Ingenuity State of the Arts Progress Report 2015-2016 | Page 72

conclusion
Over four years of study, CPS schools have
found ways to improve on their ability to
bring arts instruction to their students.
Overall, this improvement continued in 201516. Arts instructor staffing levels districtwide appear to be on a growth trend, which
is encouraging news, especially in light of
the fiscal difficulties currently facing the
district. High schools reported making more
arts disciplines available to their students,
and this year marked a new high in the total
number of identified community arts partners
helping bring the arts to CPS students.
This report also highlighted areas for
continued vigilance. Improvement gave way

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to a leveling off on some measures of how the
arts are provided to students. All schools are
not yet meeting the recommended instructorto-student ratio of 1:350; there is room for
growth in the number of instructional minutes
offered to elementary school students;
and teachers appear to be receiving fewer
professional development opportunities.
While ongoing fiscal uncertainty at CPS creates
instability regarding all aspects of students’
education, including their arts education, the
Plan can guide strategic decision-making to
help achieve the goal of ensuring that every
CPS student has access to a quality education
that includes the arts. Achieving this goal will
require continued attention and commitment.