Paula Abdul, Marc Anthony, Misty Copeland & Edward Norton To Work With Students In High-Needs Brooklyn Schools
Partnership with DOE, NYC Dept of Cultural Affairs, The Fund for Public Schools & President’s Committee on the Arts & the Humanities Supports de Blasio’s commitment to enhancing arts instruction in public schools
BROOKLYN, NY – September 22, 2015 – Turnaround Arts, a program that improves student achievement and increases engagement through arts education, expanded today to four high-needs Brooklyn schools, announced the Co-Chairs of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH), George Stevens Jr. and Margo Lion. PCAH, an advisory committee to the White House, selected New York City to join 26 school districts across the country to implement Turnaround Arts. As part of the program, the schools receive intensive arts education resources and each is paired with a high profile artist mentor. In New York City, the artists are Paula Abdul, Marc Anthony, Misty Copeland and Edward Norton, who will be working with P.S. 165 – Ida Posner, Ebbets Field Middle School, P.S. 284 – Gregory Jackson Community School and East Flatbush Community Research School, respectively.
Research following two-years of program implementation shows that Turnaround Arts schools consistently outperform comparable high-poverty, low-performing schools in reading and math scores, and they show dramatic improvements in disciplinary issues, as well as improvements in attendance.
“As a child, I was lucky to have people who supported my passion for music. For children today, having the opportunity to be creative and integrate the arts into schools can be life changing,” said Marc Anthony. “I look forward to giving NYC students that opportunity by serving as a Turnaround Artist for Ebbets Field.”
“As a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, I am honored to serve Turnaround Arts as it expands into New York,” said Edward Norton. “The arts are an essential asset that all children deserve, especially in New York City – the arts capital of the world!”
“Music, theater, dancing, visual art – the arts are an asset that all children deserve, not only to find their passion, but to engage them in learning,” said Paula Abdul. “As a Turnaround Artist, I hope to inspire my students to succeed and to reach their dreams at P.S. 165.”
“When you work hard and tap into the power of the arts, you can be anything you want to be,” said Misty Copeland. “I hope to inspire my students at P.S. 284 to dream and focus, to have confidence and strength. Isn’t this what we want for all children?”
The NYC Department of Education, Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Fund for Public Schools are serving as the local partners for Turnaround Arts’ initial three year program. Each of the participating schools receives training and materials to address their individual needs. Resources include arts supplies, musical instruments, licenses to perform school musicals, teacher training to integrate the arts into other core subjects such as math and literacy, and partnerships with community arts education and cultural organizations. The program provides federal support to expand on Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration commitment to enhancing arts instruction in struggling public schools. Last school year the NYC DOE announced an additional $23 million commitment to arts in public schools. All four schools selected are also a part of the City’s Renewal School program, which is designed to offer more resources to historically struggling schools. They were competitively selected by program partners according to national guidelines. Selection criteria included demonstrated need and opportunity, strong school leadership with district support, and a commitment to arts education.
“Through the arts, our students learn to think critically about the world around them; develop confidence; and strengthen skills like the importance of revising, editing, and rehearsing. The arts are an essential part of raising student achievement, especially at our historically struggling schools. By partnering with organizations like the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, we are ensuring that students have access to a rigorous arts education that prepares them for success in college and careers and that ignites in them a lifelong passion for the arts. I share the excitement of the students and faculty at all four of these schools, and look forward to seeing the masterpieces these students are able to create,” said New York City School’s Chancellor Carmen Fariña.
“Ever since witnessing the power and potential of the Turnaround Arts model firsthand with Paul King, Executive Director of the DOE arts office, on a visit to the White House last year, I’ve been eager to bring the program to New York City, where arts education is widely embraced as a tool to inspire and engage our students,” said Cultural Affairs Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl. “I applaud everyone who has helped bring Turnaround Arts to these four Brooklyn schools, including the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and our partners at the DOE. I look forward to watching this innovative program inspire the next generation of creative thinkers.”
“Strong arts programs are a critical part of a rigorous and holistic education, and I am so pleased to work with the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities to bring Turnaround Arts to New York City schools. I also want to thank the Cohen Foundation for its generous support of this program, the wonderful principals and teachers who are adopting this exciting approach, and the teaching artists who are investing their time and energy to give back to New York City’s students and families. This is just one more example of what we can do when we engage all New Yorkers as partners in our schools – we enrich our children’s education and our City. I know that our students and these remarkable educators will do wonderful work together, and I look forward to seeing what they create,” said Iris Chen, Executive Director of the Fund for Public Schools.
In May 2012 the President’s Committee, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education and the White House Domestic Policy Council, launched Turnaround Arts as a pilot program in eight “turnaround schools” across the country—public schools in the lowest-achieving five percent of their state that were receiving School Improvement Grants through the U.S. Department of Education. Over the last three years, Turnaround Arts has brought intensive arts education resources and expertise into 49 schools that were among the lowest performing five percent of schools in their state, and it worked with school leadership to incorporate the arts as part of their reform strategy. Research evaluation results show that participating schools are demonstrating improved academic performance, increased student and parent engagement, and improved culture and climate. On average Turnaround Arts schools showed a 23% improvement in math proficiency and a 13% increase in reading proficiency over three years, as well as showing reductions of up to 86% in student disciplinary issues and sharply increased attendance. (http://1.usa.gov/1J00lrX)
“Turnaround Arts has a proven track record of success, now benefiting more than 22,000 students at high-need schools in almost 50 schools across the U.S.,” said PCAH Vice-Chair and President of Spelman College, Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D. “We are proud to launch our newest chapter in Brooklyn today, continuing to demonstrate the power that a high-quality arts education has on shaping the futures of children in struggling schools.”
Turnaround Arts is funded through a $5 million public-private national partnership, which includes the U.S. Department of Education, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ford Foundation, the Herb Alpert Foundation, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, the Rosenthal Family Foundation, the Keith Haring Foundation, Crayola LLC, the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation, Music Theatre International, and the Laird Norton Family Foundation. New national partners to the program include the AOL Charitable Foundation, Little Kids Rock, Wolf Trap Foundation, and JCPenney Cares. The program is administered in partnership with Americans for the Arts. The program leverages approximately $10 million in local funds over the same period. The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation provided additional funding to bring the program to New York City. Turnaround Arts schools represent elementary and middle schools from across the country and encompass a diversity of student demographics in urban and rural settings.
About the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Created in 1982 under President Reagan, the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) is an advisory committee to the White House on cultural issues. The PCAH works directly with the three primary cultural agencies—National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services—as well as other federal partners and the private sector, to address policy questions in the arts and humanities, to initiate and support key programs in those disciplines and to recognize excellence in the field. Its core areas of focus are education, cultural exchange, and creative economy. Under the leadership of the First Lady, its Honorary Chairman, and through the efforts of its federal and private members, the President’s Committee has compiled an impressive legacy over its tenure, conducting major research and policy analysis, and catalyzing important federal cultural programs, both domestic and international. For more information, please visit www.pcah.gov.
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