Author: Andie Freeman
A revolutionary way of approaching education started in North Carolina nearly 30 years ago, and it has been transforming the lives of students and teachers ever since. A+ Schools of North Carolina is a whole-school transformation model that views the arts as fundamental to teaching and learning. A+ Schools serves more than 60 PreK–12 schools in rural, suburban, and urban communities across the state. In addition, A+ Schools supports transformation at eight pilot schools across the U.S.
The arts are integrated in every subject area in A+ schools, making the entire process of learning more creative and active for the students. “A+ Schools has been vital in re-establishing a positive culture of learning at our school,” Nick Harvey, a former A+ school principal, explained. “Our kids are smiling! You can’t qualify that with numbers, but you feel it the moment you walk into the school.” Some might wonder if this approach would appeal only to those students who dream of a career in the arts. Although the joy of creating is evident in A+ schools, the multidisciplinary approach teaches students lifelong skills that are useful whatever they choose to do in their lives. L. Quinn Lewis is an A+ school alumnus and a graduate of N.C. A&T in biological engineering. He reflected on his experience at R.N. Harris Elementary, an A+ school in Durham.
“I don’t see that there can be a differentiation between arts and everything else. It all just goes hand in hand…. If you want engineering, engineers need to be creative. They need to be innovative. They need to be problem solvers, and that’s going to take some thinking out of the box. That’s going to take some inspiration.”
When a school has applied and has been selected to join the A+ Schools network, there is an emphasis on developing a customized approach that honors the school’s uniqueness. The entire school staff reflects on their current processes, and shares solutions to craft a new vision using the A+ Schools model. That transformation, with support from the A+ Schools staff, becomes a shared goal. “Every A+ school looks different,” explained Michelle Burrows, A+ Schools director at the North Carolina Arts Council. “And they implement A+ Schools practice and philosophy in the way that works best for their staff and community, while staying true to the A+ Essentials, the foundational components of A+ practice.”
Teacher retention, which has suffered nationally since the Covid-19 pandemic, is higher than average at A+ schools. A study conducted by N.C. State University’s Friday Institute for Educational Innovation found that educators at A+ schools experience high levels of work satisfaction and are enthusiastic about the support they receive as teachers. A+ schools teachers reported that their work was meaningful and rewarding, and that they had agency to be creative in the classroom.
Through high-quality professional development and ongoing support, teachers have the tools to create engaging, rigorous, and meaningful learning experiences for their students. The state’s mandated curriculum is taught with the arts continuously woven into every child’s learning experience. This approach is collaborative, engaging, and meaningful to educators.
“The excitement the teachers feel in their classrooms is inspiring,” Burrows said. “A+ schools are successful and sustainable because the teachers and school leadership are invested, have ongoing professional development and support, and work together to build a creative vision. That all leads to schools with better teacher retention, stronger collaboration, and a positive and engaging teaching and learning environment.”