KCAAEN Strategic Plan
2009 - 2012
INTRODUCTION
About the KCAAEN
The Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network (KCAAEN), a program of the
Kennedy Center Education Department, is a coalition of statewide not-for-profit Alliances
for Arts Education working in partnership with the John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts to support policies, practices, programs, and partnerships that ensure
that the arts are an essential part of American preK-12 education
The mission of the KCAAEN is to advance learning in and through the arts for all
students. The KCAAEN in partnership with the Kennedy Center has agreed to pursue
five objectives as a network which are described below:
1. Build Collaborations: Develop and support innovative collaborations among
schools, community partners, and cultural institutions that sustain arts
education.
2. Position the Arts: Speak out on behalf of arts education to citizens, policy
makers, state agencies, and others about the value and benefits of arts
education.
3. Generate Informational Resources: Develop, publish, and/or disseminate
resources for arts education leaders and practitioners.
4. Provide Professional Development: Implement professional development
through educational programs, training, and resources.
5. Recognize Innovation and Achievement: Provide awards and
acknowledgments to individuals, organizations, and schools that demonstrate
outstanding support for arts education.
The Network Leadership Committee (NLC) advises the Kennedy Center and the
network of State Alliances on program policies and content. The committee consists of
seven elected members from the KCAAEN membership who each serve a three-year
term. The NLC serves as a conduit for communication with State Alliances through
regional designations; develops, implements and assesses progress toward meeting the
goals of the KCAAEN Strategic Plan; assists in the planning and evaluation of the
Annual Meeting; assists in developing resources to support the work of the national
network; and serves as chairs/co-chairs of the KCAAEN’s advocacy, professional
development, nomination review, and awards and recognition committees.
State Alliances for Arts Education are independent, not-for-profit [501(c) 3],
organizations that apply for membership in the KCAAEN. A statewide board of directors
including individuals from education, the arts, the community, and corporate sectors
governs State Alliances. As members of the KCAAEN, State Alliances for Arts
Education are eligible to apply for project grant funding, participating in arts education
initiatives and awards programs, participate in Network regional calls; receive financial
support to participate in an Annual Meeting, receive legislative information and a monthly
e-newsletter from the Kennedy Center, and receive special consideration regarding
Kennedy Center Education programs (i.e., touring workshops, performances on tour).
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KCAAEN HISTORY
Formed in 1973 in response to public Law 85-874 (the statute establishing the Kennedy
Center), the goals of the Alliance for Arts Education program initially were to establish
the Kennedy Center as a national focal point for strengthening the arts in education at all
levels by providing performances, arts education activities, and talent showcase
opportunities for students at the center. State meetings (facilitated via state departments
of education and state arts agencies) were held to assist the Kennedy Center to reach
this goal.
In the 70’s the State Alliances assisted the Kennedy Center in outreach programs made
available to the states on a matching funds basis and sponsored symposia and activities
in cooperation with the national arts education professional associations. The State
Alliances helped their States to develop and adopt comprehensive state plans for arts
education focused on solidifying the place of the arts in “basic” education – a primary
goal of the Alliances throughout the rest of the decade.
During the 1980’s, State Alliances were encouraged to define their programmatic
priorities in response to well-defined state and local arts education needs. The Kennedy
Center provided State Alliance leaders with training and incentives to establish longrange plans including pursuing not-for-profit, incorporated status. A national recognition
program for school administrators was established through the Alliance Network, as well
as a focused national initiative, “Leadership Through Partnership,” to create impact at
the state and local levels. In the late 1980’s an awards program was established in
conjunction with the National School Boards Association with nominations solicited at
the state level from State Alliances in partnership with state school board organizations.
In the early 1990’s, the Kennedy Center worked with State Alliance representatives to
design a long-range plan, develop an implementation strategy, and create an
organizational structure for governance of the national network. Throughout the decade,
the Kennedy Center continued to support an Annual Meeting including optional preconferences and/or partnerships with other national arts and education organizations.
State Alliances provided assistance in identifying talented students for participation in
the National Symphony Orchestra’s Summer Music Institute. In addition, the Kennedy
Center and KCAAEN continued to support, promote, and provide leadership in many key
national arts education issues, events, and partnerships including: advocacy, standards,
assessment, educational reform, cultural diversity, and arts education research.
In 1995, the KCAAEN launched a national initiative – “The Creative Ticket for Student
Success” campaign to build public awareness of the importance of arts education and to
provide a case statement for the arts as critical and essential to education. The
campaign included the National Conversation for Student Success, Tour for Student
Success, radio and television advertisements, campaign posters and postcards. In
1998, the KCAAEN published the KCAAEN Self-Assessment Tool Kit, which included a
framework for identifying strengths and weaknesses in State Alliance operations,
programming, and impact of State Alliances at the state and local level.
At the start of the new millennium, the KCCAEN expanded “The Creative Ticket for
Student Success” Campaign to include an awards program, Creative Ticket National
Schools of Distinction and Creative Ticket Schools of Excellence. The KCAAEN and
Kennedy Center’s Partners in Education Program convened a joint task force on afterschool programs in the arts and published The Arts Beyond the School Day: Extending
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the Power. The KCAAEN developed A Community Audit for Arts Education: Better
Skills, Better Students, Better Communities, a resource for communities to use to
evaluate the status of arts education in their local school district, based on the important
research released in Gaining the Arts Advantage and Champions of Change reports. At
the July 2003 Annual Leadership Meeting, the KCAAEN Leadership Kit was distributed.
The Leadership Kit was designed to assist with developing new leaders for arts
education, building increased understanding of leadership roles of State Alliance
executive directors, chairs, and board members, and expanding knowledge of the
“systems and sectors” involved with arts education leadership.
In the fall of 2003, The Kennedy Center and KCAAEN National Governance Committee
convened a Task Force to create a new KCAAEN Structure. In 2004, the Kennedy
Center Education Department was restructured establishing a National Partnerships
Program including the KCAAEN, Kennedy Center Partners in Education, and
IMAGINATION CELEBRATION National Sites. In 2004-05, the KCAAEN developed a
three-year strategic plan (for 2006-09). In the years that followed, the Structure
Document was revised, providing guidelines for membership in the Network. The
KCAAEN tools (Community Audit, Leadership Kit, and Self-Assessment Kit) were
revised by a writing task force and professionally designed and published. In 2008-09,
an addition tool, the KCAAEN Arts Education Advocacy Toolkit was written and
published, along with a companion video. The two KCAAEN awards programs
continued; the name Creative Ticket was changed to the John F. Kennedy Center
National Schools of Distinction in Arts Education Award. The National School Boards
award gained more visibility with the addition of a $10,000 prize to the winner. A
Memorandum of Understanding between the KCAAEN and Americans for the Arts State
Arts Action Network (SAAN) was developed making State Alliances for Arts Education
affiliate members of the SAAN group.
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Developing the Strategic Plan
The Network Leadership Committee (NLC) began the most recent strategic planning
process during the fall of 2008. Gary DeVault, a former member of the Kennedy Center
Network Leadership Committee and writer/editor for several of the KCAAEN Tools and
Resources, was invited to lead the Strategic Planning process. Mr. DeVault developed
an outline and timeline for the revision process and requested that several State Alliance
Executive Directors be included with the members of the Network Leadership Committee
and Kennedy Center staff to form the KCAAEN Strategic Planning Task Force.
An announcement was made to the Network in the September Kennedy Center National
Partnerships e-newsletter, UPDATE, about the progress in developing the Strategic
Plan. State Alliance Executive Directors and Chairs were invited to provide initial
feedback electronically by responding to four guiding questions and to submit their
individual State Alliance Strategic Plans. In addition, the committee reviewed selected
national arts education association/organization strategic plans to identify trends,
common issues, and sample formats.
The Strategic Planning Task Force met on October 16 and 17, 2008. At that time, the
Committee reviewed the 2006-2009 strategic plan including the KCAAEN mission
statement, guiding principles, and goal areas. The Task Force prioritized strategies and
action steps in the 2006-2009 Strategic Plan indicating high, medium and low priority.
This exploration led to a word change in the Mission Statement and consensus was
reached to retain the five goal areas: Build Collaborations, Position the Arts, Provide
Professional Development, Generate Informational Resources, and Recognize
Innovation and Achievement. Information was provided through the November issue of
UPDATE outlining the revision process in September and October and announcing an
opportunity for State Alliance leaders to provide input at the Annual Meeting in February.
At the February 2009 KCAAEN Annual Meeting, members of the NLC and Strategic
Planning Task Force led breakout sessions by goal areas. Participants responded to
guiding questions and indicated their support for specific strategies and action steps and
generated new ideas to be considered by the Strategic Planning Task Force. State
Alliance leaders’ suggestions and ideas gathered at the Annual Meeting were
incorporated into another draft of the plan that the NLC and Strategic Planning Task
Force further refined at a meeting on April 8 & 9, 2009. The suggestions and ideas of
both the membership and leadership are reflected in the strategies and action steps
under each of the five goal areas of the Plan.
In May, the membership was asked to review the final draft of the Strategic Plan.
Additional suggestions were incorporated into the Plan in order to complete the
document.
As a final step, the Network Leadership Committee voted to accept the Strategic Plan
during the summer NLC meeting in Washington, D.C. on July 30th and 31st, 2009. We
are delighted to present this Strategic Plan that will serve as a path for KCAAEN work
over the next three years.
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Approaching the 2009-2012 Strategic Plan
This plan is a working, evolving blueprint. Progress will be reviewed annually by the
NLC and adjustments made to the priorities and timeline, as needed.
Definitions
Resources: In the goal area of Generating Informational Resources, the intention is that
these include publications, newsletters, websites, KCAAEN tools and items developed
by State Alliances and other entities rather than financial resources.
Diversity: The term is used in the Strategic Action Plan in the broadest sense to include
gender, race, age, and geographic and professional representation, among others.
Partnership: A partnership may be thought of as a more deliberate attempt to co-plan
and execute initiatives, some of which may occur outside the existing projects of the
partnering organizations. Some partnerships are ongoing.
Collaboration: Collaboration is generally considered a less formal relationship in which
organizations share information about their projects and calendars to see where
intersections may occur. A collaboration might be formed for one project.
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