Data from the 2006-12 Annual Arts Education Surveys and other NYCDOE databases for 2006-12 have yielded valuable information to school leaders, teachers, parents, and community-based organizations to expand students' access to and participation in the arts. Under the leadership of Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Walcott, the NYCDOE maintains a strong commitment to arts education for all students. The success of our endeavor to build the quality of arts instruction and equity of access across all schools, as articulated in the Blueprints for Teaching and Learning in the Arts, will depend on our continued collaboration with the arts and cultural community, the higher-education community, and other city and state agencies.

Working with the New York State Education Department (NYSED), the arts and cultural community, and the higher-education community, along with school leaders and parents, the NYCDOE is fully committed to supporting quality arts education, even in the face of the most severe fiscal crisis in 40 years, and will continue to:

• ensure student achievement in the arts;

• support school leaders to plan and provide comprehensive, sequential Blueprint-based instruction for all students;

• build capacity of teachers to deliver quality teaching and learning in the arts; and

• support all schools to meet ArtsCount/NYSED requirements.

The Office of Arts and Special Projects (OASP) -- within the Office of School Programs and Partnerships, Division of Academics, Performance, and Support -- continues to analyze arts education data to refine and develop strategies to address the findings of the Annual Arts in Schools Report and support arts education citywide.

Arts @ Large works closely with school teams (comprised of teachers, administrators, specialists from a variety of disciplines, parents, and student representatives) to monitor a series of key elements in each Arts @ Large school that helps to determine the efficacy of programs, while examining opportunities for ongoing improvement.

The most successful programs follow these guidelines:

1. Teachers, administrators, after school providers and students team with Arts @ Large staff to collaboratively define an overarching issue, idea or concept where arts can be linked to academic content to create an exciting learning environment.

2. Arts @ Large teams identify art forms (music, visual art, theatre, dance, literary arts) that connect to and can enhance teaching the selected topic or concept.

3. Teams seek out, interview and invite artist educators, community service organizations and higher education to partner with teachers and students to create project-based, arts integrated activities.

4. Planning meetings are scheduled with participating teachers and selected partners to define goals and objectives of Arts @ Large projects.

5. Projects are implemented in a collaborative teaching model that involves both the community partners and teachers.

6. Teams design and provide ongoing assessment of Arts @ Large projects.

7. The school community celebrates the achievements of students, teachers, artist educators, parents and community partners.

This section of the handbook describes each of these attributes in more detail.

Arts @ Large works closely with school teams (comprised of teachers, administrators, specialists from a variety of disciplines, parents, and student representatives) to monitor a series of key elements in each Arts @ Large school that helps to determine the efficacy of programs, while examining opportunities for ongoing improvement.

The most successful programs follow these guidelines:

1. Teachers, administrators, after school providers and students team with Arts @ Large staff to collaboratively define an overarching issue, idea or concept where arts can be linked to academic content to create an exciting learning environment.

2. Arts @ Large teams identify art forms (music, visual art, theatre, dance, literary arts) that connect to and can enhance teaching the selected topic or concept.

3. Teams seek out, interview and invite artist educators, community service organizations and higher education to partner with teachers and students to create project-based, arts integrated activities.

4. Planning meetings are scheduled with participating teachers and selected partners to define goals and objectives of Arts @ Large projects.

5. Projects are implemented in a collaborative teaching model that involves both the community partners and teachers.

6. Teams design and provide ongoing assessment of Arts @ Large projects.

7. The school community celebrates the achievements of students, teachers, artist educators, parents and community partners.

This section of the handbook describes each of these attributes in more detail.

Arts @ Large works closely with school teams (comprised of teachers, administrators, specialists from a variety of disciplines, parents, and student representatives) to monitor a series of key elements in each Arts @ Large school that helps to determine the efficacy of programs, while examining opportunities for ongoing improvement.

The most successful programs follow these guidelines:

1. Teachers, administrators, after school providers and students team with Arts @ Large staff to collaboratively define an overarching issue, idea or concept where arts can be linked to academic content to create an exciting learning environment.

2. Arts @ Large teams identify art forms (music, visual art, theatre, dance, literary arts) that connect to and can enhance teaching the selected topic or concept.

3. Teams seek out, interview and invite artist educators, community service organizations and higher education to partner with teachers and students to create project-based, arts integrated activities.

4. Planning meetings are scheduled with participating teachers and selected partners to define goals and objectives of Arts @ Large projects.

5. Projects are implemented in a collaborative teaching model that involves both the community partners and teachers.

6. Teams design and provide ongoing assessment of Arts @ Large projects.

7. The school community celebrates the achievements of students, teachers, artist educators, parents and community partners.

This portion of the handbook covers sections 2-7

Arts @ Large works closely with school teams (comprised of teachers, administrators, specialists from a variety of disciplines, parents, and student representatives) to monitor a series of key elements in each Arts @ Large school that helps to determine the efficacy of programs, while examining opportunities for ongoing improvement.

The most successful programs follow these guidelines:

1. Teachers, administrators, after school providers and students team with Arts @ Large staff to collaboratively define an overarching issue, idea or concept where arts can be linked to academic content to create an exciting learning environment.

2. Arts @ Large teams identify art forms (music, visual art, theatre, dance, literary arts) that connect to and can enhance teaching the selected topic or concept.

3. Teams seek out, interview and invite artist educators, community service organizations and higher education to partner with teachers and students to create project-based, arts integrated activities.

4. Planning meetings are scheduled with participating teachers and selected partners to define goals and objectives of Arts @ Large projects.

5. Projects are implemented in a collaborative teaching model that involves both the community partners and teachers.

6. Teams design and provide ongoing assessment of Arts @ Large projects.

7. The school community celebrates the achievements of students, teachers, artist educators, parents and community partners.

This portion of the handbook covers sections 2-7

The Arts @ Large model is based on a simple mission: consistently advocate for the connection of arts to academics by building sustainable partnerships between the arts community, K-12 educators and students, public policy makers, and institutes of higher education. With this mission in mind, Arts @ Large strives to meet goals that make arts education accessible for ALL students.

Arts @ Large:

• Provides ongoing, quality arts experiences for students that builds an arts-rich school climate, which encourages the inclusion of art and music specialists in school staffing plans.
• Forges sustainable partnerships with artists, arts and community organizations to enhance in-classroom and after school learning, and motivate ALL students to higher academic achievement.
• Provides arts education experiences in an inclusiveenvironment designed to motivate students with diverse learning and physical abilities.
• Helps teachers build skills to integrate performing, visual, and literary arts into all subjects in a manner sensitive to the needs of a diverse student population.

The arts are essential because they:

• Are a unique languagethat all people use to communicate regardless of age, ability,ethnicity or gender.They allow people to move beyond individual differences such as race, society, culture, education and economic level.
• Are symbol systems like letters and numbers and are equally important to a person's development.
• Allow every child to learn.
• Connect the learning of both content and process.
• Develop independence and collaboration.
• Provide opportunities for self expression,creative problem solving and critical thinking.
• Improve student achievement -enhancing test scores, attitudes and social skills.
• Provide authentic assessment opportunities.
• Create a bridge between motivation, instruction, assessment and application - leading to deeper understanding.
• Integrate mind, body and spirit thereby addressing the whole child.
• Provide immediate feedback and opportunities for reflection.
• Exercise and develop higher order thinking skills including analysis, synthesis, and problem solving.
• Address the multiple intelligences and various learning styles.

The Arts @ Large model is based on a simple mission: consistently advocate for the connection of arts to academics by building sustainable partnerships between the arts community, K-12 educators and students, public policy makers, and institutes of higher education. With this mission in mind, Arts @ Large strives to meet goals that make arts education accessible for ALL students.

Arts @ Large:

• Provides ongoing, quality arts experiences for students that builds an arts-rich school climate, which encourages the inclusion of art and music specialists in school staffing plans.
• Forges sustainable partnerships with artists, arts and community organizations to enhance in-classroom and after school learning, and motivate ALL students to higher academic achievement.
• Provides arts education experiences in an inclusiveenvironment designed to motivate students with diverse learning and physical abilities.
• Helps teachers build skills to integrate performing, visual, and literary arts into all subjects in a manner sensitive to the needs of a diverse student population.

The arts are essential because they:

• Are a unique languagethat all people use to communicate regardless of age, ability,ethnicity or gender.They allow people to move beyond individual differences such as race, society, culture, education and economic level.
• Are symbol systems like letters and numbers and are equally important to a person's development.
• Allow every child to learn.
• Connect the learning of both content and process.
• Develop independence and collaboration.
• Provide opportunities for self expression,creative problem solving and critical thinking.
• Improve student achievement -enhancing test scores, attitudes and social skills.
• Provide authentic assessment opportunities.
• Create a bridge between motivation, instruction, assessment and application - leading to deeper understanding.
• Integrate mind, body and spirit thereby addressing the whole child.
• Provide immediate feedback and opportunities for reflection.
• Exercise and develop higher order thinking skills including analysis, synthesis, and problem solving.
• Address the multiple intelligences and various learning styles.

The Arts @ Large model is based on a simple mission: consistently advocate for the connection of arts to academics by building sustainable partnerships between the arts community, K-12 educators and students, public policy makers, and institutes of higher education. With this mission in mind, Arts @ Large strives to meet goals that make arts education accessible for ALL students.

Arts @ Large:

• Provides ongoing, quality arts experiences for students that builds an arts-rich school climate, which encourages the inclusion of art and music specialists in school staffing plans.
• Forges sustainable partnerships with artists, arts and community organizations to enhance in-classroom and after school learning, and motivate ALL students to higher academic achievement.
• Provides arts education experiences in an inclusiveenvironment designed to motivate students with diverse learning and physical abilities.
• Helps teachers build skills to integrate performing, visual, and literary arts into all subjects in a manner sensitive to the needs of a diverse student population.

The arts are essential because they:

• Are a unique languagethat all people use to communicate regardless of age, ability,ethnicity or gender.They allow people to move beyond individual differences such as race, society, culture, education and economic level.
• Are symbol systems like letters and numbers and are equally important to a person's development.
• Allow every child to learn.
• Connect the learning of both content and process.
• Develop independence and collaboration.
• Provide opportunities for self expression,creative problem solving and critical thinking.
• Improve student achievement -enhancing test scores, attitudes and social skills.
• Provide authentic assessment opportunities.
• Create a bridge between motivation, instruction, assessment and application - leading to deeper understanding.
• Integrate mind, body and spirit thereby addressing the whole child.
• Provide immediate feedback and opportunities for reflection.
• Exercise and develop higher order thinking skills including analysis, synthesis, and problem solving.
• Address the multiple intelligences and various learning styles.