The Mission of ESP
Empire State Partnerships (ESP) is dedicated to identifying, supporting and developing promising practices in collaborations between cultural organizations and schools.  The focus of the project is on the achievement of the New York State Learning Standards and contributing to the improvement of teaching and learning in New York Schools. The History of ESP
The project was launched in 1996 as a joint initiative of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and the New York State Education Department (NYSED).  These agencies united with the goal of raising standards for students and integrating and reinstating the arts into classrooms throughout New York State. Three Major Components of ESP: Empire State Partnerships Grants: Since the program’s inception, NYSCA has allocated more than $18 million in granted funds to build and support long-term, in-depth arts education partnerships across the state. The grants are given to projects which pair cultural organizations with schools across New York State. As of July 2003, 88 partnerships had received funding in planning grants of approximately $10,000, and grants for program implementation of up to $100,000. • These grants have involved over 80 cultural organizations and seven colleges or universities with students, teachers and administrators in 50 school districts across New York State. • The cultural organizations in partnerships have included art museums, theaters, dance companies, history museums, music companies, nature centers, community organizations, and writing and literacy programs, among others. • The schools and school districts in partnerships represent elementary, middle school and high schools from across New York State. • These partnerships have directly involved over 34,000 students and over 1,400 teachers.  The ESP grants have indirectly served many times these numbers. ESP Professional Development Program: The ESP Professional Development Program offers a year-round schedule of activities, in an effort to support arts in education in New York through building capacity at ESP sites. Recently the program has opened its program to the larger arts in education community.  ESP’s Professional Development Program is often described as one of the most ambitious and effective professional development programs in the nation.  The program can be broken into the following critical initiatives: Summer Seminar
An intensive, week-long retreat held annually for a wide range of participants, including school-based practitioners and administrators, teaching artists and cultural administrators.  The retreat provides dedicated planning time, access to ESP faculty made up of nationally renowned Arts and Education consultants, intensive study of performance assessment, Reflective Practice techniques, integrated curriculum strategies and partnership strengthening techniques. Although Summer Seminar was originally designed for ESP granted partnerships only, for the past two years it has opened enrollment to non-ESP arts in education teams across the nation. A Vision for Re-culturing Schools The New York State Council for the Arts(NYSCA)-funded ESP school-wide Arts grants support partnerships as they strive to “improve arts programming and education school-wide, with the goal of improving the culture of the school” (as stated in the NYSCA guidelines).   This year, Summer Seminar provided several opportunities for teams from each ESP School-wide partnership to create a new vision of the role the arts can play in teaching and learning throughout their school.   Participants were asked to think comprehensively about the elements of their school, as well as the influence they have as individuals within that school.  Participants were provided with examples, both from within the ESP community and beyond it, of arts-in-education partnerships that have effectively utilized the arts for significantly improving school culture, and student achievement, as inspiration and potential models for replication.    Thinking Back, Looking Forward The theme of the ESP Summer Seminar in July 2006, Thinking Back, Looking Forward, was based on two central concepts: creating a vision for a school culture where the arts play a central role in teaching and learning, and using “backward design” as a strategic planning method for implementing that vision. Backward Design as a Strategy for Re-Culturing Schools “Backward Design” is a curriculum design approach in which planning begins at the end point; that is, deciding on a desired result is the first step of the planning process.  Seminar participants were given opportunities to explore two specific backward mapping strategies: Understanding by Design – an approach created by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, and Curriculum Mapping – an approach advocated by Heidi Hayes Jacobs.  Participants were asked to use these techniques when planning for their partnership on a team level, as well as on an individual level.  Participants used these techniques to create strategic learning plans that helped them realize their visions for their ESP schools and implement their curriculum for the upcoming year.   Team Learning Activity During the Seminar, all participating ESP teams engaged in a Team Learning Activity that focused on “thinking backward and looking forward” in a creative, thoughtful way.  The Team Activity was comprised of three stages, and included visualizing “desired results,” identifying “evidence of understanding,” and developing a strategic “learning plan.”   (Please see the “Lesson Design of Team Learning Activity” for more details).   Individual Learning Opportunities at Summer Seminar Summer Seminar offered multiple opportunities for participants to pursue learning experiences that supported their individual professional development needs.  Several learning formats were used, including Peer to Peer Inquiry Sessions, topic-based workshops, consultation meetings with experts, opportunities for informal networking and conversation, and the chance to contribute to a group art project, which was coordinated by artist Brett Cook.   These experiences were offered as a complement to the Team Activity experience, so that each Summer Seminar participant could benefit from, and contribute to, Summer Seminar as both an individual and a member of an ESP partnership.   Honoring a Decade of Achievement of ESP In recognition of the 10th year of the Empire State Partnerships program, a decade’s worth of ESP work from across New York State – all in pursuit of high student achievement in and through the arts - was honored and celebrated. There were opportunities to review and reflect on the struggles and accomplishments of our community, which were presented through exhibitions of student work and testimonials of teachers, artists and administrators.   The retrospective provided an historical background for those new to the ESP program and supplied inspiration for us all.   Goals of Summer Seminar The Seminar aimed to provide its participants with opportunities … 1. To develop a vision for re-culturing their ESP school culture, especially around the role the arts will play in teaching and learning. 2. To plan strategically, using a backwards mapping approach, as part of an ESP team and as individuals.  3. To make art that expressed participants’ visions for the teaching and learning in and through the arts.    4. To pursue learning experiences that support individual professional development needs, in workshops, Peer to Peer discussions, consultations and discussion groups. 5. To recognize the impact that participants, as individuals, have on school culture and high student achievement in and through the arts, through thoughtful dialogue and honest discussions. 6. To learn about the work of colleagues in the arts-in-education field, including the history and accomplishments of the ESP program from the past 10 years. 7. To develop a renewed commitment to the work of arts-in-education. Seminar Outcomes As a result of the Summer Seminar, participants came away with the following: • An articulated vision for a new school culture, as documented by team artwork and/or a vision statement. • A strategic learning plan for implementing each team’s vision, on both a team level and individual level, that incorporates the techniques of Curriculum Mapping and/or Understanding by Design. • Additional tools and strategies that will meet individual needs, such as lesson plans, assessment strategies, planning documents, etc., as documented by responses to workshop evaluation forms. • A sense of empowerment to take ownership of participants’ own professional development, as documented by responses to the Seminar evaluation form. • A new understanding of the history and accomplishments of the ESP Program, as documented by responses to the Seminar evaluation form. • A re-energized spirit to continue the pursuit of high student achievement in and through the arts, as documented by responses to the Seminar evaluation form.http://www.nysca.org/http://www.nysed.gov/http://www.espartsed.org/summerseminar.shtmlshapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1shapeimage_1_link_2
2006 ESP Summer Seminar
General Information links
 
 
Empire State Partnerships Homepage
 
ESP Summer Semiar 2006 Homepage
 
 
ESP Summer Faculty, Staff, and Guest Speaker bios
 
Introduction Thinking Back, Looking Forward Collaborative Project Empire State Partnership Summer Seminar CW Post Campus, Long Island New York