Directory of Strategic Arts Education Planners

Mindful Strategies offers an opportunity for California districts and counties to complete a thoughtful planning process using the best tools available: The Expanding Access to the Arts in Schools and Community: Strategic Planning Guide, (Peggy Burt co-author), along with high caliber facilitation and strategic coaching assistance. Teams will be guided through a step-by-step planning process to create a visionary, sustainable Arts Education plan to increase the support for access and equity to arts education for all students TK-12th grade. Plans generally encompass a 3-5 year time period with a vision, clear goals, strategic directions and a defined implementation process.

Sandy Seufert Consulting can support small or large teams in both school districts and arts organizations to create strategic arts plans that include multiple voices with collaborative and democratic methods. They have worked with over 20 school districts and several arts non-profits to create a collaborative vision, assess the strengths and challenges, and imagine strategic actions that uplift the arts and bring a lens of equity through data review and reflections. Using the methods of Technology of Participation from the Institute for Cultural Affairs, participants are guided through a well-honed series of thinking processes that encourage the activation of all voices. The strategic planning process can occur in person, over a series of days, or can be spread over a number of months with virtual sessions using collaborative whiteboard technology and Google Docs.

Open Top Creativity, Inc. specializes in strategic planning, coaching and professional development. With a background in theatre, visual arts and dance, Kimberleigh Aarn, (lead consultant) has extensive experience in curriculum development and arts integration intersecting with Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and language arts development. Utilizing the Technology of Participation (ToP) strategic planning methods, groups are engaged in an inclusive and participatory process designed to activate the collective wisdom of the group by building consensus, honoring all voices and developing strategies that guide in implementing well-thought-out plans. The process includes building a shared practical vision, addressing current reality, and identifying strategies that are aligned with key goals and actions for implementation. Teams are guided step-by-step through an engaging and customized planning process.

Studio Pathways strengthens continuous growth (internal and external) and emphasized culturally responsive strategies to support racial and social justice. Our methods for transformative strategic planning integrated elements of participatory decision making, facilitative leadership, restorative story circles, and experiential learning. In addition, a “studio” structure/ design allows participants to fully absorb needed information, diligently explore information in artistic ways, and gainfully act and reflect on the connections, ideas, and lessons learned.

Tara Aesquivel plans and consults for arts and education organizations, including strategic plans, event planning, and fundraising. Through the strategic planning process, we will identify priority areas for growth, resources and obstacles toward reaching goals, and lay out an engaging and realistic implementation plan.

DeVos Institute of Arts Management focuses has served over 90 public and charter schools in the last ten years, as well as dozens of after-school and weekend arts education programs in California and around the country. Our inclusive, equitable strategic planning process thoughtfully engages faculty, administration, parents, and students as appropriate to each school’s culture. The six-phase process includes a review and update of the school’s mission, vision and values, an analysis of local and national educational environments, and an internal analysis to determine strengths and areas of improvement. They create strategies to help leverage strengths and build new capacity, an implementation plan that outlines tactics for each strategy, and a financial plan. Their plans often include a special focus on fundraising, developing and supporting Boards, and collaboration with community; their team can also provide implementation support to assist schools in the initial execution of key strategies.

AMS measures and analyzes the operations of arts organizations, educational institutions, foundations, and cultural facilities across California. We track long-term industry, arts education, and societal trends to understand the future environment in which the clients will operate. Planning services include strategic planning, arts/arts education program evaluation, vision and mission definition, market analysis, board development, and more. AMS develops and facilitates a multi-phased, iterative, and structured process in which leadership and staff drive the creation and affirmation of vision and mission. Through a variety of tasks and techniques, the strategic planning work involves establishing a baseline from which the plan will evolve; they obtain input from key stakeholders and constituents, defining success and opportunities, building consensus around goals, objectives, and tactics to support them. Finally, AMS assists clients in developing key performance indicators and establishing tools for annual assessment.

Pure Art Solutions (PAS) supports the professional advancement of community-based arts and education organizations working within historically oppressed communities. PAS consultants provide organizations with access to transformative and creative experiences that facilitate the dreaming and imagining required to challenge the status quo. Walking in our values we work with organizations of all sizes to build stronger community work cultures of collaboration, disrupt systems of oppression, and develop creative road maps to achieve their visions. - Affirming a Practical Shared Vision for the strategic advancement of the organization’s mission. This consists of a workshop designed to cultivate positive team dynamics and set the participants up for success throughout the long-term planning process and beyond. - Assess the Current Reality through the analysis of the (1) organization’s internal and external strengths, challenges, and opportunities for growth; (2) interviews/focus groups/surveys of key partners, members, and other key stakeholders; (3) analysis of current arts education, racial equity, and social justice trends - Determine Strategic Directions and Goals to guide the work over the next 3-5 years. - Create an annual Action Plan to support implementation and keep teams on track to meeting their strategic goals and achieving their shared vision.

Turnaround Arts: California is a nonprofit organization that partners with schools and districts to support the development and implementation of Strategic Arts Plans. Plans are tied to district priorities, culturally responsive to communities, and supportive of student academic engagement and social emotional growth. The process includes building shared buy-in and collaboration; an assessment of strengths, challenges, and opportunities; development of SMART goals; and an action plan for implementation. We also support implementation of specific goals in the plan, including our series of arts-based professional development courses for teachers, principals, counselors and arts specialists, as well as the ability to liaise and make introductions to community arts partners for artistic residencies, workshops, and other related services. The Turnaround Arts model was first launched in 2011 by the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities under the Obama administration. Today, it is implemented in California and eight other states in partnership with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Turnaround Arts: California currently partners with 22 public elementary and middle schools in historically marginalized communities statewide to infuse the arts across all classroom subjects and create more equitable and effective learning environments for students.

Powerhouse Arts Consulting LLC supports schools, districts, and community-based programs in Northern California to develop sustainable arts programming through strategic arts planning, coaching, professional development, curriculum design, and providing necessary resources, and artist residencies workshops in under-resourced communities. In collaboration with arts leaders and administrators, facilitate the development of new programming, curriculum, staffing, arts materials/supplies, facilities, safety, and scheduling through analysis, goal-setting, alignment, metrics, proposals, funding such as Prop 28, and implementation. Plans are developed with arts-based professional development, Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning Framework, Culturally Responsive research and inclusive practices.

Sectaris Partners help districts and county offices, in small or large teams, to facilitate continuous growth and solve complex problems facing their communities. All sessions and presentations are offered in-person and virtually over a series of days/weeks/months, as determined by participant need. Teams are guided through a 3-stage process to create/maintain a sustainable arts education program based on a plan with clear vision, goals, and strategic direction. DATA COLLECTION & NEEDS ASSESSMENT: Building an arts planning team as well as assessing current arts education program needs and baseline data to inform decision-making. POLICY & STRATEGIC PLAN: Establishing an overarching district- or county-level arts education policy, generating a strategic plan with collaborative/democratic planning methods, and establishing a funding protocol for Prop 28 funds. LAUNCH & IMPLEMENTATION TRAINING: Pre-launch activities/professional development seminars to ensure community buy-in and collaborative coaching with educational partners/leadership focused on successful implementation of the arts education plan.