Sustaining viable arts programs at a successful school

This study addresses how viable arts programs are sustained in successful schools in the light of shifting priorities and accountability demands including the federal government’s implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and economic constraints. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to determine key factors at an urban high school located in Southern California that sustained a viable arts programs as part of both the culture of the school and in the numerous course/program offerings. The qualitative methodology (document analysis, survey, observations, and interviews) of the study revealed emergent themes on the processes in place at the school allowing a viable arts program to flourish. At XYZ School, leaders use a distributive leadership model, sharing responsibility of the arts program between administration, teachers, students, parents, and the community while finding multiple ways of funding programs. The teachers at the school are committed to a quality program that goes beyond teaching and learning, often making programs highly visible within the community. Teachers are valued on campus by the school community and the school as a whole works to ensure the regular success of arts programs on campus. Findings in this study provided evidence that with shared leadership between multiple stakeholders, arts education programs can thrive on campus without detracting from academic achievement.