. On January 23, 2007, the Music Center hosted the San Gabriel Valley Partner School Project Institute Reconvening at the Music Center. All Institute participants shared their curriculum units and lessons learned from their experiences in developing and implementing arts curriculum with their students during the fall.

Level Three: Artist/Teacher Partnerships

Following the summer Institute, schools began work with Music Center staff to delineate how each school proposes to use the Center's resources to advance the specific goals for their arts education program relative to projects that will take place from September 2006 through June 2007. The work at each school is customized to address specific, local needs; however, the core project elements consist of an Integrated Arts Package: which includes professional development for teachers, model curriculum units, student workshops, assembly performances, and opportunities to attend select events at the Music Center. Each schools IAP builds on the content, skills, and themes introduced at the summer Institute, including continuing the partnership between the schools and their Teaching Artist Fellow. Take a look at each schools' package: Arlene Bitely Elementary Rice Elementary J.E. Van Wig Elementary South Ranchito Elementary In addition, starting in November, the Music Center convened the first of four Quarterly Principals' Meetings to provide 'protected' time for the Music Center staff to work explicitly with the principals to identify, discuss and develop shared solutions for key instructional leadership issues related to arts education. Each school will host on the meetings on their campus as a way for the principals and the Music Center to get to know each schools community and challenges more directly. Principals developed the following questions for the group to explore during subsequent sessions: School Leadership/Arts Program Development What does success look like? What does a quality program look like? What is the best approach to growing a program school-wide? How to institutionalize the arts in the school Building on existing Music program Supplement/enrich ELD program Student Learning in the Arts How do you motivate and get students excited about learning? Engaging students in quality programs How do you show Evidence of student learning in the arts? Supporting Teachers/Building Teacher Capacity How to provide continued support? Provide planning time for teachers Empowering, formalizing core school team Building teacher capacity in the arts How to create teacher ownership of the program Strategies for teacher/student buy-in How do you help teachers see the arts as core curriculum Program Partnerships How can the Music Center help to support school goals? Counting our blessings - what's working? How to share what's happening with others (district, community, funders, etc) Other resources (funding, professional development, performances, etc)