Welcome to our new Blog… Creating Solutions Together!

The main goals for this site are to:

• Motivate our community to advocate for systemic change;
• Share concrete examples of positive change at district level through arts integration; and
• Connect our school-based work with broader regional, state and national movements.

The launch of our new online space is supports the Save Our Schools (SOS) Conference and March on Washington DC which kicks off this Thursday. I am thrilled to participate on a panel with Dr. Mary Stone Hanley on the role of arts integration and social justice in education. An amazing crowd is expected. The conference has reached full capacity of 400 participants. Keynote and workshop presenters include Jonathan Kozol, Diane Ravitch and Deborah Meier.


At the conference, I’ll be speaking about our work in Alameda County to create equitable, high achieving, and culturally responsive classrooms through arts integration. I am excited to present how educators have developed expertise in the arts to successfully engage students, re-ignite the joy of teaching and learning, and to offer students’ own unique vision of a future that is good for everyone.


The SOS Conference is a perfect opportunity to share our successes and connect with a national movement of educators united for change -- to speak up for what we know works in education, hear stories of successful activism, and access strategies to use at home.

Throughout the week the Creating Solutions Blog will present posts related to themes of the conference, including: Curriculum/ Integrated learning; assessment; family involvement; high-stakes testing; teacher training; and arts & activism. I’ll be joined by Alameda County Superintendent Sheila Jordan and Pam Bachilla of K Street Consulting, and Amina Luqman-Dawson from Justice Matters. We’ll also have a number of special guest bloggers chiming in.

We want to hear from you. Share your examples of what’s working to transform schools. This is not just about the arts, but how to work together to develop ongoing collegial support for strong professional practice that best supports student development. It will be an exciting week of growth and dialogue. I invite you to participate. Subscribe and Share!

A new post will be up every day!

- Louise