Dance for ALL: innovative approaches to school improvement

In 2022, Lorain City School District created and implemented a K-12 dance program as a part of its strategic plan for school improvement. This case study examined the actors involved; motivations, background, and context; and how equity was understood and applied to the strategic plan to determine how and why a dance program was leveraged as part of a school improvement problem. Findings from interviews, analysis of relevant documents, and district dance teacher survey responses are presented alongside policy implications and recommendations. Emerging themes include framing the arts expansion as both a lever for improving student outcomes and competing in a market educational system, enacting equity through curriculum and instruction, strategic planning and intentional implementation, and cultivating strategic partnerships with students, families, and content experts. These emerging themes contributed to successfully positioning an arts expansion as a solution to a school improvement issue. Additionally, the district’s curricular equity approach (offering dance at every school site) rather than through a specialized school model was unique and warrants further study.