Arts

Aspen Institute and the Turnaround Arts Initiative

April 24, 2012  • Ross Wiener

Yesterday, the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities (PCAH) announced the launch of a new arts education public-private partnership called Turnaround Art to “narrow the achievement gap and increase student engagement through the arts.”

As part of the Turnaround Arts initiative, the Aspen Institute is organizing a three-day workshop this summer for leadership teams from schools participating in the program. Hosted at the Institute’s Wye River campus, the workshop will give the school teams access to teaching artists, leading arts education programs, and education reform experts. Educators from the turnaround schools will learn about best practices, get critical feedback on their action plans, and build a community that will support and sustain the work moving forward. Throughout the workshop, school teams — including the principal, an art teacher, and one other leader from each participating school — will have time to confer with other educators and experts on arts integration, and to translate what they learn into concrete action plans for the 2012-13 school year.

Additionally, the Institute will be hosting a dialogue related to the initiative in June with PCAH Executive Director Rachel Goslings and Chancellor of DC Public Schools Kaya Henderson. One of the first eight “turnaround schools,” is located in Washington, DC.

Read more about Turnaround Arts in this recent New York Times blog.