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Illinois School Board Journal
July/August 2007

This article was prepared from information from Niles Township High School District 219, Skokie; The Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.; Illinois Arts Alliance; Illinois Arts Council; and Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

What does it take to have a national-award winning arts program at the high school level? You might want to ask Niles Township High School District 219 in Skokie.

After three-time recognition as a Grammy Signature School by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, two invitations to perform at the Fringe Festival for theater in Edinburgh, Scotland, and regular participation in all-state festivals, District 219 garnered its biggest award so far in April.

The district was named as the top fine and performing arts program in the country, receiving the 19th annual Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network and National School Boards Association's Award. The award was presented during the closing session of NSBA's annual conference in San Francisco and came, for the first time, with a cash award of $10,000.

While the district has not yet decided how to use its award money, multiple on-going programs will offer ample spending opportunities. The many facets of the district's arts program were showcased in a video that highlighted music, theater, dance and visual arts. School districts must demonstrate outstanding arts education in all four artistic disciplines to be considered for the award.

"Here at District 219, we know what a deep commitment we've made to the arts," said Robert Silverman, board president. "But it's wonderful to have the hard work and dedication of our teachers and students recognized by the Kennedy Center as a model for the rest of the country."

Silverman accepted the award on behalf of the district. Also present to accept the award: Neil Codell, District 219 superintendent; Nanciann Gatta, assistant superintendent of human resources; Pamela Hendrix, Niles North orchestra director; and Robert Freeman, Niles North principal.

The district became eligible to compete for its national distinction after being chosen by the Illinois Alliance for Arts Education as the state's official nominee.

Michael D. Johnson, executive director, Illinois Association of School Boards, submitted a letter of recommendation to accompany the state award-winning entry when it was presented to a national panel of judges. In praising the program, he noted that District 219 has become one of the most diverse student populations in the state, with more than half of its students speaking a language other than English at home.

"While some other schools facing that challenge might de-emphasize the arts to concentrate on more traditional academic subjects," Johnson wrote, "District 219 has embraced the arts as a way to reach out to its increasingly diverse student body and to the wider community."

The board's role

To have a successful program in any curriculum area takes the foresight to set priorities. The task of setting a district's priorities rests with the school board, working in conjunction with its community and the district's administration.

Often, when allocating scarce resources, school boards look at the arts as expendable. The March/April 2003 issue of The Illinois School Board Journal looked at this topic in its cover story: "Arts education: Expendable or priceless?"

Even though fine arts are included in the Illinois Learning Standards, the arts still are considered "frills" in many districts, possibly because assessments have not been developed to go along with those standards. That was the assessment of Bill Jastrow, a band instructor in Indian Prairie CUSD 204, Naperville, and then-president of the Illinois Music Educators Association.

With an ever-growing imperative from state and federal No Child Left Behind laws to raise test scores in reading and math, districts often take both time and money away from arts education. But according to Douglas B. Reeves, a noted speaker and educational leadership authority who founded the Center for Performance Assessment, making such a sharp distinction between academics and arts is "a false dichotomy."

Writing in the February 2007 Educational Leadership for the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), Reeves said recent research "suggests a direct and systematic link between art experiences and literacy skills." He went on to say that schools should establish the norm "that there is no such thing as a ‘non-academic' class in school and that every subject, including the arts, is worthy of the thought and discipline that we associate with academic study."

That type of vision and devotion to arts education was demonstrated in the foresight of the Niles District 219 board. The Kennedy Center lauded the board and the district's teaching staff for the way they make high-quality arts education available to every student, both in the classroom and through extra-curricular activities. The district's fine arts budget represents just over 4 percent of the annual instructional budget, and the full-time and part-time arts faculty make up nearly a quarter of the district's entire teaching staff.

The panel also praised the district's long-range arts planning, which has resulted in appointment of a fine arts director, as well as construction of two black box theaters that allow versatility for small productions in relatively unadorned areas with simple sets and lighting. Also drawing praise was an expanded curriculum that includes classes like digital piano, guitar and digital photography. The district also offers computer imaging, theater directing and advanced courses in studio art and music theory — courses usually not taught at the high school level.

The new black box theaters also allow students to learn how to execute all aspects of a production, with students acting as in-house crew for local community organizations that rent the space. And because all performances are videotaped for airing on a local television channel, students also get hands-on experience in broadcast communication.

The judges also singled out how effectively the schools reach out to the wider community, such as free community performances for senior citizens, inviting elementary school students to the children's theater productions and holding events like the student art exhibits at the Skokie Public Library.

Also cited were exceptional artist-in-residence programs that bring professionals into the schools to collaborate with students.

District 219 has two high schools, Niles West and Niles North, which serve approximately 4,800 high school students living in the northwestern Chicago suburbs of Skokie, Lincoln- wood, Morton Grove, Niles and Golf.

Illinois to host NEA Education Leaders Institute

Illinois has been selected as the host state for the first National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Education Leaders Institute. Teams of school leaders, legislators, policy-makers, arts educators, artists and scholars from five states will convene in Illinois in March 2008 in the first of what is planned as a series of institutes that will eventually reach school leaders in all 50 states.

The purpose of the conference is to discuss challenges to arts education and engage in strategic planning to advance arts education in their respective states. The Arts Endowment will partner with the Illinois Arts Council to select the other participating states.

"We are honored that the Illinois Arts Council, in partnership with the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Arts Alliance, has been chosen for this exciting challenge," said Terry Scrogum, executive director of the Illinois Arts Council. "All three organizations have demonstrated capacity to work together on projects focusing on arts education, including the new statutorily mandated arts and foreign language grant program jointly administered by ISBE and IAC."

The arts are considered a core academic subject by ISBE and the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Each state selected will supply a team of seven members, including state department of education officials, governor's cabinet members, superintendents, district-level school leaders, artists and arts advocates. As participants exchange ideas, plans for innovative partnerships and programs are expected to emerge, coupled with renewed commitment to arts education at the school-district level.

"About a third of the students in Illinois elementary schools currently receive no arts education," said Ra Joy, executive director of the Illinois Arts Alliance. "We are now working to change that, because there is a growing understanding that the arts are an essential part of a well-rounded education to prepare students for success in higher education and in a workforce that increasingly values creativity, analytical skills and problem-solving."

Christopher Koch, Illinois state superintendent of schools, said education is much more than the three R's.

"Arts play a strong role in providing our students with the proper tools for success after graduation," he said. "We must remain committed to an overall education for today's students and we believe that the NEA Education Leaders Institute helps us move in that direction."

The proposal for Illinois to host the institute was submitted by the Illinois Arts Council, in partnership with ISBE and the Illinois Arts Alliance.

For more information on the NEA Education Leaders Institute, call 312-814-6762, e-mail alex.shapiro@illinois.gov or visit http://www.state.il.us/agency/iac/ .