Portland's K-5 teachers gathered on August 21, in an in-service session organized by the Office of Arts & Culture, to get a grip on the city's inaugural arts education framework which plans to enhance arts education for young learners. The framework, aimed to be piloted this fall, intends to set a common bar for what constitutes a top-notch arts education in Portland Public Schools (PPS), according to the City of Portland.
Dawn Isaacs, the City’s Arts Education Program Manager, and the PPS Visual and Performing Arts team spearheaded the event. Their mission: to get ready to smoothly roll out the new arts education framework in the looming school year. As Isaacs mentioned in a statement obtained by the Office of Arts & Culture, "We’re really excited to launch this framework pilot because it is a collaborative effort that will illuminate strengths and needs across elementary arts programs," as reported by the City of Portland.
An entire year of collaborative work between six school districts, PSU’s Regional Research Institute, and the Arts & Culture team set its foundation. Emphasizing the distinction, the framework will provide a clear-cut approach for examining the necessities of excellent arts education, ranging from staffing and budgets to instructional minutes and materials, as detailed by the City of Portland.
The recent gathering was more than just about theory. Educators got to closely examine how the Arts Access Fund operates, peering into the City of Portland's management of it and its impact over the past decade. "Because it’s going to highlight what’s happening, what conditions exist, and what schools’ and districts’ strengths and weaknesses are, the data collected through the framework might help communities advocate for more resources," said Isaacs, reflecting her vision for how the framework could better serve Portland's communities.
Moreover, the pilot phase will allow educators to proactively give feedback on the framework's nitty-gritty. Post-pilot, the City of Portland and district leaders plan to use the data to set initial comprehensive goals for the next school year's full implementation.
At the heart of this initiative, educators shared their passionate "why" for driving arts education in young minds; insights that are essential and robust, ranging from fostering emotional intelligence to breaking through binary thought processes and inciting self-discovery. As one educator told the Office of Arts & Culture, "The arts represent what’s best about being human," as per the City of Portland. Detailed information about the pilot or to keep up with the latest developments, Portlanders can head over to the Arts Access Fund website or subscribe to the monthly newsletter of the Office of Arts & Culture.
