CHICAGO, IL – Ingenuity today released its first Data Snapshot, Arts Education Access in CPS: How school size, type, and student demographics impact 2019-20 Creative Schools Certification,  examining the relationship between race and ethnicity, school enrollment, school type, and a school’s level of arts instruction.

The Data Snapshot outlines conclusions that both school size (Lower Enrollment and Higher Enrollment), as well as school governance (District managed vs Non-District Managed), play a significant factor in determining the quality of arts education, with  Lower Enrollment schools as well as Non-District Managed schools performing lower in Access and Quality measures from the Creative Schools Certification (CSC) score.

In addition to the CSC data, this analysis was drawn from CPS’s racial/ethnic data. The CSC data is collected by Ingenuity each school year and is used to help identify the level of arts instruction at every CPS school using a five-point scoring rubric. Schools certify at one of the four categories: Excelling, Strong, Developing, Emerging.

The CSC helps schools develop plans and partnerships that address gaps in arts equity and improve the overall quality of their arts education curriculum. This same data collection informs Ingenuity’s State of the Arts in Chicago Public Schools reports.

By presenting this Data Snapshot, Ingenuity hopes to ignite discussion and action among Chicago’s arts education stakeholders,” said Nicole Upton, Ingenuity’s Executive Director. “Together, we must work to ensure that programs, funding, and investments are equitably distributed to meet the needs of schools and students experiencing the greatest challenges and barriers to arts education access.”

To read the full report, click here.

About Ingenuity

Ingenuity is a backbone arts education 501(c)(3) with core programs in data, advocacy, grant-making, and professional learning. The organization’s collective-impact approach to arts advocacy drives partnerships, insights, and investments in the arts for 330,000 students in Chicago Public Schools. A nationally-recognized arts advocacy leader, Ingenuity has advanced the most progress in CPS arts education in 40 years. Learn more at ingenuity-inc.org.

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