Bridging the Gap: Helping School Leaders Assess and Strengthen Their Arts & Enrichment Programs
Too often, school leaders struggle to assess the quality of their arts and enrichment programs. Unlike math or reading, where standardized test scores provide clear metrics (for better or worse), arts education requires a different approach. One that acknowledges both qualitative and quantitative measures of success.
Many principals and district leaders end up making decisions about arts programming based on surface-level observations, budget constraints, or student enrollment alone, without a deeper understanding of what high-quality arts education actually looks like. This leads to programs that are underfunded, undervalued, or disconnected from the broader goals of student development.
At Brave Art NYC, we help school leaders build competency in evaluating their arts programs, setting meaningful goals, and providing arts educators with the support and accountability they need to grow.
Why Arts and Enrichment Programs Go Unassessed
Research shows that when school leaders lack training in arts education, they often struggle to set clear expectations and benchmarks for success (Winner and Hetland, 2007). Without that training, a few things tend to happen. Goals become vague or unrealistic. A school leader might set a goal like "increase student engagement" without ever defining what engagement looks like in an arts classroom. Arts teachers get evaluated using the same rubrics as academic teachers, which miss the specific skills and practices that define strong arts instruction. And without clear data on program impact, the arts are often the first place resources get cut.
The cost is real. Arts educators feel unsupported, enrichment programs lack direction, and students miss out on what high-quality arts education can do for them.
What Does a Strong Arts Program Look Like?
A strong arts program does not just exist on a schedule. It actively contributes to student growth, creativity, and critical thinking. According to a report by the Arts Education Partnership (2019), the strongest arts programs share several characteristics: clear learning objectives that go beyond creative expression to include skill-building, cultural literacy, and interdisciplinary connections. Regular assessment through performances, portfolio reviews, and self-reflection rather than traditional tests. Culturally responsive teaching that reflects the diverse backgrounds of students and engages them in meaningful, culturally affirming work. Integration with core curriculum so that arts instruction supports and deepens academic learning. And sustained student participation over multiple years, which allows for the kind of skill development that a single semester or elective rotation cannot provide.
How School Leaders Can Assess and Improve Their Arts Programs
Moving beyond surface-level evaluation takes intentional work. Here are four places to start.
1. Develop Arts-Specific Evaluation Tools
Using the same observation rubrics for arts educators and academic teachers does not work. Arts instruction has its own discipline-specific practices, and the evaluation tools should reflect that. When observing an arts classroom, look for evidence of artistic skill-building and technique development, student engagement and creative problem-solving, culturally responsive teaching practices, and student autonomy in expressive decision-making.
2. Set Meaningful, Measurable Goals
Goals for arts programs should align with school priorities and reflect what arts education specifically contributes. That might look like increasing student participation in arts programs over time, ensuring every student receives a minimum number of hours of high-quality arts instruction per year, expanding arts-integrated learning across subjects, or establishing artist-in-residence programs and professional development for arts teachers.
3. Engage Arts Educators as Leaders
School leaders often make programming decisions without fully consulting their arts educators. To build a stronger program, administrators should meet regularly with arts teachers to discuss needs and goals, provide professional development that is specific to arts education, and include arts educators on broader instructional leadership teams. These are the people closest to the work. Their perspective should shape the program, not just execute it.
4. Gather Data Beyond Enrollment Numbers
Enrollment numbers alone do not tell you much. Consider student reflections on their arts experiences, feedback from families and the broader school community, and performance videos, artwork portfolios, and classroom observations as forms of evidence. This kind of data gives you a fuller picture of what is happening in the program and where it can get better.
Brave Art NYC: A Resource for School Leaders
At Brave Art NYC, we work with school leaders to build high-quality arts programs. Our services include program audits and evaluations to assess current offerings and identify areas for growth, professional development for school leaders on arts education practices and goal setting, and teacher coaching and mentorship to support arts educators with tailored feedback and professional learning.
A strong arts program does not happen by accident. It requires planning, assessment, and support. School leaders who invest in their arts educators and programs will see the impact across their entire school community.
If your school is ready to strengthen its arts education, Brave Art NYC is here to help.
