Journal article
Inspiring Creativity in Urban School Leaders: Lessons From the Performing Arts
International journal of education and the arts, Vol.15(4), ERIC: EJ1039562
02 Sep 2014
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
This paper presents an analysis of how guided engagement with the arts can provide leadership lessons for school leaders and administrators. The study was conducted as part of two projects funded by the School Leadership Program (SLP) grants from the U. S. Department of Education. The principal interns and practicing school leaders participated in arts engagement activities (jazz ensemble, chamber orchestra, and tango dance) facilitated by teaching artists from the Maxine Green Center for Aesthetic Education and Social Imagination. Participants attended experiential workshops with teaching artists, observed the art form and then listened to the process and techniques used by the artists. Data sources for the study included observations, reflective narratives and interviews with participants. These were analyzed using grounded theory methods. The findings indicate that guided engagement with the arts provide lessons to school leaders in the form of interdisciplinary analogies and metaphors. The narratives generated by artists and participants served as a bridge: building connections between leadership and artistic practice. The experience encouraged participants to: gain new perspectives on optimal contexts for learning, develop a nuanced understanding of leadership, move from abstract to concrete understanding of relational constructs, and feel empowered through trying new experiences. Implications of the findings, including translating the lessons into actual practice and the addressing the needs of participants who did not connect with the sessions, are also discussed.
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Details
- Title
- Inspiring Creativity in Urban School Leaders: Lessons From the Performing Arts
- Creators
- Girija Kaimal - Drexel UniversityJon Drescher - Lehigh UniversityHolly Fairbank - Maxine Greene Ctr Aesthet Educ & Social Imaginat, New York, NY USAAdele Gonzaga - Temple UniversityGeorge P. White - Lehigh University
- Publication Details
- International journal of education and the arts, Vol.15(4), ERIC: EJ1039562
- Publisher
- Arizona State Univ
- Number of pages
- 22
- Grant note
- U363A100069; U363A080083 / U.S. Department of Education's School Leadership Program
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Creative Arts Therapies
- Identifiers
- 991019170582604721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Education & Educational Research