“What are teaching artist pathways?” you ask. Teaching artist pathways provide routes for artists to apply their skills and real-world experience in educational settings and clear options for continuing their education.

For visual and performing artists, that means professional development opportunities, earning alternate income, and trying something new. For youth, parents, and schools, it means creating opportunities for engaging students in the arts. And now there’s a new funding source to support arts education in schools across California!

In 2022, California voters approved Proposition 28: The Arts and Music in Schools - Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act*. With overwhelming support, it ensures permanent annual funding for arts programs in K-12 public and charter schools across the state. This funding is an exciting win, but as it rolls out and schools are eager to enhance their arts programs, the workforce needs to meet the growing demand.

In the 2023-24 school year, about $39M in new funding became available across Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Clara Counties, but we’re short nearly 300 arts teachers. With only one art teacher credential program in the region, accessible pathways have not been built or invested in. At this critical turning point, training and support are the way forward.

Why it Matters

Arts education fosters creativity and teaches youth about critical thinking, resilience, and empathy (for themselves and others). It provides them with a sense of connection, identity, and belonging.

Investing in arts education goes beyond creativity. It equips youth with tools to succeed in every aspect of their lives. Studies show that students from low-income communities, where we invest most of our arts education resources, are twice as likely to graduate college and 80% more likely to vote if they engage in arts education. Every dollar invested in arts education is an investment in a brighter future for all of us.

As the top provider of arts education in local schools, serving more than 18,000 youth annually, we must grow our team, invest in training, and expand our Summer Arts Education Institute to meet the growing need.

Arts in Every School, Every Day

Imagine arts in every school, every day - students immersed in creative expression, learning to think critically, collaborate, and problem-solve through the arts. You may have had this experience when you were young, and this vision is within reach again. Schools, which for 40 years have often not had funding for the arts, are ready to expand their arts programs, but we need more qualified teaching artists and credentialed arts teachers to bring the vision to life.

At Arts Council Santa Cruz County, we’ve been working for years to build and support teaching artist pathways - programs that nurture and train the next generation of creators and arts educators. We must broaden these essential pathways to meet the increased demand for a sustainable and equitable arts education workforce that reflects our community!

We prioritize sustainable roles for new teaching artists and those who want to explore what being a teaching artist is all about. We believe in fair pay, professional growth, and more teaching opportunities - during the school day and in afterschool programs like Mariposa Arts.

Building the Next Generation of Creatives

In Mariposa Arts, we hire youth to learn on the job and explore career opportunities in low-risk, high-reward after-school settings. We recruit and train high school students interested in arts and teaching. These students participate in a year-long program where they increase their arts proficiency and gain essential teaching skills like lesson planning, classroom management, and public speaking. They gain hands-on teaching experience by co-teaching arts lessons in elementary schools with professional teaching artist mentors.

This program nurtures the next generation of artists and empowers students to become leaders. By offering paid opportunities for young artists to teach, we provide them with a pathway to meaningful careers in the arts. By connecting new teaching artists with resources, mentorship, and ongoing support, we help them chart a path toward careers in arts education.

Professional Development and Training for Teaching Artists

We understand that the growth of the teaching artist workforce doesn’t end with employment. It’s essential to provide ongoing professional development and build connections and peer community of support. We do this through

• An annual 3-day Mariposa Arts teaching artist training

• Monthly teaching artist gatherings and office hours to build a community of practice and support

• A 4-day Summer Arts Education Institute in partnership with the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, where teaching artists, classroom teachers, and administrators can collaborate, learn, and share strategies for integrating arts into English, math, and science classes. This Institute is also a launching point for our Artist Teacher Partnerships.

• Artist Teacher Partnerships pair teaching artists with Alternative Education teachers to develop and teach an integrated arts curriculum focusing on socio-emotional learning.

Prop 28: A Catalyst for Systems Change

Prop 28 funding can be a powerful catalyst for change, and schools and community organizations - like ours - must work together to build up the workforce to meet this new demand. With 8,000 new positions statewide, there’s lots of competition. We want to keep our teaching artists local!

We’ve already seen the impact on our programs in the past year. Having been supported by our teaching artist pathway work, two of our teaching artists transitioned into full-time roles at schools through this new funding source while working towards their teaching credentials.

Our model fills immediate gaps in arts education and supports systemic change by showing young people and emerging artists that the arts is a rewarding and viable career. By providing professional development, we’re supporting teaching artists in our community.

Learn More:

For those interested in a deeper dive, explore this accessible policy brief from SRI Education, commissioned by the Hewlett Foundation’s Performing Arts Program

Creative License: Strengthening Teaching and Learning in the Visual and Performing Arts

Proposition 28: The Arts and Music in Schools - Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act

Ready to Get Involved in Arts Education?

Email Us: artsed@artscouncilsc.org
Call Us: (831) 475-9600 Ext. 18

Donate: Help us continue empowering teachers and students through the arts by donating today to support arts education in our community.