Being Better Together in the 25-26 School Year

Oct 2

Summer is a special time for those who work in and with schools. The break gives us a little breathing room to rest, reflect on the year that just ended, and make plans for the year ahead. The KID smART programming team took this time to retreat and ask ourselves, “What are we doing well? And what could we be doing better?”

We were proud of several things that went well during the 24-25 school year. We served 1607 students and 157 educators through our collaborative artists residencies. Teachers who worked with us observed improved student outcomes, increased ownership, and creative risk-taking. Teachers also overwhelmingly agreed that KID smART was a positive presence in their teaching practice. We recorded high percentages of students who connected personally with the content and who said they learned something new. High percentages of students also felt it was okay to have different ideas and collaborated well with others.

Not bad.

Recognizing and celebrating strengths should be a regular part of a team’s practice. Determining areas of growth, and planning for improvement, should also be a priority. When reflecting on the year, we decided there were specific areas we wanted to be better at during the 25-26 school year. We decided to refine our assessment practices to strengthen instruction, promote growth, and communicate progress to young artists. We would prioritize inclusive and accessible spaces, centering Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in the development of lesson plans, data collection, and the Arts & Education center programming.

Students with Disibilities and the Core Arts Standards

I myself committed to working through the discomfort of better supporting Multilingual Learners of English (MLEs). The work is so important and I have had almost no training in it. I was so afraid of doing it wrong that I wasn’t doing anything. That’s a problem. I reminded myself that making mistakes is an important part of the learning process. Trying my best, and listening and apologizing when I made a mistake, was better than not trying at all. And I knew my team would support me.