A case study: a school's commitment to retaining the arts

Recently California’s public schools have narrowed the curriculum due to a focus on mandated accountability measures and budget constraints. As a result, arts education seems to be one of the major areas that has been neglected. The purpose of the study was to examine a school that has maintained arts education as a priority within their instructional time, while managing other demands that have emerged from the mandated accountability measures and budget constraints. This study will examine why are the arts important to the students, how is funding for the arts addressed, how the school has retained the arts as a priority, and what is the impact the arts has on academic achievement and the culture of the school. The research design of this study was a qualitative case study of a high performing arts magnet school in an urban area. A multi-method approach using qualitative research methods of data collection was used for this case study. Triangulation of the data from documents reviews; surveys, interviews, and observation were used to increase the validity and the reliability of this study. Four major themes emerged from this study. Strong leadership support for the arts, a longstanding tradition and passion for the arts, strong community support and parental involvement, and collaboration within the school and with outside stakeholders were all indicators of a shared commitment to the arts and the students. The four themes identified all tied in together and intertwined to create the culture of the school showing their dedication and passion for the arts and educating their students effectively through the arts.近年来，加利福尼亚州的公立学校因聚焦法定问责要求与预算紧缩，纷纷缩减了课程设置。由此，艺术教育俨然成为被大幅削减的核心领域之一。 本研究旨在考察一所能够在教学时段中始终将艺术教育置于优先地位，同时妥善应对法定问责要求与预算约束所催生的各项其他事务的学校。 本研究将探究四大核心议题：艺术对学生的重要性、艺术教育经费的筹措方式、该校何以将艺术教育保留为优先事项，以及艺术教育对学生学业成绩与校园文化的影响。 本研究采用质性个案研究设计，研究对象为某城区内的高水平艺术特色磁校（arts magnet school）。 本个案研究采用多方法研究路径，运用质性研究方法开展数据采集工作。通过对文档审阅、问卷调查、访谈与观察所得数据进行三角验证，以提升本研究的效度与信度。 本研究提炼出四大核心主题：校方对艺术教育的强力支持、积淀已久的艺术传统与热忱、广泛的社区支持与家长参与，以及校内与校外利益相关方间的协同协作——这些均体现出该校对艺术教育与学生发展的共同承诺。上述四大主题彼此关联、相互交织，共同塑造了该校的校园文化，彰显出其对艺术教育的执着热忱，以及依托艺术路径高效开展学生培养的理念与实践。