State of the Arts in Chicago Public Schools

January 2016, 88 pages. Ingenuity, 11 E. Hubbard, Suite 200, Chicago Illinois 60611. (312) 583-7459. www.ingenuity-inc.org.

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Ingenuity’s third State of the Arts in Chicago Public Schools details the arts assets available to CPS students in the 2014-15 school year. According to data provided by 571 schools representing 90% of CPS students, over 30,000 students have greater access to arts staffing and instruction than the previous school year.

Among the report’s findings for 2014-15:

• Over 30,000 CPS students have greater access to arts staffing and instruction than one year ago
• The total number of certified arts instructors increased from 1,278 in 2013-14 to 1,322 in 2014-15, with the greatest increases in visual arts and dance instructors
• 68 percent of CPS schools reported meeting the recommendation of 1 arts instructor per 350 students — a 10 percentage point increase from the previous year
• Over 96 percent of CPS schools partnered with at least one community arts partner for services ranging from field trips to in-school residencies

In addition to showing data specific to 2014-15 — with 360 CPS schools having participated in the Creative Schools Survey three years in a row — the report allows for clear comparisons to be drawn. Among these 360 schools, significant growth was found in Creative Schools Certification ratings, which are defined in the CPS Arts Education Plan as: Category 1 — Excelling; Category 2 — Strong; Category 3 — Developing; and Category 4 — Emerging. Nearly 72 percent were rated the two highest levels this past year, a 38 percent increase from Year 1.

You can see the Baseline Report here.