October 2016 Newsletter: Notes from the Field

It is with gratitude and pride that we enter into our fifth year of Turnaround Arts, moving from a theory being tested in eight schools to a proven approach in 68. This year, we want to provide you a closer look inside our schools via this newsletter, show you the amazing work of our teachers and principals, and highlight the enormous resilience, spirit and insight of our students.

A core value of our program is trust. We trust that families want a thriving school, and will pitch in to make that happen. We trust that our students hold tremendous potential and talent. We trust that our teachers are highly capable, and work hard to serve their students, particularly when they are given robust support and the chance to craft the art of teaching. We trust that our principals are eager and ambitious for their schools, and will empower their staff to lead alongside them. We trust that communities will support their schools, and be motivated and energized to correct the inequities around them in support of their kids. Our methods are built on these positive assumptions ‒ rather than providing curriculum and step-by-step processes for improvement, we seek to empower these stakeholders to identify their key challenges and build a plan of attack with the arts at the center of their arsenal.

That said, we do arm our schools with fundamentals for how to use the arts strategically, along with a common vision for a vital, arts-filled school. The basis of these fundamentals are the Turnaround Arts Pillars ‒ the eight assets that we ask all schools to develop to build a rigorous, engaging, empowering, and joyful school. These eight pillars are a blend of players: the principal, arts specialists, classroom teachers, teaching artists and non-teaching school community (district, families, and community partners), plus various means of improvement: a comprehensive strategic approach, professional development, and the physical and emotional environment. School teams learn about developing their capacity across these Pillars at our Summer Leadership Retreat, and identify the Pillars that need improvement at their school in the coming year.

If school transformation is what schools are fighting for, then the Arts Leadership Team (ALT) are the officers. The ALT is a representative group of teachers and administrators that work together to develop a Strategic Arts Plan for using the arts at their school, and then make it happen. They also serve as curricular point persons in trying new arts-based strategies with their peers, and are relied upon to cheerlead and model the risk-taking that is part of any instructional change. Their bold work gives rise to a schoolwide peer network, which is bolstered by national trainers and support that we send out into the field from many of our national partners. We rely heavily on the magic of the arts to break down barriers between staff in ways that other curricular approaches often can’t ‒ there is nothing like a colleague-led professional development session where the whole staff engages in improv games, dances to express a science concept or writes song lyrics to summarize an article, all in an effort to bring a staff together, laugh and remember the joy of learning and teaching.

The Strategic Arts Plan, mentioned above, is worth a moment more of attention. For many teachers, developing this plan is their first experience in weighing into the whole school vision and plan. This ownership is essential to building the team that can transform a school. Whole staffs focus on the values that unite them, and the vision for what their school could be ‒ the place that they want to provide the students that they love, and a place where they too can thrive as professionals. The ALT develops a plan that is customized to that vision, and addresses core challenges at the school, including ones that they hold in common with other schools in their Turnaround Arts locality.

You will hear about our schools’ work in the Pillars, Arts Leadership Teams, and Strategic Arts Plans as our schools roll out their stories to you this year via this newsletter. We are excited to share stories from the field, and appreciate your love and support of Turnaround Arts.