program evaluation

Goal: Evaluate the quality and quantity of arts and cultural education programs generated by the Creative Education Program in Santa Clara County public elementary and middle schools.

In January 2002, the American Institutes for Research will launch a two-year evaluation of the Creative Education Program. The evaluation, commissioned by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, will determine whether arts education programs in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties are having their intended impact on district arts spending, arts policies and curricula, teacher training, and student access to in-school visual and performing arts education. The evaluation will also investigate the role of arts participation in the cognitive, affective, and social development of students.

The Evaluation Working Group — a team of representatives from the Packard Foundation, the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County, Cultural Initiatives Silicon Valley, and the American Institutes for Research — will work together to design, implement, interpret, and act upon the results of the evaluation. Beverly Farr, Ph.D., and Mette Huberman, are the lead researchers on the project, and advisors include Kristine Alexander, Executive Director of The California Arts Project, and Elliot Eisner, Ph.D., Professor of Education at Stanford University.

The evaluation will measure progress towards the following goals set by the Creative Education Program. Five-year goals for all school districts receiving a Cultural Initiatives school grant include:

• Development of a long-range district master plan for implementing the arts as core subjects
• Adoption of a district-wide arts policy and content standards
• At least one hour per week of sequential, standards-based arts instruction for all students at all grade levels throughout the academic year
• At least 5% of the district’s overall annual budget allocated to in-school arts education
  

The program’s long-term goals are:

• 90% of Santa Clara County elementary school students and 50% of middle school students will engage in weekly, sequential, standards-based arts instruction
• Increased collaboration among schools and arts provider organizations
• Increased number of qualified, effective arts instructors in Santa Clara County schools

The evaluation will explore the outcomes, processes, and contexts of the Creative Education Program through a variety of research methods including interviews, focus groups, teacher logs, classroom observations, case studies, and surveys.

creative education program  |  community & neighborhood arts  |  leadership development

© 2006 Cultural Initiatives Silicon Valley

Updated: December 21, 2006