Conejo Valley charter outshines district elementary schools in arts instruction

Ed Nuki knew his son's school was popular. After all, it usually takes a lottery to win a spot in Meadows Arts and Technology Elementary School, a K-5th grade charter school in Thousand Oaks.

But Nuki was surprised when he began talking to a parent with a baby while grabbing breakfast one day in neighboring Westlake Village.

"We sat next to some lady and as soon as she found out about [the school], she literally ... was like, 'How can I get in?!' 

"Literally an infant — I think some people worry a little bit earlier than they need to," he said. "It was pretty funny." 

RELATED: KPCC survey finds few SoCal school districts can afford comprehensive arts instruction

The encounter reflects the high interest in the school, known as MATES. The latest API test scores rates the school at more than 100 points above the state average. Plus, the school's art instruction makes it a rare gem in the area.

The charter school, overseen by the Ventura County Office of Education, is home to the only full-time elementary music teacher within the boundaries of the Conejo Valley Unified School District.

It's a surprising statistic: the lack of arts instruction in low-income communities in Los Angeles has been well-covered, but Thousand Oaks has a median annual household income of about $100,000 a year, according to census figures. 

MATES offers one of the top elementary arts programs in California, based on awards given out by the California Department of Education last year.

The school has a visual arts teacher and a part-time dance teacher, and the arts are integrated into other subjects like science. Plus, all students at the school get instruction twice a week from music director and teacher Frank LaGuardia. 

"Children need to move, children need to sing," LaGuardia said. "It's a big part of their development as a child."

Bridges, another charter school in the area that serves K-8th graders, also offers classes taught by a credentialed art teacher and a music specialist. 

In comparison, Conejo Valley Unified School District operates 17 public elementary schools, none of which have full-time art teachers. 

Jennifer Boone, the director of curriculum, instruction and assessment for the district, said due to limited funds, arts instruction doesn’t get as much money as schools deserve.

"We have a set pot of money and many priorities," she said. "When it comes to things that are assessed, and there's accountability for, more money is placed in those. And the arts are not assessed."

Every elementary school in the district offers some form of arts instruction. Each school, for example, has a band and choir program, according to Boone. Twelve of 17 schools also have instruction in string instruments. All of these music offerings take place during lunch or after school. 

But many of the options in the public schools are taught by parent volunteers or are activities funded by the county arts council. In comparison, MATES uses general funds to pay for cost items like LaGuardia's salary so that the arts are built into the school budget every year. 

Longtime teacher and music education researcher John Benham, who is based in Minnesota where he is semi-retired and works as a professor, said there are repercussions for students when their schools don't offer music in the early years.

Benham, who has worked with about 400 school districts over the years, found that students who aren't exposed to music in their early elementary school years are about 50 percent less likely to participate in band, choir or orchestra when they move on to middle and high school. 

"There are many educational and sociological outcomes that are just great for kids," he said when schools offer music to students who are "actually making music but not studying it. That is to say, they're in the process of singing or playing an instrument."

LaGuardia said he also sees the benefits of starting early with music education in his classes. Young kids, for example, who learn music pick up skills like pitch and rhythm, which researchers have found is linked to better speech processing skills . 

"If they feel successful early on with something, then it lends to wanting to do more," he said. 

There's also the added benefit of working movement into the school day. 

Nine-year-old Jamison Farris said that's what she likes about LaGuardia's class. 

"You don't just sit there and listen, and he doesn't just talk talk talk," Jamison said. "He let's you play."

Outstanding elementary school arts programs

Parents looking for schools with strong arts programs can check out a complete list of  2014 Distinguished Elementary Schools that received awards for having exemplary arts education programs. They include:

• Joaquin Miller Elementary , Burbank Unified 
• R.L. Stevenson Elementary , Burbank Unified 
• KIPP Raices Academy , Los Angeles Unified 
• Overland Avenue Elementary , Los Angeles Unified 
• West Hollywood Elementary , Los Angeles Unified 
• Evergreen Elementary , Walnut Valley Unified 
• Lincoln Elementary , Newport-Mesa Unified
• Newport Coast Elementary , Newport-Mesa Unified 
• Ocean Beach Elementary , San Diego Unified 
• Meadows Arts and Technology Elementary , Ventura County Office of Education