MINNESOTA’S COMPREHENSIVE ARTS PLANNING PROGRAM (CAPP)
Perpich Center for Arts Education is proud to announce the 2021- 2023 award recipients for the Comprehensive Arts Planning Program (CAPP): Art and Science Academy, Brooklyn Center Community Schools, Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District, LoveWorks Academy, Minnesota Excellence in Learning Academy, Monticello Public Schools, Russell-Tyler-Ruthon School District, and Zumbro Education District.
Minnesota’s Comprehensive Arts Planning Program (CAPP) provides assistance to selected public school districts as they design three-year, strategic plans for K-12 arts education programs. CAPP provides financial and technical assistance to support the strategic planning process through workshops, site visits, leadership training, and resource materials.
Examples of arts education improvements through CAPP in school districts and communities include:
- Development of leaders in arts education
- New or revised curriculum and assessments in arts areas to meet the Minnesota Arts Standards
- Professional development opportunities for arts and non-arts teachers
- Added arts staffing
- Opportunities for students to work with professional artists
- New or updated arts facilities
- Policies adopted to support arts education
- Stronger school/community collaborations including partnership with arts and community organizations and higher education institutions
comprehensive arts planning program application
Eligibility
The Comprehensive Arts Planning Program (CAPP) is open to all school districts, groups of school districts (paired, combined, or consolidated), and charter schools.
All school districts operating in the State of Minnesota are eligible to apply for CAPP technical and financial assistance ($2,500 per program year per school district) with the exception of school districts that were awarded in the spring of 2019. School districts who were awarded for the 2019-2021 cohort (Bemidji, Columbia Heights, Minneapolis, Pine City, Proctor, South St Paul, St James, and Yellow Medicine East) are not eligible for the 2021-2023 cohort. These school districts will be eligible to apply again for the 2023-2025 cohort. Applicants, if chosen, will need to commit to a 2-year program and create a committee of 6-12 local arts education stakeholders. This program is a district-wide initiative, which MUST include all arts areas currently administered in the district. It is NOT a program for just one school in a district OR just one arts area in a district.
The new cohort selected for the 2021-2023 CAPP program will have their first workshops in August, 2021.
kristi johnson, capp director
kristi.johnson@pcae.k12.mn.us | 763-279-4183
Kristi Johnson has been passionately dedicated to education and the arts for over 20 years. Kristi is a licensed K-12 theater educator, teaching artist, director, and arts administrator. Kristi was Education Director at SteppingStone Theatre for Youth Development for many years, focusing on equity, inclusion, and arts integration. As a teaching artist, Kristi has led hundreds of residencies in K-8 classrooms, most notably at the Honolulu Theater for Youth. Kristi contributed to the Development and Evaluation Guidelines: What to Look For in the Arts. Most recently, she was teaching at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis, helping to restart their theater program.
2019 – 2021 CAPP Sites
- Bemidji Area Schools
- Columbia Heights Public Schools
- Minneapolis Public Schools
- Pine City Public Schools
- Proctor Public Schools
- South St. Paul Public Schools
- St. James Public Schools
- Yellow Medicine East Public Schools
Purpose and History
The Minnesota Comprehensive Arts Planning Program (CAPP) is a State program of the Perpich Center for Arts Education. The purpose of this legislatively-funded program is to support and assist a local district/community planning team in creating a district-wide, three-year strategic plan to address arts education policies, programs and partnerships for students in the district and community. Support and assistance during the two-year State program includes: funds for planning and implementation of the plan, resources, consultation, workshops and regular opportunities to meet with other community teams engaged in the CAPP program.
Since its inception in 1983, over 200 school districts have participated in the CAPP program. CAPP success demonstrates that the effort of a broad-based district/community team is essential to the development of a sound and sustainable plan for arts education.
Program Structure
Initially, the CAPP process involves selecting co-chairs that receive professional development to lead a local CAPP committee. Co-chairs are responsible for identifying “stakeholders”- individuals with an active and wide-ranging interest in the arts and arts education in their school district. This CAPP committee then has the responsibility to create a comprehensive arts education plan acceptable to their district and community.
In year one, the CAPP teams conduct a needs assessment and engage in a strategic planning process to design a district-wide, three-year arts education plan, which is presented to and approved by the school board. In year two, CAPP sites implement the first year of their three-year plan and evaluate their progress. Co-chairs from each local CAPP committee gather three times each year with the Perpich CAPP Director to participate in professional development that builds and supports leading their committee.
