The mission of the Chicago Public Schools Office of Arts Education is to provide more students with access to a quality arts education and meaningful arts experiences inside and outside the classroom. We are a resource for teachers, principals and arts organizations on arts curricula and discipline-based learning strategies, arts integration, professional development for teachers and principals, arts partnerships and arts teaching credentials. We are also passionate advocates of greater funding in arts education.

While the staff advises and manages special projects and city-wide exhibitions, competitions and adjudications, its core work is to direct and produce a “Chicago Guide for Teaching and Learning in the Arts,” a PreK-12 curricular map of the major arts disciplines that will allow schools and partnering arts organizations the opportunity to align their programs with standards applicable throughout the system as a measure of success. With the goal of providing a hub of communication for the CPS arts education community, the Office of Arts Education is also developing a user-friendly website with a searchable arts information database.