POLICY

Data from school reports can be used by schools and policy makers to make decisions about how to improve the creative environment of schools

The Creative Schools Index provides data to inform decisions improve the quality of school’s creative environment.

The Index provides detailed quantitative data

For schools to:

  • Inform professional conversations about how to improve the environment of the school
  • Know their overall Creative Index score and how their scores in each dimension compares with other schools in their area, in their city, nation or across nations.
  • Know how each dimension is scored by ethnicity, gender, age and classroom. (other variables possible and intersection possible)
  • Compare the results for each of the 44 items in the questionairre which tests the environment with other schools in their area, in their city, nation or across nations.
  • Measure any change in their Indexical scores after any school wide initiative.

For policy makers to:

Inform professional conversations on how to improve the education system in their region or nation.

  • Understand how creative their education system is in relation to other systems
  • Identify strengths and weaknesses in the system to implement change based on a rich understanding of the creative environments across the system.
  • Measure any change in the creative environment over time and after any initiatives planned to change school environments.

Tentative findings:

There is a strong relationship between a creative environment, student engagement and motivation

  • There is wide difference between schools in a system and within individual schools
  • The older you are at school, the less creative you find it.
  • The least prevalent creativity dimensions in schools in New Zealand and Australia are play, curiosity and risk taking.
  • Socio economic factors impact on the creative environments of schools
  • Some upper secondary schools are creativity free zones