Implementation of the A+ schools program

An examination of baseline teacher perceptions and instructional behaviors

Abstract

In a baseline study of teachers’ attitudes towards arts integration, elementary
teachers (23 experimental; 23 control) in grades K-6 indicated they valued arts
integration and were willing to integrate the arts in their classrooms with no
significant differences between groups. Additional analysis of teachers’
instructional behaviors with structured protocols prior to program
implementation showed that teachers from the control school demonstrated
significantly higher uses of interdisciplinary curricula planning, experiential
learning, and critical thinking. These data indicate that schools choosing to
adopt an arts integrated curricula may be predisposed to the concepts underlying
effective arts integration; they may also recognize their need for support in
implementing arts integrated curricula via structured program implementation
and suppor