The Creative Learning Initiative
The Creative Learning Initiative is an investment in the future of Austin. Our mission is to ensure that every child benefits from the arts and creative learning across core curriculum subjects, during and outside of the school day.
Austin ISD is a lead partner in the Creative Learning Initiative (CLI), a nationally recognized, community-wide partnership among the district, MINDPOP, the City of Austin and more than 100 community arts partners working to transform education in Austin.
Our goals are to:
- Create arts‐rich schools for all students.
- Create a community network that supports and sustains the arts‐rich life of every child.
- Develop leaders and systems that support and sustain quality creative learning for the development of the whole child.
- Demonstrate measurable effects on students, families, schools and our community.
CLI provides a specialized curriculum and professional development for educators, using emergent, culturally responsive, rigorous, and fun Creative Teaching strategies and arts-based activities that support positive social-emotional learning and development. Creative learning ensures that every student is seen, valued, supported, and prepared to reach their full potential.
Why Creative Teaching?
Creative Teaching is a set of flexible, research-based instructional strategies that teachers can use to increase cognitive demand and provide meaningful ways for students to express understanding. In this video, MINDPOP and AISD share why Creative Teaching works.
Creative Learning Initiative Campuses
CLI is being implemented in a phased approach in Austin ISD schools. This allows the district to provide training for hundreds of teachers at multiple schools at a time before the schools transition to their own sustainability plans.
As of 2024-25, CLI is serving 98 Austin ISD campuses, which includes all elementary schools and over 54,000 students districtwide. CLI is currently being implemented in the following families of schools:
- Akins ECHS Vertical Team
- Anderson Vertical Team
- Austin High Vertical Team
- Bowie Vertical Team
- Crockett ECHS Vertical Team
- Eastside Memorial ECHS Vertical Team
- LBJ ECHS Vertical Team
- McCallum Vertical Team
- Navarro ECHS Vertical Team
- Northeast ECHS Vertical Team
- Travis ECHS Vertical Team
Contact Us
Sloan McLain, Coordinator
sloan.mclain@austinisd.org
Lydia Nelson, Assistant Coordinator, Public Relations and Partnerships
lydia.nelson@austinisd.org
Laura Clay, Instructional Coach
laura.clay@austinisd.org
Christy Davis, CLI Associate
christy.davis@austinisd.org