Wilson Arts Integration School

Mission – To use fine arts to teach academic skills to a diverse population through creative thinking and problem-solving activities, producing lifelong learners and productive members of society.

Wilson Elementary is an Arts Integration specialty school in the Oklahoma City School District. Wilson, located at 2215 N. Walker, teaches children from Pre-Kindergarten through Fifth Grade. Enrollment is more than 300 students. Wilson has specialty classes in visual arts, vocal and instrumental music, drama, physical education and rhythm and movement. Special classes are also provided for gifted students.

Wilson Elementary School opened in the fall of 1919 and has continued to serve the children of the surrounding neighborhoods including Heritage Hills, Heritage Hills East, and Mesta Park.
The school’s attendance boundaries are approximately N.W. 23rd Street south to Interstate 40 and Western Avenue east to Lincoln Boulevard. About 40 percent of Wilson’s students transfer from other areas of the district including Lincoln Terrace, Gatewood, Edgemere, Putnam Heights, and Crown Heights.
Many Wilson graduates are selected to attend specialty schools in the Oklahoma City School District including Classen School of Advanced Studies, Northeast Academy for Health Sciences and Engineering, Belle Isle Enterprise, ASTEC (Aerospace, Science and Technology Education Center), and Dove Science Academy.

Core Knowledge

(1996) Wilson Elementary is one of the first Oklahoma City schools to begin using Core Knowledge curriculum.
(1997) Wilson is designated an Official Core Knowledge School.
The Core Knowledge Sequence provides a detailed outline of specific knowledge to be taught in grades K-8 in Language Arts, American and World History, Geography, Visual Arts, Music, Math, and Science. Core Knowledge helps children establish strong foundations of knowledge, grade by grade.

Arts Integration Program Description

Five Art Specialty Areas of Instruction include: Visual Art, Vocal Music, Instrumental Music, Drama, and Rhythm and Movement.
Wilson Teachers have received over 100 hours of professional development through the Kennedy Center in order to integrate the arts into each core subject they teach such as reading, math, and science.
The arts specialists and classroom teachers work together as a team to integrate the arts and required classroom skills. For example, a second grade language arts objective where the student is being taught antonyms is also taught in the specialty classes, including visual arts (light/dark), drama (happy/sad), music (loud/soft), rhythm and movement (fast/slow), and physical education (high/low).
Students receive 360 minutes of instruction from arts specialists every week.
School day lengthened by 150 minutes per week to accommodate additional instruction.
Students are able to participate in special classes and activities such as Honors Art, Honors Choir, Honors Drama, Honors Strings and Honors Orffestra. Wilson students perform throughout the metro area and have received top awards in art shows and vocal music competitions.

AArts Integration Impact on Performance

In the program’s first five years, Wilson’s ITBS scores increased 29%, placing them in Oklahoma City’s top ten public elementary schools.
The Wilson teachers believe that an Arts Education:
Improves critical thinking, problem posing, problem-solving and decision-making.
Strengthens communication skills, interpretation and understanding of complex symbols.
Fosters higher-order thinking skills or analysis, synthesis and evaluation.
Addresses multiple intelligences and fosters different ways of learning.
Develops imagination, creativity and judgment.
Provides academic rigor and enhances school climate.
Builds students’ understanding of the importance of the arts in improving the
quality of life.

Arts Integration History

(1997-98) Wilson is selected by the Oklahoma City Public School District to be a pilot school in arts integration.
(1997-98) Wilson staff visit other successful arts integration schools in South Carolina, Maine and Indiana to gather information to create an arts integration school in Oklahoma City.
(1998-99) Oklahoma City Public School District designates Wilson Elementary the state’s first specialty school in arts integration.
(1998-99) Wilson is selected to be a partner school with the Partners in Education program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C., and BLAC, Inc. (Black Liberated Arts Center), Oklahoma City, for professional development of teachers in arts integration.

Mission

Programs of Study, Core Knowledge and Impact on Performance