NDEO’s Guest Blog Series features posts written by our members about their experiences in the fields of dance and dance education. We continue this series with a post by Helen Buck-Pavlick, Doctoral Student, The Ohio State University. Guest posts reflect the experiences, opinions, and viewpoints of the author and are printed here with their permission. NDEO does not endorse any business, product, or service mentioned in guest blog posts. If you are interested in learning more about the guest blogger program or submitting an article for consideration, please click here.
Lorain’s K-12 Dance Program as a School Improvement Solution: A New Study
Could dance education support school improvement goals?
Lorain City School District says yes! At the start of the 2022-2023 school year, Lorain City School District (LCSD) created a K-12 dance program as a part of their strategic plan for academic improvement. A new study titled Dance for ALL: Innovative approaches to school improvement, recently published in Arts Education Policy Review, examines how and why LCSD decided on an arts expansion, and particularly a dance program, as a solution to a school improvement issue.
After nearly a decade under state-control, LCSD’s arts programs were eroded as instructional focus prioritized tested subject areas. When the district surveyed students and families about what type of arts instruction they wanted offered, dance was one of the top choices selected. Supported by strategic partnerships, such as with the National Dance Education Organization, the district created the dance program that is now in its third year.
“By offering dance at every school site, LCSD answers the question, ‘who are the arts for?’ with: ALL students” (Buck-Pavlick, 2025, p. 12).
One of the most unique things about LCSD’s dance program was their curricular equality approach. Building a new dance program is a challenging endeavor. It would have been easier for LCSD to start with one school and a limited number of grade levels, but equity (defined as equal opportunity) is a pillar of the district’s strategic plan.
[F]or us, that meant that if we're gonna do an arts expansion, we can’t just do it in one school or one level, but that means that ALL our students need to have equal opportunity. So, that meant, for dance and other arts expansions, that we need to have dance as part of the student experience in all ten of our elementary schools, and all three of our middle schools and high school because our students and families want it in elementary school, middle school, and high school. (R. May, personal correspondence, February 8, 2024, as cited in Buck-Pavlick, 2025, p. 9)
Read the full study and policy recommendations in Arts Education Policy Review: Dance for ALL: Innovative approaches to school improvement.
Spoilers: Lorain City is now out of state control and their dance program continues to grow every year. Watch a performance of Lorain’s Titan Dance Company at the 2024 Cleveland Dance Festival Youth Showcase (All Photo & Video Credit: Black Valve - Evan Prunty)
Special thanks to Kelly Berick, Dance Coordinator at Lorain City Schools for sharing photos and videos from the Lorain dance program for this blog and to The Ohio State University Libraries for covering the Open Access publishing fees through their three-year agreement with Taylor & Francis Group, allowing for the free access and sharing of this research.
Helen Buck-Pavlick (she/her) is a dance educator and researcher with over 20 years of combined experience teaching in K-12, higher education, and the independent sector; and has worked for two different state education agencies. She currently serves on the Policy Board of Directors for NDEO and as the Vice President of the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education. Helen holds an M.F.A. in Dance from Arizona State University, an M.Ed. in Educational Foundations from Northern Arizona University, and is a Ph.D. student studying Educational Policy in the School of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University. She is also a Registered Somatic Dance Educator, 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher, STEAM Certified Educator/Administrator, and holds an Ohio P-12 license in Dance. Helen is passionate about ensuring all students have access to well-rounded, high-quality dance education.
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Photo Credits: Action shots courtesy of Lorain City School District, Helen dance photo by Tracy Whiteside.