Arts education programs help struggling schools succeed

Last month, I was fortunate to spend time in three Turnaround Arts schools on Oahu: Kalihi Kai Elementary, Kamaile Academy Public Charter School and Waianae Elementary.

Everywhere I went, I saw evidence of engaged learning — happy and confident children, teachers collaborating, high-quality creative instruction and great leadership. Attendance is up and discipline referrals are down. There is a palpable feeling of joy and — thanks to some of our national strategic practices combined with the effort and love from school staff — a sense of calm and focus across the buildings.

I visit public and charter schools across the country on a regular basis. On this visit, I was blown away as I saw our theory of change in action at Hawaii’s schools.

Turnaround Arts was launched in 2011, as the signature program of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities during former President Barack Obama’s tenure. The idea was to use high-quality arts education as a whole-school reform strategy in some of the nation’s most struggling public and charter schools.

The program is based on the simple, yet powerful idea: All children — no matter if they’re rich or poor, no matter their zip code or race — deserve an education rich with the arts. The thinking was if we went into some of America’s chronically failing schools with high- quality, integrated and standards-based arts education programming, their turnaround would be quicker and more vigorous.

Turnaround Arts began as a pilot of eight schools across the country. By this summer we will be in 75 under-resourced schools. We are excited to have found a new home this year at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Two years ago we expanded the program to Hawaii; it is being administered through the Hawai‘i Arts Alliance whose leadership has been invaluable to the success we are seeing. Office referral counts are dropping, while classroom engagement scores are rising across our three Hawaii schools.

For example, at Kalihi Kai, more than 90 percent of classrooms demonstrated high student engagement during arts integration lessons. At the same time, their school’s office referrals decreased by over 50 percent. Parent participation at Kamaile Academy’s events quadrupled in only two years, advancing its goal of increasing parents’ involvement in their children’s education. Waianae Elementary now ensures that every student is enriched through learning in an artist residency, which was nonexistent before.

As part of Turnaround Arts our schools receive many useful resources: Art supplies from Crayola, musical instruments from the National Association of Music Merchants , the licensing rights to put on school musicals from Music Theatre International, high-quality professional development from brilliant teaching artists and high-profile national artists that each adopt a school.

Hawaii lucked out with some of the most amazing artists in the world: Jack Johnson, Alfre Woodard, Paula Fuga and Jake Shimabukuro. Grammy award-winning songwriter John Cruz has just been added to your roster. What makes this group even more special is that almost all of them were born and raised here and still live in this close-knit community.

Our artists don’t just stop by for a photo op. They come, they stay in touch, they come back. They get down on the floor and inspire our young people to dream big and to make good choices.

My week culminated with an event at the Hawai‘i State Art Museum to honor the hard-working teachers and school leaders who make this program such a success. Shimabukuro brought the house down with the help of fourth- and fifth-graders from the Kalihi Kai Ukulele Warriors. Watching the kids perform left no doubt: Turnaround Arts is igniting positive change in the educational landscape in Hawaii and the future is bright.

Kathy Fletcher is national director for Turnaround Arts.