The Integrated Multi

The Integrated Multi-Arts Curriculum for Inclusionary First Grade Classrooms, or IMAC project, began as an artist residency program in the Midland and Saginaw schools funded by the Michigan Department of Education. VSA arts of Michigan (VSAMI) developed the partnership between their organization, MDE and the participating schools. The original intent was to create an integrated curriculum that utilized teaching artists and then to study the effects of the artist residencies and the associated curriculum on the literacy development of first grade students. The study used a quasi-experimental method without random assignment. Variables included Michigan Literacy Progress Profile assessments, grades, behavior, attendance, and gender. The residency included a one-hour integrated arts session, one day per week for 20 weeks. Unfortunately, the study was not completed because of the elimination of the project funding due to state budget cuts.

A new iteration of the IMAC project immerged when VSAMI secured funding from the Whitney Fund of the Community Foundation of Southeastern Michigan and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. The Center for Creative Learning and Teaching (CCLT) was contacted by VSAMI in March of 2004 and asked to take over the project study. VSAMI and CCLT agreed that it would not be possible to follow the original intent of the study. A test group and control group had not been established, baseline student data had not been collected and the treatment (artist residency) did not address specific study criteria. It was, therefore, decided that a cursory program evaluation would be conducted. Artist lesson plans and their post-lesson evaluations, teacher interviews and the teachers' final evaluations were used to identify recurring themes. These emergent themes were analyzed and recommendations were made where appropriate.

Participants

In the 2003-2004 school year elementary schools in Macomb, Oakland, Wayne and Washtenaw counties were solicited for participation of their first grade students in the IMAC project through contacts made to special education directors in each district. Interested schools applied to VSAMI and initial meetings were held in each participating school in the spring of 2004. These meetings were used as an introduction to the program and to become familiar with the teaching artists. The participating classroom teachers, the artists, and school administration attended and were given the chance to clarify any issues before the beginning of the residencies in the fall.

Applicants were chosen by their interest in participating in the program and the inclusion of special education students in their school's general first grade classrooms. Basic demographic information is listed below, but this data was not included in the analysis.

Carr Elementary School

Earl F. Carr Elementary School is a K-6 building located in a lower-middle class suburb of Detroit. 307 students attend the neighborhood school of which 28 % are economically disadvantaged. 97.1% of the students in third through fifth grade took their grade appropriate MEAP tests and 46.5% of the students received passing scores.

The community is completely within the boundaries of the city of Lincoln Park and has a total population of approximately 40,000 people. Only about 10% of the community holds a Bachelor's Degree or higher and the unemployment rate is higher than the national average at 7%.

District Population	39,438
Median Age	36
Enrollment as % of School-Aged Children (%)	76.9
Median Household Income	40,864
Adults with at Least a Bachelor's Degree (%)	10.3
Lone-Parent Households with Children (%)	13.0
Unemployment Rate (%)	7.0

Halfman Elementary School

Halfman Elementary School is a K-5 building located in a lower-middle class suburb of Detroit. 209 students attend the neighborhood school of which 57 % are economically disadvantaged. 90.2% of the students in third through fifth grade took their grade appropriate MEAP tests and 51.9% of the students received passing scores.

The community is completely within the boundaries of the city of Madison Heights and has a total population of 13,219 people. 19% of the community holds a Bachelor's Degree or higher and the unemployment rate is 4.8%.

Kaiser Elementary School

Kaiser Elementary School is a K-5 building located in the college and historic town of Ypsilanti. 219 students attend the neighborhood school of which 82.3 % are economically disadvantaged. Only 75.2% of the students in third through fifth grade took their grade appropriate MEAP tests and 35.4% of the students received passing scores.

The community of Ypsilanti supports five school districts, Ann Arbor, Lincoln Consolidated, Van Buren, Ypsilanti and Willow Run. The total population of the Willow Run School District, the district in which Kaiser resides, is 18,430. 24.6% of the community holds a Bachelor's Degree or higher and the unemployment rate is lower than the national average at 2.9%.

Siefert Elementary School

Siefert Elementary School is a K-5 building located in a rural area within greater metropolitan Detroit. 549 students attend the only elementary school in the district. 39.2% of the student population is economically disadvantaged. Only 79.7% of the students in third through fifth grade took their grade appropriate MEAP tests and 38.1% of the students received passing scores.

The New Haven School District crosses the townships of chesterfield, Lenox, Macomb and Ray as well as the Village of New Haven. The district has a total population of less than 9,000. 14.6% of the community holds a Bachelor's Degree or higher and the unemployment rate is 5.8%.

Methods

The interviewer worked with a standardized open-ended interview, in which teacher participants were asked the same questions in the same order. This interview protocol (Appendix 1) was used to obtain the perceptions of teachers in regard to the goals and implementation of the program. Interviews were transcribed and thematic exploration was used to consolidate, chart and compile emerging themes. These themes provide the framework for the report.

In addition, artist lesson plans (Appendix 2) and post-lesson reflections (Appendix 3), as well as final program evaluations (Appendix 4) provided the opportunity to obtain a broader perspective of the program. The data from these three sources were tallied, grouped, and compared with the interview trends.

II. FINDINGS

Teacher Interviews

Each participating classroom teacher was asked to participate in a standardized open-ended interview near the completion of the program. All of the participating teachers from Carr, Halfman and Siefert Elementary agreed. The interview were recorded and their answers were transcribed, charted and analyzed for emerging or recurring themes. The teachers were also ensured anonymity in the process to illicit frank and honest answers. Below are summaries of the emerging themes of each question.

Two teachers indicated that their principal told them that they would be participating. Two teachers said that their special education director asked them and four teachers indicated that they were included after the program had already started.

Five of the teachers said that the goals of the project were unclear. Three teachers indicated that they thought the goal was to enhance learning through the arts.

Seven of the teachers said they viewed the program as a way to expose their students to all of the art forms. Two teachers indicated that they expected greater connection, specifically reading.

Do you believe this residency will change your classroom practice once the residency is over? And if yes, how?

Five of the teachers believe that the residency has made them more aware of the arts and how they should be using them in their classroom. They all indicated that they have used arts in the past, but the residency reminded them to use the arts more regularly. Three teachers adamantly stated that the residency would not change their practice.

Are you currently using any of the ideas presented by the artist in your classroom?

Three teachers stated that they use dramatic play. Elements of music, such as echoing, rhythm, music, and found sounds are also being incorporated into instruction. Four teachers adamantly stated that they are not using anything from the artists.

Describe the type of communication that happened before the residency started.

Six of the teachers described the communication as sketchy or non-existent. Two teachers described the initial spring meeting. It may be relevant to note that three of the teachers came into the program after it had already begun.

Seven of the teachers indicated that they either had no communication with the artists before the residency began or that the communication was not sufficient. One teacher described the initial meeting and stated that the artists emailed lesson plans before each session. One teacher also expressed concern that the school's reading strategy was explained to the artists, but the artists did not understand it.

Six of the teachers expressed difficulties making connections to the classroom curriculum. Several reasons were given, which include:

Five of the teachers enthusiastically expressed that the students were highly engaged in the arts activities. Many of the students were excited on "artist days" and it engaged students who are not often engaged in the regular classroom setting. Three teachers indicated that the residency made no difference in their students' engagement.

None of the teacher perceived an increase in student achievement through the residency program.

All of the teachers expressed concern about the scheduling of the artist sessions. The two major concerns were:

1. The sessions and artists were too spread out. Some of the residencies had long breaks without any sessions and it was difficult to make connections to the classroom when a given artist might not return to the classroom for several weeks.

2. There was confusion about the schedule due to communication problems. Sessions were cancelled and rescheduled and several teachers stated that they never knew which artist was going to show up on a given day.

All of the teachers expressed anxiety or frustration over the culminating event. Lack of communication and organization seem to be at the root of their concerns. Three of the teachers stated that their concern was that they wanted to make sure their students looked good; while three others indicated that they did not see the educational benefit of such an event.

Artist Lesson Plans

Each artist was expected to fill out a lesson plan (Appendix 2) and submit it to the classroom teacher at least one week prior to his or her session with the students. Only one teacher indicated that they received lesson plans prior to the artist's visit on a regular basis. The lessons were collected by the VSAMI executive director and were submitted for this evaluation. The lessons were tallied and grouped in two ways, by academic objectives and by arts objectives. Although not all of the lessons were submitted, some generalities emerged.

Academic Objectives

Most of the lesson plans included academic objectives. Several of these objectives are conceptually related to the arts, such as spatial awareness, pattern, sequence, and character. A few of the lesson plans, however, addressed purely academic content. This content was limited to early literacy instruction and included such things as letter sounds and phonemic awareness.

Arts Objectives

Less than half of the lesson plans clearly stated arts objectives. Most of the stated arts objectives were in the visual arts. These objectives dealt with such things as drawing or painting technique and using visual elements. Some of the musical elements were also addressed, but in most cases there was a focus on arts concepts that related to other academic content.

Post-Lesson Evaluation

The artists were asked to meet briefly with the classroom teacher following each session and then to write an evaluation (Appendix 3) of their lesson. In at least four cases the artist did not have time to meet with the teacher after their session. Most of the evaluations indicate that the artist met their objectives and that the classroom teacher was either pleased or had no specific input. In nine cases, teachers reported concerns. Two cases dealt with the inconsistency of instruction when the artist would not be returning for long periods of time. The other seven cases involve communication issues ranging from schedule changes to concerns about the culminating event.

Final Evaluation

All participating school personnel were asked to submit a final evaluation (Appendix 4). A total of 13 were submitted. Participating teachers completed 11 and two were completed by paraprofessionals. The building principals submitted no final evaluations.

The biggest perceived benefit of the IMAC program is its ability to engage students. Teachers describe two observed behavioral changes in their students. The first is that the students became excited on the days the artists came for their sessions. The students were all actively involved, even students who do not usually participate in class.

The second observation involves students who do not usually do well in an academic setting. Three teachers indicated that it was good for student self esteem or that it "gave students a place to shine that normally don't have the opportunity to do so."

Four respondents indicated that the program benefited their students through an exposure to the arts and the creative process.

11 of the 13 respondents indicated concern about communication. The state that they are not sure of the program expectations and that communication between themselves and the artists was a problem.

8 of the 13 respondents indicated that better connections to the classroom curriculum needed to be made. All of the respondents from one of the schools stated that because they have so little time to accomplish the requirements of their curriculum, that they could not afford the time the program took unless the connection to their curriculum was stronger.

Emerging Themes

Engagement

· 63% of teachers indicated that the program had a positive influence on student engagement.

Exposure to the Arts

· 88% of teachers said in the interviews that they viewed the program as a way to expose their students to all of the art forms.

Communication

· 63% of teachers stated in the interviews that the goals of the program were unclear.

· 75% of teachers described the general communication throughout the program as sketchy or non-existent.

· 88% of teachers indicated that they had little or no communication with the artists before the residency began.

· 88% of teachers indicated that they did not regularly receive lesson plans from the artists prior to their classroom sessions.

Connection to the Curriculum

· 25% of teachers indicated in the interviews that they had expected more connection to the classroom curriculum.

· 75% of teachers expressed difficulty connecting the artists' lessons and their classroom curriculum.

III. Conclusions

The IMAC program has had successes and difficulties. Among its greatest success is the program's ability to engage students. 63% of teachers indicated that the program had a positive effect on student engagement. Their testimonials include delightful comments such as "the children's eyes lit up when the artists would come," or "it was a place for students to shine that usually don't."

A majority of teachers also reported that their students benefited from an expose to all four of the fine arts. None of the participating schools has drama or dance programs, and the IMAC program gave students the opportunity to experience these art forms in a fun and interactive way.

Although the IMAC program seems to have been successful in terms of student engagement and student exposure to the arts, teachers reported major shortfalls. Communication seems to be the weakest link in the program. Much of the frustration teachers expressed can be traced back to this issue. Communication broke down at almost every level of the program. Although the goals were stated at an initial meeting in each of the schools, they were not clearly understood by the teachers. Furthermore, several teachers came into the program after the residencies had started. It seems as though other teachers in the building explained the procedures of the program, but the objectives were not explained to these new participants.

Dialog also seemed insufficient between the artists and the teachers. A majority of teachers expressed concern that there was not enough time after the artist sessions to discuss the lessons and plan for the next session. Furthermore, 88% of teachers indicated that they did not regularly receive lesson plans from the artists prior to their classroom sessions.

Schedule changes seem to be another source of frustration for the teachers and the artists. It is not clear who was responsible for making schedule changes or the line of communication that was established to ensure that changes happened smoothly.

Finally, the IMAC program seems to have been positively received in two of the schools, but met with resistance in the other two schools. There is no clear reason why this has happened. There was not much variation in the implementation of the program from school to school. All of the schools indicated similar problems with communication and making connections to the classroom curriculum. And all of the schools had teachers who came into the program after the residencies began. There are, however, a few variations that may have played a role in the acceptance or rejection of the program. The first variation involves the artists. A different group of artists were used in each school. The flexibility of the individual artist or the appropriateness of their content may have influenced the teachers' perception of the program. The second variation between the schools is in the academic pressures placed on the classroom teachers. The two schools that reported dissatisfaction with the program also have low MEAP scores. It is possible that the academic pressures placed on the classroom teacher to raise student achievement have effected their perception of the amount of time they have to spend on other content. Therefore, if they feel that the IMAC program is not directly benefiting their academic goals, the teachers may be less likely to want to participate in the program. This observation seems to be supported by comments made by the teachers in one of the schools. All of the teachers in the building expressed the belief that the IMAC program may be better implemented during the school's music and art class time. These comments may indicate the teachers' reluctance to relinquish precious class time.

The observations made by the researcher are, however, speculation. Further study needs to be conducted in order to build a causal relationship.

IV. Recommendations

Communicating the Goals

In the spring of the 2004 VSAMI held initial meetings with each of the participating schools. The executive director presented the program goals to the participating teachers at that time. The teachers also received a binder that detailed the program and the expectations of the teachers. Since there was little other communication before the residencies started several months later, it is possible that the objectives of the IMAC program were not at the forefront of the teachers' thinking. It may be advisable to hold an organizational meeting in the spring preceding the implementation and to hold a more in-depth meeting to address the project goals and scheduling within a few weeks of the residencies.

It is also advisable to take a more "hands-on" approach to help the teachers and artists meet the program goals. Most of the teachers do not have experience working with an artist-in-residence. Many of the artists do not have experience writing lesson plans and integrating content. Therefore, both parties need training in order to ensure their ability to meet the program goals.

Scheduling

There are two issues that arose in regard to scheduling. The first issue deals with the initial residency schedule. VSAMI decided not to schedule an individual artist on consecutive weeks where possible. This was done in order to take the instructional focus off a particular arts discipline and, instead, to focus on the integration of all of the arts with traditional content. Unfortunately, this strategy did not work. 63% of teachers indicated confusion with the scheduling of sessions and 75% of teachers expressed difficulty connecting the artists' lessons and their classroom curriculum. Furthermore, 63% of teachers commented that they would prefer to have all of one artist's sessions grouped together. In some cases the same artist did not return to a particular classroom for more than a month. The teachers explained that the connection to the curriculum was not possible in such a situation because they had moved on to other content by the time the artist returned.

The second issue arose as the residency schedules changed. Cancellations are an inevitable part of such a program. However, 63% of teachers commented that there was confusion with the schedule. In some cases the teachers were not sure which artist would be coming, while in other cases an artist would arrive and learn that the session had been cancelled. It is strongly advised that a more functional communication network be created at the beginning of the program in each school. It may be appropriate to directly email teachers in one building, but in another building teachers may not have access to technology. The line of communication, therefore, needs to be tailored to each environment and agreed upon at the outset. It also seems like the schedule may be better facilitated between the individual artists and the teachers. All of the teachers commented that there was little communication between themselves and the artists. It seems far more practical to work out scheduling changes without having to communicate through a third party.

New Participating Teachers

It seems inevitable that there will be some changes in personnel over the course of any program. During the 2003-2004 IMAC project, for example, the researcher was made aware of three teacher changes. All of the teachers that came into the program after the residencies began complained that they did not understand the program goals and were confused about the project implementation. It seems prudent to develop a plan of action for this type of situation that would include an introductory meeting and some direct instruction as the teacher begins planning with the artist.

Artist/teacher communication

Both artists and teachers commented that there often wasn't time after the artist session to discuss the lesson and plan for the next session. It may be advisable to have the artist and all of the teachers sit down after school to do this work together. This is one of many possible solutions, but it is apparent that more appropriate meeting and planning time should be a requirement and be built into the schedule. If, however, after-school meetings could be schedule, VSAMI staff could facilitate the first few meetings and provide the training the artists and teachers need to maximize the potential of the program.

I. INTRODUCTION

Background