California County Superintendents Arts initiative
Website URL:
https://cacountyarts.org/Address:
Sacramento, California
Primary Contact:
Letty Kraus - lkraus@cacountysupts.org
Organization Type:
Education, Arts, Other
Organization Mission
The California County Superintendents is an association representing the superintendents of California’s 58 county offices of education (COEs). The organization is dedicated to promoting, influencing, and advocating for high-quality education. Most of the county offices of education have designated arts leads who assist their COE and districts in their region to implement the California Arts Standards. As a network, the Arts Initiative collaborates to lead by providing support, technical assistance, and services for teachers, administrators, and parents.
The mission statement of the California County Superintendents Arts Initiative is
“The arts are an integral part of a comprehensive curriculum and are essential for life-long learning. All California students—from every cultural and linguistic background, geographic region, and socio-economic level—deserve quality arts learning in dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts as part of a well-rounded curriculum.”
Areas of Expertise
1. Arts Education Advocacy and Policy Support
- Collaborating with county offices of education and other stakeholders to ensure robust support for arts education statewide.
- Providing guidance on the implementation of state policies, such as Proposition 28, which funds arts and music education in California schools.
- Building collaborations with arts organizations, higher education institutions, and community groups to enhance arts learning opportunities.
- Leveraging collective efforts to align local, regional, and state initiatives.
2. Strategic Planning and Capacity Building
- Supporting schools and districts in developing and executing strategic plans for arts education.
- Offering professional development and resources to build educators’ capacity, particularly in arts integration and standards-based arts education
3. Equity and Access in Arts Education
- Focusing on increasing access to quality arts education for all students, especially those in underserved communities.
- Using data and storytelling to highlight and address disparities in arts education opportunities.
Current Top Priorities for Guidance or Collaboration
Contact us to learn more about these current priority areas or to explore collaboration opportunities.- Expanding equitable access to arts education for all students, everywhere in the state. We are especially focused on improving access to arts education in rural and geographically dispersed areas.
- Supporting the development of strategic arts education plans in districts and counties.
- Building the capacity of multiple subject elementary teachers to provide arts education in their classrooms. Sometimes this is the only arts teacher a student may have.
- Addressing the arts educator workforce shortage through bother creative and institutional solutions.
- Attention to student engagement and well being through culturally responsive and inclusive arts education.
Geographical Areas Served:
Rural/Remote, Suburban/Exurban, Urban, West Coast,
Primary Audience Served:
Other, Pre-K Schools and Learning Centers, School Administrators, School-based Teachers,
Artistic Discipline:
Arts and crafts, Dance, Media Arts, Multidisciplinary Arts, Music, Theatre, Visual Arts,
