Over the past three decades, countless educational, cultural, and philanthropic leaders have worked tirelessly to improve access to the arts for all students in Chicago Public Schools. Since its inception in 2011, Ingenuity has been working in partnership with these same leaders toward the goal of an arts education for every student in every CPS school. Ingenuity underpins its work by gathering a deep set of data that provides a clear understanding of the specific arts needs of each school and the district as a whole. This report presents findings from the first year of comprehensive data collection, the 2012–13 school year, and sets the baseline against which Ingenuity will annually measure district-wide efforts to expand arts instruction. Nearly four hundred schools participated in this data collection, which makes this report the most current, comprehensive view of arts education in Chicago. This report also offers an analysis of progress on the CPS Arts Education Plan6 and shows data related to its implementation in schools. The key to looking at the state of arts in the city’s schools is taking a closer look at some of the Plan’s high-level goals, which stand out as central to its overall progress.

The goal of the CPS Arts Education Plan is to bring arts education to every child in every CPS school. While the work to expand arts instruction across Chicago Public Schools is ongoing, this report can provide context and construct for a new beginning. By understanding what arts resources existed in schools during the first year of the CPS Arts Education Plan, Ingenuity has established the baseline and can now track progress each year. Beginning in the fall of 2014, annual progress reports will publish changes in instructional time, staffing, partnerships, and funding. Doing so will shed light on the progress achieved as well as areas of continued need. In closing, Ingenuity thanks the hundreds of arts champions, instructors, funders, and program providers for their willingness to share their data and, more importantly, for their commitment to act on behalf of the more than 400,000 CPS students. Chicago has made great strides—a city-wide Cultural Plan, the first CPS Arts Education Plan, the arts elevated to a core subject, expanded high school graduation requirements in the arts, a call for increased instructional minutes, and more. But there are countless more steps to be taken before arriving at tangible, sustained success for students in every school. This report sets us on that journey.