A Data-Driven Approach to Arts Education
Ingenuity collects arts education data on behalf of the CPS Department of Arts Education and the district, and produces tools and reports based on these data to fuel decision-making and drive sector impact.
As a backbone organization, Ingenuity fosters collaboration by championing shared measurement systems, aligning stakeholders around common goals, and ensuring consistent metrics to track progress. Since 2016-17, over 90% of all 600+ CPS schools have annually submitted comprehensive arts education data.
Our Data-Driven Approach to Advancing Arts Education
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12
Years of Arts Education Data Collection and Reporting
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99%
of all 649 CPS Schools Submitted Arts Education Data in 2024-25
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96,000
More Students have Access to Excelling Schools in 2023-24 than in 2012-13
At Ingenuity, Data Isn’t Just Collected—It’s Activated
We work hand-in-hand with Chicago Public Schools’ Department of Arts Education and a wide range of partners to turn information into action. Our data approach fuels strategy, informs policy, and helps transform arts education across the city.
As a trusted backbone organization, we lead the charge in building a culture of collaboration—establishing shared goals, unified metrics, and a common language for progress. Together with our stakeholders, we ensure that every data point moves us closer to access, quality, and equity in arts education.
From data collection to trend analysis to actionable insights, Ingenuity’s data work reveals where arts education thrives—and where it needs support. This comprehensive, transparent process empowers educators, administrators, arts organizations, and community partners to make informed, strategic decisions that elevate student experiences in the arts.
The result? A powerful, data-driven ecosystem that supports every CPS student’s creative journey.
Data That Moves Arts Education Forward in Chicago Public Schools
Gather
Every year, Ingenuity collaborates with the CPS Department of Arts Education to gather data from multiple sources, including directly from Arts Liaisons representing their individual schools, arts organizations, and administrative data from CPS.
Validate & Analyze
Data collected from artlook® undergoes a rigorous validation process, including through a Data Audit for all school data submitted.
Disseminate
Ingenuity has developed a range of data tools that are designed not only to share data transparently with the sector but also to guide informed decision-making at all levels. These tools serve as critical resources for driving change within the arts education landscape, with each tool tailored to meet specific needs and audiences.
Activate & Align
Analyses are shared with stakeholders across the sector to ensure transparency, facilitate dialogue, and drive strategy. A collaborative process is established, allowing the sector to align and develop a more nuanced, shared understanding of the data.
Fall: School Data Collection
Data for the Creative Schools Certification (CSC) is collected from schools via the artlook® platform in the fall each year. The Creative Schools Certification is the CPS arts education indicator used since 2012-13 that measures arts education access and conditions for each school. Arts Liaisons, nominated by principals, are the arts champions at their schools and report on arts offerings, including instructors and instructional minutes, provided during the previous school year. Over 90% of all 600+ CPS schools have submitted arts education data annually since 2016-17.
Winter: Validate & Analyze
In the winter, the data is validated and checked for potential erroneous inputs. Once validated, each school’s Creative Schools Certification rating is determined and scored. Principals and Arts Liaisons are emailed their Creative Schools Roadmaps in December and can review their school’s data before it is published publicly. Creative Schools Roadmaps are custom documents generated by Ingenuity that outline each school’s CSC rating, along with tailored recommendations and available supports.
Spring: Data Dissemination & Reporting
In April, sector-level analyses on CPS arts education access, conditions, and partnerships are published in the State of the Arts Report, Dashboard, and Toolkit. These tools provide the most comprehensive landscape analysis of arts education. The Report, published every year since 2012-13, presents data that tracks student access while also identifying opportunities. The Dashboard offers an interactive platform to explore the data through customizable filters, and the Toolkit equips stakeholders with data-informed insights and a clear call to action.
Year-Round: Activate & Align
Ingenuity shares data and insights year-round to inform sector-level strategy, guide resource allocation, and close gaps in access. Ingenuity works closely with the CPS Department of Arts Education and engages stakeholders across the sector—including CPS leadership, arts educators, arts organizations, and funders. In addition to the annual State of the Arts, Ingenuity publishes Data Snapshots—focused analyses on key topics such as Residency Program Costs & Teaching Artist Compensation. School-level and organization-level data is available year-round on artlook®. Ingenuity stays attuned to the evolving arts education landscape to ensure its data remains accurate, responsive, and actionable—driving informed decisions and advancing arts education across Chicago.
From Insights to Sector-Level Impact
These data tools support all stakeholders across the sector—the educators, school leaders, arts organizations, district leadership, advocates, and decision-makers—who are doing the important work of building a stronger, more creative future.
Data & Partnerships
See Ingenuity’s Creative Schools Certification data for Chicago Public Schools on the following sites:
