Kristy Callaway

We are currently notifying the 2014 ASN Exemplary School applicants of their designation status. During our process, we conduct a peer review of the schools' self-evaluations based on "A Guide to Assessing Your Arts School." Here, we share some interesting information on our criteria as well as what these applicants considered critical success factors for an exemplary school.

We define an “arts school” as any school for children and youth with a mission that includes intensive education and training in the arts. These may include precollegiate PreK–12 arts schools, or the arts component of a program that meets elementary/secondary education or high school diploma requirements of the states or other governing entities, arts magnet or charter schools, or other organizations.

No two arts schools are exactly alike, but their missions generally state a commitment to both artistic and educational excellence. Schools may operate independently or in connection with an overall governing body or host or parent organization. Some focus on one artistic discipline, others on a variety. Levels of access in certain schools may vary based on the school’s mission.

We track approximately 2,500 self-identified arts schools’ serving grades PreK through collegiate/conservatory, but these are moving targets. Schools open and close, weaken and strengthen, contract and expand, always right-sizing themselves.

Exemplary School Designation is a two-year recognition for improvement efforts. This designation provides positive exposure that helps in fundraising, advocacy, and networking. The selection process builds on the ASN partnership with Accrediting Commission for Community and Pre-collegiate Arts Schools (ACCPAS) to help school personnel plan, evaluate, and implement effective organizational development. Member schools may nominate themselves.

We specifically asked them to discuss critical success factors that result in exemplary status for their school, i.e., financial support internal and external, organizational structure, and other support systems. For this purpose only, forget outcomes!

What makes a great arts school today?

A range of responses and common threads emerged. These were influenced by the location, context, history, and of course the personal perspective of the applicant.

Our 2014 schools reported the following critical success factors (CSF) (The respondents are grouped by the broadest definition, all-inclusive):

1: Students are the epicenter.

2: A group shares a vision: to create a school for the arts. These stakeholders value quality artistic and academic education.

3. Teachers provide cumulative, master-apprentice experiences, and receive collaborative, professional development and collective support.

4. Partnerships inject the resources needed including the factors in #3, and beyond the community, district, state, and/or federal allocations.

5. Leaders make things happen and move barriers; they regenerate energy to continue the mission. Leadership is accountable to, and supported by, stakeholders.

Arts Schools Network leaders come from across the ranks of the school-wide community it serves, and lead schools from birth-to-good-to-great, through transformative leadership!

Bass 2008 details four elements of transformational leadership:

Individualized Consideration: Leaders attend to each follower's needs, act as mentors or coaches and listen to followers' concerns and needs.

Intellectual Stimulation: Leaders encourage their followers to be innovative and creative, and never criticize them publicly for mistakes.

Inspirational Motivation: Leaders articulates a vision that is appealing and inspiring to followers.

Idealized Influence: Leader acts as a role model for their followers.

How does an arts school leader, lead? 

Each arts school is an organism within an ecosystem, and reflects its local and regional influences. Leaders remove barriers and blaze a trail ahead!

Yuki 1999 suggests developing a challenging and attractive vision, together with the employees.

Tie the vision to a strategy for its achievement.

Develop the vision, specify, and translate it to actions.

Express confidence, decisiveness, and optimism about the vision and its implementation.

Realize the vision through small planned steps and small successes in the path for its full implementation.

How do you define success?

Measurement is longitudinal, benchmarked over time against self, peers, and national standards. Arts schools define success through the achievements of their students and faculty, both individually and collectively.

Recap of the ASN 2014 Top 5 Exemplary School Critical Success Factors:

1. Student-Centered

2. Shared Vision

3. Master-Apprentice Teachers

4. Partnerships, Resources

5. Transformational Leadership

What are yours? Please share with us in the comment section below!

REFERENCES:

Bass & Bass 2008, The Bass Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial Applications" 4th edition Free Press

Yukl, G. (1999). An evaluation of conceptual weaknesses in transformational and charismatic leadership theories. Leadership Quarterly, 10, 285-305.