Erin Gough

Even those of us who have chosen to spend our lives in the arts rather than mathematics and the sciences have probably heard the preeminent example used to describe Chaos Theory. There is no shortage of cultural references to the so-called “Butterfly Effect,” including Jurassic Park’s claim that “a butterfly can flap its wings in Peking and in Central Park you get rain instead of sunshine.”

So what does that mean for those of us who are working in the arts education field? Too often our efforts feel like lots of wing-flapping and not enough knowing where to look to measure rainfall. We flap our wings and maybe one student will become a professional artist.  We flap our wings and perhaps a performance will inspire a student. We flap our wings harder and harder and yet the next Mozart will not come out of this year’s class of students. Unfortunately, some who control the purse-strings see funding of arts education in this way.  Few people are eager to invest their resources in what they see as chaotic or unpredictable.

A funder, whether it is a private foundation, philanthropically-minded community members, state legislators, or school board members, expect their investment to spur a lot of wing-flapping, but they also want to know exactly when and where they can expect to see results.

Two weeks ago, the Pennsylvania Arts Education Network held the third annual Arts and Education Symposium in Harrisburg.  Ian David Moss of Createquity was our Keynote Speaker and he also spoke of the importance of using research and measurement to adapt the behavior and processes of an organization to best reach their objectives.  He introduced our audience to the magic of logic models and theories of change, and stressed the importance of appropriate measures and indicators for outputs, outcomes, and impacts that demonstrate an organization’s goals.

Shortly after his Keynote, Ian directed us to this post by Andrew Taylor on “The Artful Manager,” that further elaborated on the importance of measuring our impacts for those making the big investments:

“Program-focused grant makers don’t just give money to random people, and then close their eyes about the results of that gift. Program staff within organizations don’t scatter their attention and their energy in every direction. They look. They choose. They act. They reflect (or not). They choose again. Just because the system, the structure, and the direction are unspoken or undefined doesn’t mean it’s not a form of research.”

Later in the post, Taylor quotes folklorist Zora Neale Hurston, “Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose. The real question isn’t whether you do research or not, but whether you engage the world you serve with purpose, rigor, and intent.”

When it is our goal to ensure our students have the 21st century skills of critical thinking, communication, creativity, and collaboration, aren’t we really trying to ensure they have a healthy sense of curiosity about their world works? And if that is the case, shouldn’t we also have a healthy and formalized sense of curiosity about how our well our goals are being achieved?

Luckily (and because of a lot of hard work), those of us in the field know that there are plenty of demonstrable, consistent, and positive effects of artistic wing-flapping across education.  We are certain that an investment in the arts will create a set of skills that are relevant for a lifetime and an appreciation for the expressions of the human condition that surround us every day. We know this because we witness it in each inspired student, because brilliant minds have researched it and have found conclusive evidence for it, and because the kind folks at Americans for the Arts have found catchy and innovate ways to display this evidence.

Those in the classroom also have processes they can use to assess individual student learning in the arts, including student learning objectives through which they accurately record and share what is being achieved by the efforts of teachers in the arts. These results can better inform the practices of teaching artists, classroom teachers, arts teachers, and administrators, and can demonstrate to funders and policymakers how their investments have led to successes.

So spread your colorful wings, flap them as hard as you can, and make sure you find ways to locate, measure, and express the successes of your resulting rainfall.