FRESNO -- Clovis Unified School
District is located in a growing suburb of Fresno where change is occurring rapidly
as new families move into the district known for its small-town charm and good
schools.
Arts education in Clovis schools has succeeded because
of top-down support. "My goal is to have every student involved in the arts every
day," says Dr. Walter L. Buster, superintendent. His interest is to focus on a
student's need for a well-rounded education of mind, body, and spirit. A well-rounded
education includes study of the arts.
One of the district's schools, Valley Oak Elementary,
is participating in the Transforming Education Through the Arts Challenge, supported
by the Getty Education Institute for the Arts and the Annenberg Foundation.
Valley Oak is one of 36 schools throughout the country
that are participating in the Challenge. During the first year, teachers at the
school learned about the Discipline-Based Arts Education (DBAE) method of teaching
the arts and have begun integrating the arts across other subjects. This one school's
involvement is helping other schools to learn about the whole school change model
through district-wide workshops.
Among the many ways the community supports arts
in the schools is the Clovis Arts Docent program, which sends parents and volunteers
to visit classrooms weekly to discuss and share history and research about works
of art. The program, in existence for more than 15 years, involves training by
art teachers, and sometimes participation in DBAE classes.
[Editor's Note: Dr. Buster, may be
contacted at his e-mail: wbuster@clovisusd.k12.ca.us].
