Eight academically troubled public schools across the nation will get a dose of arts education support to help them turn around—not to mention access to a little star power from the likes of Yo-Yo Ma and Sarah Jessica Parker—under a new public-private partnership announced by a White House advisory panel.
The effort aims not only to assist the struggling schools but also to serve as a test bed for the idea that high-quality, integrated arts education can play a valuable role in motivating students, enhancing school climate, and improving academic achievement across disciplines.
The public elementary and middle schools selected, from Boston and New Orleans to Lame Deer, Mont., and Portland Ore., are among the lowest-achieving 5 percent in their respective states. They are already recipients of grant support under the federal School Improvement Grants program.
The so-called Turnaround Arts initiative is the brainchild of the presidential panel and was developed in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education and the White House Domestic Policy Council.
