The Alaska State Council on the Arts (ASCA) recently completed the first year of the New Visions Grant Initiative. The initiative consists of ASCA providing three pilot school districts – Bering Strait School District, Copper River School Districtand Kodiak School District – $10,000 matching grants for a three year period to develop new models of arts integration and residency programs.

The initiative focuses on professional development for staff, curriculum writing, leadership training and bringing Alaskan teaching artists to work with students. The New Visions Initiative responds to the results of On Thin Ice: Arts in Alaska’s Schools, a statewide comprehensive survey of arts education conducted through a collaboration of ASCA, the Alaska Arts Education Consortium and the Alaska School Administrators Association. In August 2009, after consulting with administrators from the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, the three diverse Alaskan districts were targeted and approached to participate in the program. The Superintendents all agreed to participate and dedicate matching funds. Annie Calkins, a consultant working with the initiative, is in the process of evaluating its first year. Noteworthy developments include: all three districts exceeded the required financial match; new collaborations have formed to support professional development; the Bering Strait District is integrating the arts into its summer school curriculum and assessing its impact on attendance; Copper River is hosting its first Artist in School Residency and Kodiak is pioneering the use of video teleconferencing to teach music. For more information about the New Visions Initiative or the On Thin Ice: Arts in Alaska’s Schools report please contact ASCA Executive Director Charlotte Fox or ASCA Arts Education Consultant Annie Calkins.