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 September 2013
Celebrating 15 years of Providing Access to Arts and Humanities Learning Opportunities

 

 

                 

Notes from the Executive Director

 

 

   

Louise Kennelly

  

 

DC Collaborative Fall Members' Meeting Focuses on The Role of Cultural Partners in Advancing Literacy

 

Members recently kicked off a new school year of world-class programming by convening for the Fall Members' Meeting at the Corcoran Gallery of Art where they explored issues related to literacy. As schools continue to face a literacy crisis with about  50 percent of students not at proficient levels, members shared ways they are making a significant impact in meeting this challenge.

 

Panelists included Kathy Crutcher with Mark Hecker of Reach, Inc.; Paul Reisler of KidPan Alley; and Rachel Hull, Literacy Professional Learning Designer with DC Public Schools. Jeanette Spencer McCune of the Kennedy Center, facilitated the conversation.

 

"Literacy encompasses more than just words on the page," pointed out Rachel Hull. Now, under the Common Core, it includes mastery of visuals, audio and video, she explained, which opens up opportunities for those offering visual and performing arts programs.

 

When schools tap cultural partners to tackle literacy the result is more engaged, self-directed learners who want to excel and look forward to applying themselves to their learning. "We engage students by first expecting that the students will be excellent composers and produce great songs and they do," explained Paul Reisler.

 

Participants discussed strategies for garnering a more central role rather than being viewed by school administrators and educators as taking away from prioritized instructional time.

 

Mark Hecker, Executive Director, of Reach, Inc., and Kathy Crutcher, consultant, shared a series of student-authored and illustrated books they developed at Reach which is dedicated to developing confident grade-level readers and capable leaders by training teens to teach younger students, creating academic benefit for all involved. Students experience dramatic academic gains relatively quickly: "The idea is to empower the teen; give them the responsibility of another child's learning," explained Mark.

 

Thank you Sarah Durkee, Anne Taylor and Liz Loyd for hosting us at theCorcoran Gallery of Art!

 

 

Support AFES

 

A Future Without Limits Begins 
HERE ...
 
We need your help!  We are looking to raise $20,000 to provide transportation and free tickets to 3,000 students to our member arts and humanities cultural institutions throughout the D.C. Region. A trip to a theater or museum can positively change a student's life forever by enhancing his or her creativity, curiosity, and enthusiasm for learning.  

 

 

 

Please tell everyone you know and ask them to share with everyone they know. Please post our campaign on Facebook and Twitter and your Website. Donate what you can.  Even small amounts will help to touch the lives of D.C. students. 

 

Contribute Today!

AFES Update

 

Arts for Every Student
 
In celebration of Arts in Education Week, the DC Collaborative opened its Arts for Every Student (AFES) and Professional Development (PD) Online Registration on Monday, September 9, 2013. Arts for Every Student had an exciting start with over 11,000 reservations booked and Partnerships in 108 DC schools. 

 

Our Members provided hundreds of world-class arts and humanities learning opportunities that will reach thousands of students and teachers in DC Public Schools and Public Charter Schools.

  

Last year we arranged learning experiences at world-class cultural institutions for 26,000 students from 104 DC public schools and charter schools and we look forward to working together to serve even more students again this school year!

 
    
 

View the Arts for Every Student and Professional Development Catalogues to peruse the learning experiences offered by our members to the students of the district. 

New Member Feature

 

The DC Collaborative is proud to welcome the following organizations to its membership!

 

 

 

The Atlas' mission is to foster the artistic growth of professional and aspiring performing artists throughout the region; to create a new model for collaborative arts management; to establish a unique community-centered venue for training and education in the performing arts and stagecraft; and to energize and sustain the revitalization of H Street, NE and the surrounding community.

 


The Atlas presents innovative, thought-provoking performances, and it provides arts education opportunities for DC's Near Northeast community. Today this neighborhood is known as the Atlas District. The Atlas' restored Art Moderne marquee once again shines over H Street which has become a nightlife destination for eclectic dining, music and the performing arts. View their website.


  The MusicianShip is a non-profit organization that facilitates music lessons, experiences, and opportunities for at-risk youth. The MusicianShip is vetted and approved by DC Public Schools as an official after-school service provider, allowing them to provide free music instruction for students who may not otherwise have such opportunities. They serve a dual role in the community as music educators and mentors, with the goal of using music as a platform for students to achieve in all areas of life. View their Website.

 

 

 

 

The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) is committed to advancing knowledge and understanding of the Native cultures of the Western Hemisphere-past, present, and future-through partnership with Native people and others. The museum works to support the continuance of culture, traditional values, and transitions in contemporary Native life. View their website.

 

DC Collaborative Events

 

 

 

Celebrating our 15 Year Anniversary 
 
Date:  Thursday, October 24, 2013
Time: 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm 
 Location: Embassy of Canada
501 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001 

 

Experience the Arts is a unique event that brings together influential members in the arts and education communities and government relations professionals to celebrate the access of quality arts and humanities education in our nation's Capital. The event is hosted by the Women in Government Relations Education Task Force and the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. Proceeds from the evening will support the continued efforts to foster the arts in education at The Washington Ballet at THEARC and Project Create.

Program Highlights
Performances by students from The Washington Ballet at THEARC and artwork showcased from students in Project Create
 
Award Presentation: The DC Collaborative will present its Spirited Leadership Award for Support of Arts Education to Barbara Harman of the Catalogue for Philanthropy and the Harman Family Foundation

Keynote Speaker:
Septime Webre, Artistic Director, The Washington Ballet
 
Emcee: 
Wendy Rieger, Anchor, News4

  

Purchase Tickets HERE

  

 

Research Corner


Study Links Fieldtrips to an Increase in Students' Critical Thinking Skills Among Other Gains

 

The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform announced the findings from a first-of-its-kind study on Culturally Enriching School Field Trips today.

 

In the largest study of its kind involving 10,912 K-12 students and 489 teachers at 123 schools, results showed:

  • Increase in critical thinking, recall, tolerance, empathy and cultural interest;
  • Increase in future cultural consumption;
  • Educational gains were larger for minority students from high-poverty schools.

 The research presented is the first large-scale randomized-control trial designed to measure what students learn from school tours of an art museum.

  

"This research shows that trips have significant benefits for students, and particularly disadvantaged students. These results should be an important consideration in the assessment and distribution of resources," said researcher Jay P. Green, 21st Century Chair in Education Reform at the University of Arkansas. 

 

"We wondered if visiting an art museum had a transformative effect on students," he added. "Our study demonstrates that it did."

  

The results of the study are be published in Education Next.  

 

 

 

If you missed the live press conference you can view it HERE.

 

For more information on the press conference and the findings of the study click HERE. 

Donate Now! 

 

 Provide the Keys to Wonder

  
Make the DC Collaborative a part of your giving plan this year! Help us bring quality arts and humanities education to all DC public and chartered public schools. Your donation can provide tickets and transportation through the Arts for Every Student program, support teacher registration fees for Professional Development workshops, or provide for support for arts-integrated work with schools as part of the Arts Education Initiative.

 




 
About the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative:
More than 70 members strong, the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative (DC Collaborative) provides equitable access to quality arts and humanities education for all DC public and chartered public schools for the growth of the whole child. Working with its partners, since its founding in 1998, the DC Collaborative produces such exemplary programs as Arts for Every Student and the Arts Education Initiative. View our Member's roster.

For more information on the DC Arts and Humanities 

Education Collaborative, Please visit our website.

If you would like to include something in our next 
member e-news, please email us!
 
DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative
1001 G Street, NW Suite 1000W
Washington, DC 20001
p. (202) 879-9327
f.  (202)393-5705
 
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