Mitigating the Revolving Door: The Successes and Challenges of Creating Arts-Integrated Practices That Reflect a School's Culture

• In Event: Cultivating Arts Integration in Urban Schools Focusing on Students' and Communities' Identity Construction

Abstract

A robust arts education program in Kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) has the potential to profoundly impact students' educational experiences (Carney et al., 2016; Douglas & Willatts, 1994; Lee et al., 2015; May & Brenner, 2016; McCoy, 2007; Robinson, 2013; Walker et al., 2011). Additionally, personal, cultural, and linguistic expression through the arts, where students are encouraged to creatively express their ideas and emotions in new and imaginative ways, provides a purposeful pathway for students to have more engagement in their school and the community. However, with the continued emphasis on standardized testing and the nation-wide struggle facing schools with high administrator turnover rates (Beckett, 2021; Mitani, 2018), an arts integration initiative can seem ancillary to more pressing demands of the district.
This paper examines the successes and challenges experienced during the first year of a new arts integration initiative in an elementary school in San Antonio, TX. The paper will specifically focus on the motivations and experiences of the teachers and administrators during the year. This qualitative study investigates a pilot group of 6 teachers who began the arts integration initiative in their classroom, the administrators who were charged with leading the initiative school-wide, and the teachers who were poised to begin implementation at the beginning of the second year. Specifically, this paper will examine the difficulties schools face with implementing such initiatives when there is a revolving door of teachers and administrators who are not retained from one year to the next.
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Authors

• Kimberly Stephenson, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts
  Presenting Author

• Karen L.B. Burgard, Texas A&M University - San Antonio
  Presenting Author

• Elisabeth M. Krimbill, Texas A&M University - San Antonio
  Presenting Author

• justin korver
  Presenting Author