Art Integration as School Culture Change: A Cultural Ecosystem Approach to Faculty Development

While much has been written about arts integration theory, and the various benefits of visual art in the curriculum, the literature is sparse regarding arts integration implementation, and the personal, professional, and school culture barriers to the persistence and dissemination of such interventions. Successful educational interventions are purposefully designed, taking into consideration the culture of the stakeholders, a schoolʹs or districtʹs larger contextual factors, and the sequence and timing of program phases. Bronfenbrennerʹs theory of cultural ecology is employed as a framework to examine the steps involved in the introduction, instantiation, and persistence of an art integration program in an urban school system.