Education Forum Continues at CoSA

Educators and funders who are interested in  are gathering in Coronado through Saturday, partly because of the success shown by local schools in using similar strategies.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson will speak at 2 p.m. Saturday at the CREATE CA. Forum. The meeting kicked off Friday before about 200 people at the .

CREATE stands for “Core Reforms Engaging Arts to Educate.”

In a statement, a spokeswoman for Torlakson described the movement as “a broad-based statewide coalition of agencies and organizations working to reform education to include more arts education as an essential part of learning.”

Torlakson also said he will announce the members of a task force to draft recommendations for shaping more creative schools.

Mayor Casey Tanaka – a history teacher in his day job – spoke, as did Coronado schools Superintendent Jeffrey Felix.

Kris McClung, CoSA's founder, also helped shape the forum, serving on its planning committee. She aided in applying for the grant that allowed Californians to attend the National Endowment for the Arts Education Leadership Institute last May, and it served as an impetus for Create CA.

The district's  – the acronym stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and math –  was praised and cited by those in attendance as a reason for Coronado being chosen as the site.

STEAM, approved one year ago, is meant to foster a connected approach to subjects, with learning applied in true-life situations. Extracurricular activities are encouraged to bolster what is taught in the classroom.

In the opening session, Felix said Coronado's curriculum allows for “teaching 21st century skills and teaching the arts in a meaningful way.” 

Administrators and teachers were not the only ones at the forum – people from private groups that are attempting to shape public education participated too.

They include representatives from the Hewlett Foundation, Grammy Foundation, Herb Albert Foundation and the San Francisco Museum of Art.

With reporting from contributor Gloria Tierney.