What we do

We increase access to quality arts education for every student in Seattle Public Schools by strengthening K–12 neighborhood pathways, building partnerships, improving teaching and learning, and implementing systems, policies, and practices. The arts include dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts.

Equitable access to quality arts education is critical. The arts teach:

Multiple perspectives

There are many ways to see and interpret the world.

Complex problem-solving

Problems can have more than one solution and questions can have more than one answer.

Subtleties

Small differences can have large effects.

Arts education supports communities and society. Students who receive a robust arts education are more likely to:

Be well-rounded, empathetic individuals
Be motivated in their learning and active in their school
Have improved test scores and academic performance
Develop life and career skills, including entering college
Be more civically-engaged as adults

Arts goals

Our arts goals are from the Seattle K-12 Arts Plan, which outlines that every student in every Seattle Public School will receive:

High quality arts instruction that teaches sequential arts skills and techniques, develops students’ 21st Century Skills and is culturally responsive
Instruction from certified arts teachers
Integrated arts instruction
Arts partnerships with community-based organizations and teaching artists
Opportunities to connect arts to careers in high school

Report Archive

The Creative Advantage Approach

Increase arts instruction in schools

Our work prioritizes hiring more arts teachers, developing district guidelines to meet Washington State Basic Education laws, and providing resources like instruments, art supplies, and text books to ensure that every student has a well-rounded arts education and access to high quality instruction taught by certified arts teachers.

Facilitate arts planning in K-12 neighborhood pathways

We facilitate arts planning to ensure students receive a predictable arts education from kindergarten through high school. Seattle Public Schools’ K-12 pathways are defined by a neighborhood’s elementary, middle, and high school. In this work, we bring together principals, teachers, and staff to review arts equity data, and develop long-term arts visions that articulate each school’s unique goals for creating greater access through arts instruction, integration, partnerships, and community arts events.

Fund, connect, and support community arts partnerships

We have a coordinated method for schools and arts partners to engage in residencies and professional development in the arts. The Community Arts Partner Roster is a vetted list of teaching artists and community arts and culture organizations who provide integrated and cultural arts learning for students and teachers, funded by Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.

Provide professional development

We partner with arts and cultural organizations and educators to provide professional development for teachers and community members in alignment with district initiatives and best practices in arts learning. We focus on integration into different subject areas, such as integrating dance into physical education or incorporating theater in ethnic studies. These collaborations explore themes like culturally responsive teaching, trauma-informed practices, social and emotional learning, and 21st Century Skills development.

Stay accountable

Evaluation is a core part of our work to stay accountable and to ensure that our approaches and strategies are making an impact. To do this, The Creative Advantage is evaluated by a third party evaluator annually. For more than 10 years, we’ve tracked students’ access to arts learning across the district, the quality of arts instruction, use of culturally responsive teaching practices, student demonstration of 21st Century Skills, and the impact of arts learning for students.

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