Measuring the Impact of the Center for Creative Education’s Arts-Based Education Model

Executive Summary

Purpose: The purpose of this evaluation is to measure the impact of the Center for Creative Education’s (CCE) model for arts-based education on students in Palm Beach County, Florida.

Mission: The Center for Creative Education’s mission is to empower our students to grow academically, creatively and socially through arts-based education. Vision: CCE envisions a world where each child has the opportunity to learn and grow in the way that meets their needs, and allows them to reach their full potential as citizens and contributors to society.

CCE’s Model for Achieving its Objectives: The Center for Creative Education’s Arts Integration model uses mentors and teaching artists who have been trained in the arts to deliver arts-based curriculum that is integrated with school-based curriculum at the K, 1, and 2^nd grade levels in three schools in Palm Beach County. In order to measure the impact of the Center for Creative Education’s Model for art-based education and to help ensure that CCE’s programs align with their mission, the evaluation focused on the impact of four CCE objectives:

1. Empower students to grow academically
2. Empower students to grow creatively
3. Build and develop the collaborative relationships between classroom teachers and teaching artists
4. Build and develop diverse and collaborative relationships in the school community

Year 1 Evaluation Results: This evaluation shows that CCE’s model positively impacted students, teachers and parents when measured by objectives, locations, grade levels and curriculums. Among the highlights that are drawn from quantitative data on school achievement using state and local assessments, qualitative data from surveys (Brown, 2017a, 2017b), professional development sessions and informal talks with students, teachers, teaching artists, mentors, administrators and parents are:

1. Empower students to grow academically

A. CCE’s arts-based model succeeded in employing arts-based education strategies and positively impacted 547 students in 3 Palm Beach County public schools.

B. The which means they cannot go on to the next grade without substantial help.

C. 88% of the students met or exceeded target growth as measured by i-Ready testing

D. 23% of the students exceeded target growth as measured by i-Ready testing

E. 13% of students increased proficiency on Running Reading Records during the year

2. Empower students to grow creatively

A. 52% of students made a positive shift toward arts learning

B. 44% of students made a positive shift toward self-efficacy

3. Build and develop the collaborative relationships between classroom teachers and teaching artists

A. “Evidence from surveys, observations, and the arts integration rubric reveals that teachers and TAs worked well together and improved their ability to merge arts and academics to deliver effective arts integrated lessons to a very diverse group of students. The arts integration component of the Arts for Literacy program was clearly successful, and both groups grew in learning and confidence to teach and evaluate arts integrated lessons” (Brown, 2017a). Below are just a few highlights of their working together:

B. CCE paid for 9 Teaching Artists to work with 32 School-based Teachers

C. 72% of Teachers trusted Teaching Artists

D. 70% of Teachers trusted the Mentors

E. 68% of Teaching artists listened to teachers

F. 76% of Teachers listened to Teaching artists

G. 73% of Teaching Artists listened to mentors

H. 75% of Teaching Artists and 73% of Teachers work well with each other

I. 38% of Teachers strongly agree that they learned new things from arts integration

4. Build and develop diverse and collaborative relationships in the school community

A. “Evidence gathered to address Objective 4 shows that the Arts for Literacy program has been successful in building and developing diverse and collaborative relationships in the school community thus far” (Brown, 2017a).

B. 80% of parents report that their child’s art class increased their awareness of art a lot

C. 65% of parents report talking to their child about art projects at home a lot

D. 61% of parents agree that the art class helps them feel more welcome in school

E. 47% of parents agree that they come to their school more often because of the art class

F. 42% of parents agree that they talk to their child’s art teacher more often because of the art class.

5. Recommendations

1) Review Indicators of Impact

2) Restructure Logic Model for 2018

3) Improve Data Collection

4) Adopt All of the Features of a Professional Teaching Approach

5) Hire Academic Director

Need for CCE’s Successful Arts-Based Education Programming in Palm Beach County

The evaluation measured the impact of the Center for Creative Education’s Arts-based model and found that CCE has made a significant contribution to the academic and creative improvement of students in K, 1, and 2 in Barton, Northmore and Lantana schools in Palm Beach County.

The evaluation found that CCE’s Arts-Based Education Model closely approximates the Kennedy Center’s definition for arts integration: “an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process which connects an art form and another subject and meets evolving objectives” (Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, September, 2017).

In addition to significant academic, creative and social contributions, the evaluation of CCE’s arts-based work also showed a high need for this kind of model in their Palm Beach County schools. Test scores in CCE’s serviced classrooms have been going down an average of 6% from 2015 to 2016 and the need for students to get help in 2017 is very high at 56% for Northmore, 55% for Barton and 34% for Lantana according to Florida State Assessment (FSA) results. These schools have high priority populations and a high need for free and reduced lunch. CCE has a chance to build on this promising first year of significant results and continue to improve the multi-year trend of providing naturally engaging arts programming that also supports students in meeting standards, reading on grade level and comprehending content and curriculum in three schools that desperately need arts-integration school reform strategies.

Percentages show how many students got a score of 3 or better on the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) English-Language Arts test in the 3rd grade this spring. “Must get help” shows the percentage of students who can’t go to fourth grade without help or proof they’re capable. Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie county scores are included.