While teachers have regular course evaluations, each of Choate’s academic departments reflect upon their curricula, programs, teaching methods, and all other facets of the department in a holistic internal review every ten years. The Arts department has recently completed its one year of internal reflection and welcomed a panel of guest artists and, last week, art faculty from Phillips Exeter Academy, Rutgers University, and other institutions for external review of the department.
The internal review process first began with one year of internal review, in which all faculty assessed the work of the department. “In the year of internal reflection, the department spends time really re-evaluating and thinking about what we do and how we do it,” Ms. Kalya Yannatos, Head of the Arts Department, said. “We’re identifying areas in which we should grow, or change, or think sensitively about. We look at areas in which things are doing great, and areas that have changed that might need further thought.”
The internal review mainly consisted of frequent conversations within the department. According to Ms. Yannatos, equity and inclusion, as well as the general student experience in the arts, were key topics. At the end of the year, the Arts department’s reflections culminated in a 103-page document.
The reflections document was compiled with an extensive list of other documents, including the department handbook, resumes, statements of teaching, and course syllabi, and it was sent to a panel for external review. This panel consisted of
the Head of Arts from Northfield Mount Hermon School, Head of Music from Phillips Exeter Academy, theater faculty from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and others.
The visiting committee’s experience at Choate began with a tour of the campus with Arts Concentration students and Gold Key tour guides Di’anna Bonomolo ’20, Eliana Kim ’20, Yasemin Cobanoglu ’21, and Derek Ng ’20. Then, the Arts department welcomed the guests with a dinner last Sunday.
Ms. Yannatos said, “They’ll arrive here having read a lot about us, and they’ll spend a whirlwind two days with us from Sunday afternoon to Tuesday after lunch. They will observe classes and interact with the arts students, meet with us faculty program by program, discipline by discipline. They’ll also meet with the administration and various constituencies.”
On Monday, the guest panel learned about the upcoming PMAC renovation from Head of School Dr. Alex Curtis and enjoyed lunch with Choate students in the dining hall. Noting the lack of a large, secure space for faculty and student art exhibits in the current PMAC, Ms. Mona Seno, a member of the visual arts department at peer school N.M.H., suggested creating an enclosed gallery. Other common topics discussed were the active student participation in the various arts disciplines at Choate, as well as a rising need for schools to increase diversity in their arts department.
“They reflect as a group on what they’ve seen and what they’ve heard, and then think about some key questions,” Ms. Yannatos continued. “Are we doing what we say we’re doing?
Are we doing it well? Do you see ways that we can improve? Do you see ways we can enhance the student experience? They’ll mull over these questions and write a document with their reflections and suggestions.”
The Arts department will receive the comments and thoughts from the external panel in the spring. The department will read the panel’s report and process its input.
According to Ms. Yannatos, the Arts Department has experienced something of a period of transition in recent years. The review, she said, “came in a moment when we were already challenged by some faculty absences. We have recently hired three people, which is challenging for a department that’s the smallest full-time workforce. We welcome three brand new teachers and we say, ‘We’re midstream in this process of reflection.’ But they can’t really reflect when they haven’t been able to experience much yet.”
Ms. Yannatos compared the present with her memories of joining Choate nine years ago. “When I first came to Choate, most of the faculty in the Arts department had been here for thirty to forty years. Now we have a department that’s really new. It’s a really interesting chapter in the history of the Arts: a time in which we want to honor the legacy of the people who built the foundations for what the department is now but also make space for new growth.” While departmental reviews are not mandated Ms. Yannatos believes it’s their responsibility as educators and administrators to ensure that they have not fallen asleep at the wheel.
