UPDATED MARCH 10, 2005 Contacts: 510.465.8770 voice 510.465.0772 fax Arlene Shmaeff, Director, Professional Development (ext 304)   ASCEND Address: 3709 East 12th Street Oakland, CA 94601 (near Fruitvale Bart) Links:   ASCEND in the news   Bay Area Coalition of Equitable Schools

the arts as learning collaborative AT ASCEND SCHOOL With a generous demonstration grant from the California Arts Council, the Museum of Children's Art, in collaboration with several other agencies and institutions, helped build the system by which the arts are delivered within a new small autonomous school in the Oakland Unified School District. "New" means the school offers an identifiably new context for teaching and learning. "Small" means school enrollment will be between 150 and 500 students. "Autonomous" means the school has control over the curriculum, instruction and assessment decisions, consistent with California State and District standards ASCEND School is a new, small autonomous school located in the Fruitvale Neighborhood of Oakland. ASCEND opened in September 2001 with 8 classes in grades K, 2, 4, and 6. In 2002 ASCEND expanded to 250 students in 10 classes, 2 each in grades 1, 3, 5, 6, and 7. In the coming years, the school will be at capacity serving 380 students with 2 classes in each grade, Kindergarten through the 8th grade. the beginning The Arts As Learning Collaborative (ALC) comprised of artists and administrators from the Museum of Children's Art (MOCHA), the Oakland Youth Chorus (OYC), and the Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE). The ALC teamed with the staff at ASCEND to support the school's goal of having the arts central to the ongoing practice of teaching and learning. Collaborative partners worked with ASCEND to support a method of learning at ASCEND that is inclusive of the arts and demonstrative of the role the arts play in powerful teaching and learning. Support from the California Arts Council's demonstration program helped build the system by which the arts are delivered within the school, as well as build the capacity of the school to sustain this system. In its first year as a demonstration project the Arts As Learning Collaborative brought the arts into the classrooms to make the arts integral to ASCEND's core curriculum and basic education. Project activities included: applying the arts in project based teaching and learning, establishing artist/teacher partnerships to collaborate in the classrooms, coordinating curriculum with the school's studio arts teacher, coaching and professional development on the role of the arts in learning, facilitating artists and teachers in a process of reflection and inquiry documenting arts learning through exhibitions and performances which also served as visibility events to the school community and professional educators and arts teaching communities. By collaborating in a true partnership we have seen significant changes in how teachers are teaching, and a cadre of teachers at ASCEND no longer think it is possible to teach without using the arts. The hallways of ASCEND are filled with displays of social studies, language arts, and science expeditions expressed through student portraits, mural designs, cave paintings, paper mache sculptures and puppets, and more. Students at ASCEND take pride in their work, are excited about learning, and are focused and engaged. Students at ASCEND are happy, motivated, and completely engaged in learning.   where are we now Today, MOCHA provides ASCEND with an Arts Integration Coordinator to work with teachers in integrating and teaching the arts in the classroom. The Arts Integration Coordinator provides weekly scheduled instruction in skills and concepts of visual arts through curriculum planning, program assessment and in-class team-teaching. A MOCHA Arts Educator also provides a year long residency during the school day.   In 2004, MOCHA collaborated with Oakland Leaf Foundation, a nonprofit founded by ASCEND educators to provide afterschool programs to ASCEND youth. By integrating violence prevention, literacy and the arts, Oakland Leaf created an after-school program emphasizing the creation of strong, trusting relationships between after-school educators and students, intensive academic support and intervention, project-based art courses and a variety of athletics and other enrichment programs. Today, the ASCEND afterschool program serves 130 students daily.   Partners Ascend Alameda County Office of Education Oakland Leaf Foundation Oakland Youth Chorus Funders