Hello from Carolyn Carr

Name	Carolyn Carr
Date of conversation	Thursday, May 10, 2012
Conversation Participants	District Planning Oversight Committee: Molly Barnes- Superintendent for Sunol Glen School District, Steve Hanke – Superintendent for Dublin School District, Cindy Cathy- Superintendent for San Leandro School District, Suzanne McCulloch- Arts Learning Manager Berkeley School District, Phil Rydeen- Arts Learning Manager Oakland School District, Louise Music- Arts Learning Coordinator ACOE, Unique Holland- Communications Director ACOE, Carolyn Carr- Program Manager Alliance for Arts Learning Leadership
Meeting Topics?
What is our vision? • Implementation of Common Core in connection with arts integration to support teacher professional practice for every child’s success • Successful kids at the center that are deeply engaged, thinking like scientists/mathematicians/historians, expressing themselves artistically, communicating clearly in spoken and written word • Visual and performing arts will be key elements in ensuring that every student in Alameda County is college and career ready Draft Mission: To ensure that every student in Alameda County participates in visual and performing arts. VAPA as an integration into student learning across the curriculum and as a compliment to understanding artistry.
Where are we now? Share key takeaways
Superintendent Hanke provided an overview for the meeting as Chair of the District Planning Oversight Committee:It is important to approach this work from a systems change approach and model. We cannot afford to being jumping from one project or approach to the next. We need a common conversation about where we are going in public education, strategies for sharing knowledge, working in coordination rather than a scattering of models or networks, and consistency over time. Unique reported on March 9 Integrated Learning Tour Rich Zieger, Deputy Superintendent to the California Superintendent of Public Instruction, Craig Cheslog, Policy Advisor to the California Superintendent of Public Instruction and Peter Birdsall – Executive Director of the California County Superintendents of Education Services Association toured Arts Integrated Schools in San Leandro and at Berkley High School, and reviewed the work of the schools in the Bay Area Performance Assessment Network – that are demonstrating summative performance assessments at the 5th, 8th and 12th grades. During the wrap up discussion the CDE and CCSESA representatives discussed with Alameda County Superintendent Sheila Jordan and ACOE Board Trustee Yvonne Cerrato a proposal to waive CSTs in Alameda County in order to reallocate administrator and teacher time to beta test new instructional integration strategies, and performance assessments aligned to common core. CDE and CCSESA leaders requested further conversation on this propos al. The work of arts learning demonstration schools using the Studio Habits of Mind to describe what is core in the arts – and common to other content areas, is a strong foundation for common core state standards implementation. Studio Habits are the verbs of the arts – just as ELA and Math common core standards represent the verbs of ELA and Math.
Where should we go, and why? Share key takeaways
Where do we want to go and why? • Implementation of Common Core State Standards throughout the county to ensure success 21st century for our kids • Involve partners and work coherently and in coordination • Create systemic change, not just individual schools or networks • Sustain the effort across years and implement the necessary cultural change • Make it simple and build knowledge, get key people involved • Determine what we need to be loose about and what we need to be tight about – while we need coordination and clarity of direction, there is also a need for autonomy in order to respond to diverse communities and needs • Deepen the quality of arts instruction and learning • Deepen the quality of teaching and learning in all content areas • Develop integration skills that do now water down arts or disciplinary content knowledge, but rather leverage, deepen and apply disciplinary knowledge in new and novel contextsThe role of the District Planning Oversight Committee is to guide the change
How Should we get there? Share key takeaways
How will we get there? • Roll out a new template • Create a shared vision • Name core values and goals for students • Identify a small number of initiatives • Set the stage for particular goals with indicators and measures that will show demonstrate progress • Create a score card to measure what has been put in the plan • Build the plan collaboratively and measure on a regular basis.Concepts around core values. o Arts integration is a viable strategy. o VAPA is essential for student success. o Promote cc readiness. o Arts make us whole. Backwards Planning What Does Education look like in 2016 • Ending the pipeline from drop out to prison • Transformation in public education through: o Student learning o Visual and performing arts o Artistry o Integration o Creativity o Critical Thinking o Appreciation o Flexible, caring approaches o What does college and career ready look like o Components of character and honesty are essential o Engagement, love of learning o Unique and interesting problem solvers. o Hitting right brain skills. o Systems of learning.
Next Steps?
District Planning Oversight Committee Special Planning Meeting Wednesday, June 27 at Mills College• Refine vision, mission and goals • Identify core values • Identify a few key initiatives • Flesh out how those would flexibly play out in Dublin, Oakland, Sunol Glen, San Leandro and Berkeley ACOE will schedule a meeting with District Planning Oversight Committee • ACOE • SCALE • SV Math Initiatives: Smarter Balance (Assessments) • SUMI • Envision • CORE Districts The District Planning Oversight Committee will meet with these organizations in late July to create a plan for working in coordination to prepare for performance assessments aligned to common core state standards and deeper instruction on a county-wide scale. Present to Council of Superintendents August 2012 and prepare a county-wide proposal to CDE.

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