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2023-24 State of the Arts Report, Dashboard, & Toolkit
The 2023–24 State of the Arts report showcases record participation from CPS schools and highlights a rise in Excelling arts programs, fueled by increased staffing and district-wide commitment. New this year are the SOTA Toolkit and an expanded equity analysis, empowering stakeholders to act on the data.
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Creative Schools Certification
The Creative Schools Certification (CSC) is a five-tiered evaluation system that measures arts education access and quality across all Chicago Public Schools (CPS). Using data from CPS and the annual Creative Schools Survey, it provides schools with a clear rating and actionable insights to guide improvement and equity in arts programming.
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artlook®
An innovative online platform that provides the tools, information, and insights that help arts education changemakers do what they do better, together. artlook® helps schools and community partners connect, lets private funders understand the reach of their investments, and creates a powerful tool for advocates that informs policy discussions locally and beyond.
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CPDU Application Guidelines
Outline how arts organizations can structure and document professional development sessions to qualify for Continuing Professional Development Units (CPDUs) per Illinois education standards. -
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Creative Schools Fund Impact Report
The 2013–2024 Creative Schools Fund Impact Report highlights $21M in grants that supported 1,300+ arts partnerships, reaching 740,000 CPS students and advancing equity in arts education. -
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Creative Schools Roadmaps
Creative Schools Roadmaps are personalized reports for each CPS school, detailing their CSC rating alongside specific strengths and areas for growth in arts education. These roadmaps offer tailored recommendations and highlight available supports, such as grants and professional development, to help schools enhance their arts programs. -
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Creative Schools Certification
The Creative Schools Certification (CSC) is a five-tiered evaluation system that measures arts education access and quality across all Chicago Public Schools (CPS). Using data from CPS and the annual Creative Schools Survey, it provides schools with a clear rating and actionable insights to guide improvement and equity in arts programming. -
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Arts Education Access in CPS
This initial Data Snapshot investigates how school size, type, and student demographics affect access to quality arts education in CPS. It reveals that Black students are disproportionately enrolled in schools with lower arts education ratings, highlighting systemic inequities. -
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BIPOC Representation and Arts Partners
Focusing on the representation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) within arts organizations partnering with CPS, this report finds that while many organizations promote BIPOC artists, fewer have BIPOC individuals in leadership roles. It underscores the need for increased diversity at all organizational levels. -
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Arts Partnerships Before & After the Pandemic
This snapshot explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on arts partnerships in CPS, revealing a significant decline in active partnerships from 2018–19 to 2020–21. It identifies characteristics of organizations that maintained or lost partnerships, providing insights for rebuilding efforts. -
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High School Arts Offerings
Analyzing data from 2019–20 to 2021–22, this report assesses the availability and diversity of arts courses in CPS high schools. It highlights disparities based on geography and school governance, noting that District-Managed schools generally offer more comprehensive arts programs. -
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Residency Program Costs & Teaching Artist Compensation
This snapshot examines the financial aspects of arts residency programs in CPS, focusing on teaching artist compensation. It provides insights into cost structures and aims to inform equitable funding strategies for arts education. -
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Data Snapshot
Ingenuity’s Data Snapshots are focused analyses that delve into specific aspects of arts education within Chicago Public Schools, such as teaching artist compensation, high school arts offerings, and BIPOC representation among arts partners. -
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2023-24 State of the Arts Report, Dashboard, & Toolkit
The 2023–24 State of the Arts report showcases record participation from CPS schools and highlights a rise in Excelling arts programs, fueled by increased staffing and district-wide commitment. New this year are the SOTA Toolkit and an expanded equity analysis, empowering stakeholders to act on the data. -
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2012-13 State of the Arts Report
Serving as a baseline, the inaugural 2012–13 report revealed that while 94% of district-run schools had at least one credentialed arts instructor, less than 25% of elementary schools met the recommended 120 minutes of weekly arts instruction, highlighting significant opportunities for growth. -
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2013-14 State of the Arts Report
In its second year, the 2013–14 report found that CPS schools continued to enhance arts instruction, staffing, partnerships, and funding, with a notable 11% increase in combined district and external funds committed to arts education. -
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2014-15 State of the Arts Report
The 2014–15 report indicated that CPS schools had increased arts instruction, staffing, partnerships, and funding during the second year of implementing the CPS Arts Education Plan, with combined district and external funds for arts education rising by nearly $14 million. -
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2015-16 State of the Arts Report
The 2015–16 report showed that 60% of CPS schools were certified as Strong or Excelling in the arts, with nearly 250,000 students attending such schools, and noted increases in arts instructor staffing and partnerships despite fiscal challenges. -
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2016-17 State of the Arts Report
Marking five years since the implementation of the CPS Arts Education Plan, the 2016–17 report celebrated the integration of arts as a "must-have" in schools, reflecting widespread adoption of arts education across the district. -
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2017-18 State of the Arts Report
The 2017–18 SOTA report highlighted significant growth in CPS arts education since 2012, including a 117% increase in schools offering robust arts programs, over 150,000 more students with consistent access to arts education, and a 33% rise in active arts partners working in CPS schools. -
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2018-19 State of the Arts Report
Celebrating significant growth, the report noted a 97% increase in students with regular access to arts instruction over seven years, underscoring the effectiveness of sustained investment and policy support in expanding arts education across CPS. -
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2019-20 State of the Arts Report
Introducing the updated Creative Schools Certification (CSC) 2.0, this edition provided a more nuanced analysis of arts education access and quality, though data collection was impacted by the onset of the pandemic and the shift to remote learning. -
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2020-21 State of the Arts Report
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the report observed that while schools maintained arts access levels similar to the previous year, there were declines in quality measures such as staffing and instructional minutes, reflecting the challenges of remote learning environments. -
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2021-22 State of the Arts Report
Marking the first full year after the return to in-person learning, this report detailed the progress and challenges faced by CPS schools and arts partners in delivering arts education, emphasizing the resilience of programs amidst ongoing recovery efforts. -
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2022-23 State of the Arts Report & Dashboard
Ingenuity's 11th SOTA report introduced an interactive dashboard, enabling stakeholders to explore CPS arts education data with customizable filters. The report highlighted post-pandemic recovery trends while noting persistent disparities based on school governance and student demographics. -
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State of the Arts
Ingenuity’s State of the Arts (SOTA) reports have used comprehensive data to track and transform arts education in CPS. Recent innovations include the SOTA Dashboard for interactive data exploration and the SOTA Toolkit to empower stakeholders with actionable insights. -
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artlook®
An innovative online platform that provides the tools, information, and insights that help arts education changemakers do what they do better, together. artlook® helps schools and community partners connect, lets private funders understand the reach of their investments, and creates a powerful tool for advocates that informs policy discussions locally and beyond. -
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Strategic Plan FY23-25
A comprehensive roadmap to advance equitable access to quality arts education across Chicago Public Schools. It focuses on five key goals: achieving equity in arts education, strengthening partnerships, evolving funding strategies, enhancing Ingenuity’s visibility, and sustaining organizational capacity. -
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Equity Action Plan
It outlines five key goals—shared leadership, racial diversity in leadership, inclusivity and belonging, accessibility, and people and culture—supported by measurable actions and accountability structures to foster an anti-racist, inclusive organizational culture. -
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Arts Education and Social-Emotional Outcomes Among K-12 Students: Developing A Theory of Action
This report by Ingenuity and the University of Chicago Consortium outlines how arts education fosters social-emotional growth, showing that creative practices like performing and reflecting build skills such as self-management and communication. -
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Phase One Conclusions: The Quality Ecosystem
The general dimensions and practices of quality that each entity has ownership over. These practices will then form the basis of tangible quality recommendations and supports for each entity. -
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Executive Summary: Quality Initiative
Outlines Ingenuity’s early efforts to define what high-quality arts education looks like in CPS. It highlights shared values from community input—like student-centered learning and cultural relevance—and calls for greater collaboration to ensure equity in both access and quality. -
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Instructional Quality Framework
Offers a comprehensive model aimed at enhancing the quality of arts education through structured instructional practices. This framework is particularly valuable for teaching artists and arts education organizations striving to integrate educational and artistic excellence. -
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Values of Quality
Outlines eleven foundational principles that define high-quality arts education. These values emphasize student-centered learning, cultural competence, equity, safety, intentionality, and collaborative relationships. -
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Organizational Quality Framework
Outlines a comprehensive model designed to enhance the quality of arts education through structured organizational practices. This framework is particularly relevant for arts education organizations aiming to integrate educational and artistic excellence. -
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Arts Partner Standards of Practice Guide
The Standards of Practice include tools and processes to help arts organizations improve arts program outcomes. The Standards also serve to establish consensus values about how program managers define, assess, evaluate, and improve the quality of Teaching Artist instruction. -
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Quality Toolkit for Organizations
The Toolkit is structured around the idea of a cycle of inquiry. Quality is not static, a box to check off; it’s a process of continual learning and striving for improvement. By following the phased structure of Visioning, Auditing, Implementing, then allowing the results of reflection and revision to feed into the next round of planning, program managers and organizations can develop a true practice of quality in action. -
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Arts Partnership Process: Steps for Program Success
The Arts Partnership Process is an interactive tool designed to help cultivate meaningful planning conversations between schools and arts partners. This five-step collaborative and reflective conversation process can be used to build stronger partnerships and implement unique arts education programs tailored to the goals, strengths, and unique capacities of schools and arts partners. -
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SY24/25 Back to School Arts Partner Guide
The Arts Partner Guide is meant to help you build and maintain relationships with Ingenuity and Chicago Public Schools. We know that in order to create collaborative, supportive, engaging, and effective arts partnerships, it’s essential to have accessible resources. -
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Building a Unified Future: Arts Professional Learning & Events Catalog 2024-2025
A comprehensive guide designed to unite and empower our community of arts educators and arts partner organizations across Chicago Public Schools. After several years, we are reintroducing this joint catalog to enrich your experience with district-wide learning opportunities, events, resources, and more. -
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Professional Learning Plan Assessment for Teaching Artists
The Professional Learning Plan Assessment for Instructional Staff supports teaching artists and arts educators in reflecting on their practice and identifying targeted professional learning needs. It offers a framework to build personalized, growth-oriented plans that enhance instructional quality. -
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Professional Learning Plan Assessment for Program Managers
The Professional Learning Plan Assessment for Program Managers helps organizations evaluate and strengthen their internal systems for supporting arts instruction. It identifies key areas for growth and guides program managers in creating strategic, sustainable professional learning plans. -
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IVL Course: Arts Partner Standards of Practice Course
A virtual course offering a refreshed, interactive version of the Arts Partner Standards of Practice, providing a shared framework for quality in arts education through four sequential learning modules. -
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IVL Course: Afrocentric Social Emotional Learning Through the Arts
A framework that uses arts education to support Afrocentric SEL by empowering educators to explore cultural identity and connect more deeply with Black learners through storytelling and research-based practices. -
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IVL Course: Trauma-Informed & Healing-Centered Practice Through the Arts Guidebook
Helps arts organizations and teaching artists integrate trauma-informed, healing-centered practices into their work through practical tools and training. -
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Ingenuity Virtual Learning (IVL) Courses
Interactive, media-rich arts courses and resources designed to supplement in-person training with flexible, self-paced learning for teaching artists and arts organizations. -
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SY 24-25 CDPU Applications
Ingenuity, an ISBE-approved provider, accepts rolling applications for CPDU credit and partners with arts organizations to ensure high-quality professional development for the 2024–2025 school year. -
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SY24/25 Chicago Public Schools Safety & Security Approved Teaching Artists
A list of approved teaching artists for SY24/25 who have passed CPS Safety & Security requirements, with guidance on background check verification and school-site approval procedures.