The Santa Cruz COE is proud to announce the release of the Arts Plan for Equity 2022-2027, a 5-year road map for arts education in our community. This plan was created in partnership with arts organizations, teachers and administrators, parents, students, arts funders, district and county personnel, and leaders from local businesses.
We began with a two-year needs assessment conducted between 2017-2019. Collaborating with the Arts Council Santa Cruz County, we discovered what different partners, districts, and in some cases schools and parents’ clubs were able to offer students. In addition, in the fall of 2018, we worked with Optimal Solutions Consulting to hold focus groups with our partners from public and nonprofit organizations, including schools, during the COE’s strategic planning process.
Through these means, we were able to ascertain our strengths and areas for improvement, as well as opportunities to achieve greater impact.
The Santa Cruz COE is a staunch advocate for the arts. As delineated in the California Arts Education Framework, we value all facets of arts education including immersive arts experiences in the different disciples of dance, media arts, music, theater, and visual arts and arts integration as connected to other content areas including language arts, history and social sciences, science, and mathematics. We value the arts as a tool of communication, creativity, and community engagement; a means to health and well-being; an instrument for the expression of culture and history; and a vehicle for the attainment of a fulfilling profession.