DPS Makes Arts Education Accessible to Every Elementary Student
In a move that champions equity and holistic learning, Dayton Public Schools (DPS) has chosen to make arts education accessible to all preschool through sixth-grade students, rather than limiting it to a single arts-focused elementary school.
The idea began as a proposal for one specialized arts elementary, inspired by the district’s own Stivers School for the Arts, which remains its top-performing institution. However, after researching similar programs nationwide, district leaders realized that singling out one school would create inequity among students.
Lisa Minor, the district’s assistant superintendent, explained that “after researching the benefits socially, emotionally and academically, we determined that it would be inequitable to only provide one elementary school out of sixteen with these rich experiences.”
Now, every child in the district will be exposed to the arts, from ballet residencies and opera explorations to brass, strings and woodwinds performances, as well as field trips to the Schuster Center and Masonic Temple.
Partnerships with cultural organizations like Muse Machine, Dayton Contemporary Dance Co., and Aullwood Audubon Farm are already in motion, funded through state and federal grants rather than local tax dollars.
“This collaboration between the district and our performing arts community opens doors for creativity and expression in every classroom,” Minor added.
This initiative affirms a core principle of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: every child has the right to participate fully in cultural and artistic life.
By embedding the arts into the daily lives of all its youngest learners, Dayton Public Schools is not only nurturing creativity, it’s upholding children’s right to expression, and imagination.
