The ACT schools project is made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support provided through a major grant from The Boeing Company.

The ACT Schools Project goals are to :

• Continue to strengthen principal leadership in support of arts education
• Develop successive cohorts of teachers trained in the summer Institute each year who are able to incorporate the study of an anchor work as well as arts strategies, content and skills in their curriculum and instruction
• Provide ongoing teacher-artist partnership support throughout the school year for the teachers who have attended Institutes during the past three years.
• Project Timeline

The ACT SchoolsI Project is a multi-faceted program with the following components

• Institute
• Professional Development Workshops
• Classroom Partnerships
• Principals Meetings
• Reconvenings

List of Participating Schools

Birdielee V. Bright Elementary, Los Angeles USD, Local District 7
Colfax Elementary, Los Angeles USD, Local District 2
Bret Harte Elementary, Burbank USD
Charles Helmers Elementary, Saugus USD
Thomas Jefferson Elementary, Burbank USD
D.D. Johnston Elementary, Norwalk La-Mirada USD
Multicultural Learning Center, Certified Charter

1. The selected schools will have the opportunity to focus time and attention on arts education.

2. Each year, a cohort of four to five teachers per school benefit from participation in the Institute, developing new skills to create curriculum units (link to planning projects) linked to an anchor work (link to anchor work definition) of art.

3. Each school principal gains from participation in the Music Center summer Institute for Educators, quarterly leadership seminars with other principals, and advice and recommendations on future planning for arts education.

4. Schools initially participated in a suite of arts experiences including ongoing professional development for teachers and in-school services such as student workshops, residencies and performances - all designed to increase educators' ability and comfort in leading arts instruction.

5. Schools currently host a series of 5 to 16 artist visits in which teacher and artist partners co-plan, model, co-teach, observe, provide feedback about teachers' anchor work lessons, and give 'tips' about guiding arts exploration, creative tasks, student reflection and assessment.

6. The principal and core teachers profit from the opportunity to build relationships and share with colleagues from the other participating schools.