Stafford Elementary School is one of the five elementary schools in the Principals’ Arts Leadership (PAL) program spotlighted by ArtsEd Washington in its recent study for the schools’ best practices in arts education. Each school was identified as having a particularly strong and growing focus on arts in academics and the creative lives of students.
ArtsEd Washington, the Washington Alliance for Arts Education, works to inform, guide, inspire and support elementary school teams, led by principals, in the development and implementation of three- to five-year arts plans. Each plan reflects the individual school’s characteristics, community and opportunities for growth, and identifies the unique pathway for that school to offer high-quality instruction to their students in all four arts disciplines using existing and new resources.
Schools that have created plans become part of the ArtsEd alumni group, eligible for ongoing support and assistance to implement their plans. PAL research indicates that empowering school principals is a highly effective method to increase arts education in schools, according to an ArtsEd Washington press release.
ArtsEd Washington recently completed an extensive study that examined its PAL program, launched to inform and support principal-led elementary school teams in the development and implementation of school arts plans to increase arts education. The study assessed the PAL program in 16 Washington elementary schools and found increased arts teaching and related benefits to students and the school community, regardless of the school’s scale or student population. Principals and teachers at many of the PAL schools reported increased student engagement in the classroom and significantly decreased behavioral issues throughout the school as a result of the program.
Other benefits included enhanced and supportive community involvement as a result of the arts focus, including increased turnout at performances and art events, more classroom volunteers and greater PTA engagement, as well as the building of new bridges with local businesses and artists.
Principals credit the planning process, cohort support and access to ArtsEd Washington’s knowledge and resources as contributors to creating increased engagement and learning in their schools.
The PAL program currently supports principals in four counties in Western Washington. The report highlights best practices of five PAL schools: Stafford Elementary School in Tacoma; Carnation Elementary School in Carnation; Cherry Valley Elementary in Duvall; Rosa Parks Elementary School in Redmond and Southwood Elementary School in Enumclaw. ArtsEd Washington is examining ways the report findings can be used to galvanize efforts to scale the program for statewide impact. Birney and Larchmont elementary schools are also part of the PAL program.
The research results have already begun to garner national attention for the PAL program. The findings were presented at the Americans for the Arts convention in Seattle recently, and they will be presented at the Arts Education Partnership forum in Boston.
This program began in 2004 with federal funding from The Kennedy Center, as well as local government and corporate support, and has recently been awarded funding from the Department of Education under its Arts Education Model Development and Dissemination program. In addition to these federal resources, the PAL program is currently funded by Washington State Arts Commission, 4Culture, The Boeing Company and Washington Mutual.
Learn more. “The Kennedy Center supports this work because it engages the primary school leader and decision maker in planning arts programs,” said Barbara Shepherd, director of National Partnerships for The Kennedy Center. “The program design includes networking opportunities for principals so they can share best practices across school sites. Few initiatives provide such a high level of sustained support for principals.”
To read the full report or the executive summary and to view a list of current participating PAL schools, go to the ArtsEd Washington Web site at
www.artsedwashington.org.