State of the Arts in Chicago Public Schools: Baseline Report 2012-2013

Over the past three decades, countless educational, cultural, and philanthropic leaders have worked tirelessly to improve access to the arts for all students in Chicago Public Schools. Since its inception in 2011, Ingenuity has been working in partnership with these same leaders toward the goal of an arts education for every student in every CPS school. Ingenuity underpins its work by gathering a deep set of data that provides a clear understanding of the specific arts needs of each school and the district as a whole. This report presents findings from the first year of comprehensive data collection, the 2012 -- 13 school year, and sets the baseline against which Ingenuity will annually measure district-wide efforts to expand arts instruction. Nearly four hundred schools participated in this data collection, which makes this report the most current, comprehensive view of arts education in Chicago. This report also offers an analysis of progress on the CPS Arts Education Plan and shows data related to its implementation in schools. The key to looking at the state of arts in the city's schools is taking a closer look at some of the Plan's high-level goals, which stand out as central to its overall progress.

• Make the arts a core subject by dedicating 120 minutes of arts instruction per week in elementary schools. (1a)
• Create a system to track the quantity of elementary-level arts instruction. (5a)
• Set minimum staffing requirements in the arts at one certified full-time employee per school or an improved ratio. (1d)
• Require each school to maintain a budget for the arts. (6a)
• Match at least one community arts partner to every school in collaboration with an arts, or other instructor. (4b)
• Launch the Creative Schools Certification to establish school and network-level supports to help principals plan for and implement the arts. (3c)
• Integrate the arts into the school progress report card. (5d)