Poster design by Ernesto Yerena.

March is Arts Education Month and we’re inspired by CreateCA’s campaign demanding that every student has access to arts education. The Creative Advantage was founded on that premise and over a decade, we’ve made a lot of progress. Here’s to all the teachers, principals, teaching artists, and community partners who make arts learning more accessible for Seattle Public Schools students!  

Together we have: 

• Grown from 189 arts teachers to 253​. 
• Ensured all 73 elementary schools have at least one arts discipline.  
• Created Middle school recommendation of two semesters and High school state requirements of two credits.​ 
• Built professional development systems. 
• Opened the Media Arts Skills Center funded by Paul G. Allen Family Foundation & Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS). 
• Seen that the largest gains in equity were for students of color furthest from education justice, Latinx, and Black students. 
• Coordinated system for arts partnerships with The Creative Advantage Community Arts Partner Roster. ​ 
• Created an approach for schools to develop arts visions, action plans, and engage in partnerships. 86 out of104 Creative Advantage schools–next year we’ll be complete and in every school! 
• Cultivated a long-term commitment by the City a district to fund central office staff in Seattle Public Schools’ Visual & Performing Arts.​ 

In Washington we have the Arts 4 All initiative and we hope you are following and supporting that push for every student in our state.

Creative Advantage Arts Ed Coalition Professional Development Days! 

ARTS and Seattle Public Schools Visual & Performing Arts department are partnering via The Creative Advantage to host arts education coalitions in three different arts disciplines for the 2023-24 school year. The big idea is to shine a light on specific arts modalities in Seattle Public Schools, make art in a community of artists, and collectively work towards ways to best serve students.  

1. Visual Art Professional Development Day, led by Seattle Art Museum with Wing Luke Museum, Frye Art Museum, Gage Academy of Art Saturday, March 30, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park. // REGISTRATION: Visual Arts PD Day 
   
2. Music Professional Development Day, led by The Rhapsody Project with Jack Straw Cultural Center, Orquesta Northwest, Seattle Opera : Saturday, April 27, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at Seattle Opera, 363 Mercer St, Seattle, WA 98109. // REGISTRATION: Music PD Day
   
3. Theatre Professional Development Day, led by 5^th Avenue Theatre, and community theatre partners: Save the Date Saturday, June 8 (registration link coming soon)