• The Arts Access Iniative, or AAI, has provided Mitchell with the support we need to help our scholars become well rounded in all areas.
     
    "We know that literacy is the foundation for our scholars.  However, literacy is not limited to just reading and writing but to the creative process that music, art, drama, and photography provides us.  Integrating these activities now help our scholars develop a love of discovery as well as help them become critical thinkers.”

    -Mrs. Castillo-Guajardo

     
     
     

    Arts Access Initiative - a partnership with HISD

     

    Young Audiences of Houston (with funding support from The Houston Endowment) in partnership with Houston Independent School District  and the City of Houston established a Community Arts Team (CAT) committee in 2013 to assess the current landscape of arts education in Houston ISD. The committee consisted of business, philanthropic, civic, education, arts and higher education leaders across the city. Houston recognizes the importance of arts education as a critical component to every child’s development and in leading America’s creative economy. 

     

    The Community Arts Team adopted the vision that all children should have the opportunity to benefit cognitively, creatively, emotionally, and academically through the arts. The committee assessed the current needs within HISD schools and created action steps around bridging any gaps in a sustainable and transformative way, reaching beyond schools into our community to work together in collective action.

     

    On May 18th, Houston Independent School District announced its commitment to the Arts Access Initiative. To learn how Houston Independent School District and the Arts Access Initiative are going to increase arts access to 11 area schools CLICK HERE!

     

    Download Here: 

     

    Summary of Arts Access Initiative 2013 - 2014

     

     

    Interactive Arts Access Map: 

     

    Through the Campus Inventory designed by the Community Arts Team committee, we gathered information on the following components from 209 K - 8 schools in Houston ISD:

    • Sequential Fine Arts Instruction by a full-time, certified fine arts specialist

    • Community Arts Partnerships (in-school or after-school; could include a field trip, an on-campus artist visit or touring performance, a multi-visit on-campus artist residency, or a multi-visit field trip series.) 

    • Arts in Out-of-School Time (could include a class or residency provided by a community arts partner, a club sponsored by a volunteer, etc.)

     

     

    Details about the 2015-2016 Arts Access Initiative Cohort 

     

    For the 2016-2017 school year, the Arts Access Initiative is partnering with the Houston Independent School District to provide targeted professional development experiences.  This PD enables K-8 educators at a small group of pilot campuses to integrate arts meaningfully into subject area instruction.  In addition, the Arts Access Initiative is working with these pilot campuses to provide during-school and after-school arts experiences through diverse partnerships with arts organizations.  

     

    In 2013-2014, Houston ISD joined Young Audiences of Houston, the City of Houston and Houston Arts Partners coalition organizations to establish a Community Arts Team.  The team generated research that demonstrated that arts education positively impacted student achievement and behavior data of students involved.  The research also showed that receiving arts education and live arts experiences from either full-time fine arts specialists, community arts partnerships, or after-school programs was far from the norm district-wide.  Click here for an overview of the Arts Access Initiative.