Friends of Art Works for Kids Newsroom

Dan Jones Survey Affirms Strong Positive Impact of Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program on Utah Schools, Students

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 09:17:24 -0700

SALT LAKE CITY (December 1, 2010)—A survey recently completed by Dan Jones & Associates found that the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program (BTSALP), currently in the third year of a pilot project in more than 50 schools throughout Utah, is already having a profound positive impact for children in participating schools.

The Dan Jones & Associates study, commissioned by the grassroots advocacy organization Friends of Art Works for Kids, incorporated in-depth interviews with the principals of more than 50 Utah schools participating in the BTSALP pilot test program. Participating schools in the BTSLAP program are spread across the geographic and social economic spectrum — from affluent suburban areas to rural communities and schools that serve Title 1 inner-city populations.

The survey was designed to evaluate the BTSALP program’s effect on the overall quality of education in participating schools; principals’ perceptions of the impact of the program on improvements in the core subject areas of math, language arts, science and social studies, and in student attendance, discipline, civility and educational engagement; the relative difficulty schools experienced in establishing the program; and how it was received by students, parents and teachers.

After two years of implementation of this four-year pilot program, which was designed to measure increases in learning retention and ability in the core subjects, participating schools have already seen significant improvements, including the following findings:

• 100 percent of respondents reported that the effect of the program was either “definitely positive” (85 percent) or “probably positive” (15 percent).

One principal noted, “I had a student who…was in trouble all the time…The arts were a way to reach him…I saw a major change in his behavior.” Another described how the BTSALP engagement helped one child with borderline Asberger’s syndrome increased three grades in reading in a single year, while a principal in a school with a largely Spanish-speaking population reported that a BTSALP drama program “helped [ESL students] speak English,” as well as “how to use ideas without using English.”

• BTSALP engagement also had a positive impact on student performance and behavior in all areas:

�� o Math: 68 percent reported the program’s impact was positive. One principal noted that in one year, scores increased 20 percent among low-income students: “The arts play a big part in that. They significantly help the achievement gap…”

�� o Language Arts: 69 percent reported a positive impact.

�� o Other subject areas: 84 percent reported a positive impact.

�� o Principals also reported increases in self-esteem, confidence, social skills and civility, and decreases in negative aggression.

��o Positive impact in both discipline and student attendance was reported by more than 70 percent of all principals. 86 percent reported that the BTSALP helped with student engagement, 73 percent said the program helped improve civility.

• In addition, principals reported that BTSALP arts specialists were received positively by 100 percent of students; 98 percent positive among parents; and 88 percent from core curriculum instructors.

About Friends of Art Works for Kids

Friends of Art Works for Kids (www.artworksforkids.org) is a grassroots initiative created to ensure that Utah’s school children receive the benefits of high-quality, integrated arts instruction through the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program. Using the Art Works for Kids teaching model, the program integrates art into the core curriculum, effectively increasing student performance in every subject—from language arts and social studies to math and science.

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Media Contacts

Jacob Moon

Friends of Art Works for Kids Public Relations

801.461-9797

jacob@methodcommunications.com

�

David Parkinson

Friends of Art Works for Kids Public Relations

801.461-9799

david@methodcommunications.com

Friends of Art Works for Kids Announces Kick-off of Advocacy Campaign Throughout Utah

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:31:16 -0600

SALT LAKE CITY–Friends of Art Works for Kids today announced the kick-off of its 2010 advocacy campaign for the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program (BTSALP), which provides high-quality, integrated arts education in Utah elementary schools. The campaign was created to foster the ongoing support of the program from the Utah Legislature, as well as to inform parents, teachers, and the community about the importance of the program. Due to budget shortfalls, the program will be cut at the end of the 2010-2011 school year without Legislative approval.�

The Friends of Art Works for Kids team, along with Founder Beverley Sorenson, will travel throughout the state to garner community support for the program and to educate Utahns about the benefits of integrated arts learning. The team will visit schools through September, October, and November to show parents and teachers all the ways they can get involved in saving the unique program this upcoming legislative session.�

“Arts should never be taken out of elementary schools,” said Sorenson, education innovator and philanthropist for which the program was named. “Integrated arts education not only increases student performance in core subjects, but it contributes to the success and development of a whole, well-rounded child.”�

In 2008, the Utah State Legislature voted to fund the BTSALP, which strategically incorporates arts into the core curriculum. Under the direction of the Utah State Office of Education, the program provides quality integrated arts instruction in about 50 elementary schools in 20 districts across Utah. The program serves approximately 30,000 students.�

Schools implementing the program have seen extraordinary improvements in student engagement, behavior, and academic performance in every core subject area, including math, science, and language arts.��

One example is Iron Springs Elementary, in Cedar City, Utah, where end of level test results in fourth grade science jumped a substantial 22 percent after introducing the program. At Iron Springs arts specialist Alisa Petersen teaches a fourth grade lesson plan using the artistic principals of positive and negative shapes to teach about the formation of fossils.��

Belknap Elementary, in Beaver, Utah, has seen similar academic success since implementing the program. The most recent assessment report shows that on average, Belknap has 20 percent more students proficient in mathematics than the average for the state. Amanda Riley, the Belknap arts specialist, uses music to demonstrate mathematical concepts, teaching how the different types of rhythmic notes correlates to fractions.��

Utah State Office of Education Assumes Leadership of Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program, Names Cathy Jensen as New Program Director

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 14:25:31 -0600

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah State Office of Education today announced that it has assumed direct administrative leadership of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program (BTSALP), and appointed Cathy Jensen as its new statewide program director.

Established by the Utah Legislature in fall 2008, the BTSALP was administered by the Utah Arts Council, under the supervision of the State Office of Education.� In the last two years, the Arts Council �launched the program in more than 50 schools in 20 districts. With strong support from educational philanthropist Beverley Taylor Sorenson, the program brought together key strategic partners – including research universities, the Utah Arts Council, the elementary schools and school districts throughout Utah – to establish a highly effective, evidence-based fine arts curriculum integrated into the core disciplines: math, science, language arts, and social studies.� In order to maximize the efficiency of this innovative program, the state office agreed to assume direct administration and control of BTSALP. �

� “We are grateful for the tremendous efforts of Beverley Taylor Sorenson and the Utah Arts Council in the establishing this excellent program,” said Dr. Larry K. Shumway, superintendent of the Utah State Office of Education. “We are committed to ensuring that the BTSALP will be an integral and invaluable part of the educational experience for elementary students throughout Utah.”�

� Jensen brings a rare combination of fine arts and administrative experience to her new role. A Magna cum Laude graduate of the University of Utah School of Education, Jensen spent 14 years as a music and band teacher for children in elementary and middle school. She has also had a highly productive career as an administrator, serving as principal at three Utah middle schools: Eastmont in Sandy; West Hills in West Jordan; and as the inaugural principal of Sunset Ridge in West Jordan. Under her leadership, Sunset Ridge garnered state and national recognition, including designation as a Utah Middle School to Watch in both 2007 and 2010.

� Jensen has also served on a number of regional and state boards, including president of the Utah Middle Level Association, as a sponsoring principal in the Utah Academy of Teachers and as adjunct professor at the University of Utah, where she also obtained a Master of Educational Administration degree. ��

� “It is a genuine honor for me to lead this rigorous, impactful arts learning program, named for of one of the greatest champions for education and the arts our state has ever seen,” said Jensen. “I share Beverley’s deep love of the arts and clear recognition of the essential role they play in the effective education of our children, and will do all in my power to sustain and expand the influence of this great program.”

� The BTSALP program is currently entering the third year of a planned four-year evaluation period in elementary schools across Utah, with the final year subject to budgetary approval from the Utah state legislature.

Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program Secures 2010-11 Funding with Support from Utah Governor, Legislature

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:05:00 -0700

SALT LAKE CITY (March 11, 2010)-Friends of Art Works for Kids today announced that the 2010 Utah legislature provided sufficient funding to the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program to keep arts specialists in all 53 schools for another year. Faced with legislative funding cuts from the 2009 budget, the innovative arts education program-judged highly effective by parents, educators, and administrators-will economize in areas other than reducing the number of arts specialists.

"We are grateful to Governor Herbert and the Utah legislature for their responsiveness to the request of parents, teachers and administrators who know the value these arts specialists bring to our schools and the children they serve," said long-time arts education advocate Beverley Taylor Sorenson. "In difficult economic times like the present, it takes vision and courage to support educational opportunities such as these. This program makes a measurable difference in the lives of children and we are thrilled it will continue for another year."

The 2008 legislature approved four years of funding for arts specialists in more than 50 Utah elementary schools for the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program (BTSALP), named by the legislature in honor of Sorenson, who has spent 15 years and significant financial resources developing and championing the program. The four-year funding was designed to allow educators and state leaders time to rigorously and objectively document the effectiveness of the BTSALP, in which trained arts specialists work in close partnership with classroom teachers to integrate art into the core subjects of math, science, language and social studies. This side-by-side teaching model has proven effective at assisting in improving a child's academic performance, motivation and behavior.

In 2009, legislators cut roughly 37 percent of the allocated money in response to the ongoing economic downturn that began in late 2007. These cuts would have eliminated arts specialists for the 2010-11 school year.

Friends of Art Works for Kids, a grassroots organization, launched an advocacy effort in September 2009 to help restore the program's funding-rallying support from parents and educators of the 30,000 elementary school children who would have been affected, and signing up more than 10,000 to contact their legislators. Educators and parents of children supporting the BTSALP told their state representatives the evidence already strongly suggests students' core curriculum test scores are significantly up, while behavior problems are sharply down. Research commissioned by the legislature and performed by the Utah Education Policy Center through the four-year program will further solidify this evidence.

Gov. Gary Herbert proposed $1.3 million in funding for the Beverley Taylor Sorenson program in the 2010 budget. The legislature chose to reduce this appropriation to $658,000, which along with the $2.8 million remaining from the initial funding will be enough to fund arts specialists for the third year of the evaluation period. The successful effort to appropriate the funding for the program was led by two prominent Utah legislative leaders: House Speaker David Clark and Senate President Michael Waddoups.

"We will be back next year," said Sorenson. "Thousands of parents, teachers and administrators have communicated to their legislators that this program is too important and effective to cut before completion of the four-year evaluation period. This program works because it teaches children math, science and reading using the arts as a method they already love. They sing, they dance, and they draw. This is what they do and they love it."

About Friends of Art Works for Kids

Friends of Art Works for Kids (www.artworksforkids.org) is a grassroots initiative created to ensure that Utah's school children receive the benefits of high-quality, integrated arts instruction through the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program. Using the Art Works for Kids teaching model, the program integrates art into the core curriculum, effectively increasing student performance in every subject-from language arts and social studies to math and science.

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Media Contacts:

Jacob Moon
801.490.1017
jacob@methodcommunications.com

David Parkinson
801.490.1015
david@methodcommunications.com

Friends of Art Works for Kids Completes Successful Statewide Tour, Signs Nearly 10,000 in 2009; Now Prepares for Legislative Session

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:40:38 -0700

SALT LAKE CITY� Friends of Art Works for Kids today announced the wrap-up of a successful statewide tour in 31 communities with the 53 schools that are participating in the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program. Organizers rallied support from parents and educators of 30,000 elementary school children who will be affected, signing up nearly 10,000 to urge state legislators to continue funding.

Launched Sept. 22 with a whistle-stop tour and a new user-friendly Web site, Friends of Art Works for Kids is a grassroots organization promoting an education program that places arts specialists in elementary schools. The arts specialists work in a highly structured partnership with classroom teachers to improve the understanding of the core subjects: �math, science, language arts and social studies.

The state legislature funded the program for four years in 2008 and named it after long-time arts education advocate and Art Works for Kids founder Beverley Taylor Sorenson. However in 2009, legislators cut 37 percent of the money. Gov. Gary Herbert’s proposed budget includes funding for a third year, but legislators must approve it during the upcoming 2010 legislative session.��

“We appreciate Gov. Herbert’s support of the program,” said Sorenson. “And we are thankful for the leadership legislators have showed in the past. We are asking them to please find a way to continue this program that is so important for Utah schoolchildren.”

Studies and anecdotal evidence strongly suggest test scores for core curriculum subjects go up and behavior problems go down when grade school children receive an integrated arts education. The legislature’s original one-time, four-year funding was intended to allow educators sufficient time to scientifically document the program’s results in 53 public schools around the state.

“From St. George to Brigham City, we met with thousands of parents and educators from every school that will be affected,” said Lisa Cluff, director of Friends of Art Works for Kids. “They expressed how important arts specialists are for their children’s level of achievement and interest in learning. It was inspiring to see how each school finds unique ways to integrate arts into the core curriculum.

“We appreciate the legislators’ foresight in providing the funding and anticipate their continued support for the coming year,” said Cluff. “We hope citizens from across the state will join us by speaking up and telling their legislators how important this program is to them and their children.”�

To join Friends of Art Works for Kids, visit: www.artworksforkids.org. Individuals may also contact their legislators directly through the site at www.artworksforkids.org/find-your-legislators.

About Friends of Art Works for Kids

Friends of Art Works for Kids is a grassroots initiative created to ensure that Utah’s school children receive the benefits of high-quality, integrated arts instruction through the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program. Using the Art Works for Kids teaching model, the program integrates art into the core curriculum, effectively increasing student performance in every subject—from language arts and social studies to math and science.

Friends of Art Works for Kids Announces Launch of Utah-wide Advocacy Initiative, Web Site

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 06:17:00 -0600

SALT LAKE CITY - Friends of Art Works for Kids today announced the official launch of the organization and its Web site, www.artworksforkids.org. This statewide grassroots initiative has been created to ensure that Utah school children receive the benefits of high-quality integrated arts instruction by advocating the Utah Legislature's ongoing support of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program in Utah elementary schools. Due to budget shortfalls, funding for the program will be cut at the end of the 2009-10 school year, unless the Utah Legislature acts to extend the program, based on feedback from parents and other concerned citizens from throughout the state.

The newly launched Web site provides resources for parents and other community members to get involved in the Friends of Art Works for Kids initiative and play an active role in ensuring the continuation of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program. Through the site, parents can identify and email their legislators directly, discover upcoming advocacy events in their communities and stay informed on the most recent news and progress of the program. The Web site also provides essential information about the program and compelling examples of how the integrated arts approach is being utilized at a variety of Utah elementary schools.

In conjunction with the launch of the Web site and advocacy group, Art Works for Kids Founder Beverley Taylor Sorenson and the Friends of Art Works for Kids team will travel throughout the state to garner community support for the program and to educate Utahns about the benefits of integrated arts learning. The team will visit more than 20 communities through September, October and November.

"We are delighted with the response we have been getting from many parents and other members of Utah communities in support of this integrated arts teaching model and the program," said Sorenson, an education innovator and philanthropist. "We also appreciate the support and vision our state legislators have already provided for this program, and we hope they will continue their role in this endeavor. In this crucial time for Utah, parents and other concerned citizens throughout the state need to let their legislators know that there is no substitute for quality integrated arts instruction in a child's education."

In 2008, the Utah State Legislature voted to fund the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program, which strategically incorporates arts into the core curriculum. Under the direction of the Utah Arts Council, the program provides quality integrated arts instruction in over 50 elementary schools in 20 districts across Utah. It currently serves approximately 30,000 students.

Schools implementing the program have seen extraordinary improvements in student engagement, behavior and academic performance in every core subject area, including math, science and language arts.

"Not only have we seen dramatic increases in the number of students passing the required academic AYP [Average Yearly Progress], but discipline problems have also declined sharply, since implementing the integrated arts teaching model," said Dale Porter, principal of Dixie Sun Elementary in St. George. "In my experience, there is nothing that creates greater confidence, school spirit and genuine engagement in the learning process like the quality integrated arts instruction in the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program."

"Proficiencies in language arts and math have both clearly and notably increased after integrating the arts into our core curriculum," said Launa Harvey, principal of Monroe Elementary in West Valley City. "The connection to visual and performing arts, effectively integrated into the entire core curriculum through this model, provides a deep personal connection to learning. The resulting improvements in school performance and satisfaction are real and profound."

About Friends of Art Works for Kids

Friends of Art Works for Kids is a grassroots initiative created to ensure that Utah's school children receive the benefits of high-quality, integrated arts instruction through the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program. The program integrates art into the core curriculum, effectively increasing student performance in every subject-from language arts and social studies to math and science.