Share Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Google Plus Email Ensuring the Arts for Any Given Child About this Initiative Year Started: 2009 Social issue: Arts and Culture, Education and Youth Initiative stage: Implementing and Sustaining Impact Location: District of Columbia, District of Columbia, United States of America (the), United States Initiative Purpose and Goals: The primary goal of the Kennedy Center's Ensuring the Arts for Any Given Child program is to assist communities throughout the U.S. in developing and implementing a strategic plan for expanded arts education for kindergarten through 8th grade students, ensuring equity and access for all. Initiative website: http://www.kennedy-center.org/education/anygivenchild Collective Impact Elements in Place Common Agenda Continuous Communication Shared Measurement Backbone Support Mutually Reinforcing Activities Backbone Support Organizations serving in the Backbone Role The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts serves as the backbone for this national network of cities; however, each of the cities has identified a local backbone organization. Backbone structure Of the current 20 sites (as of 2015-16), two are separate organizations, 5 are at local arts councils, 9 are at higher education organizations or arts organizations, 1 is situated with a philanthropic organization, and three are within school district offices. Measures of Success Each community utilizes a Mapping Tool completed by every middle and elementary school principal which collects information about minutes of instruction per year in all 5 art forms recognized by the US Department of Education and the percentage of students in each grade Pre-K through 8, who receive that instruction. Each community also issues a survey to both arts and classroom teachers to collect information about attitudes toward arts education; and they issue another survey to arts organizations staffs and to teaching artists to gather information about their attitudes towards arts education, the resources they contribute to arts education, which schools they work with, and their budgets for arts education. Each community also prepares an Action Plan and shares an Annual Report on their progress annually. Initiative Activities and Milestones Activities Each site runs their own CI projects and has their own goals. However, as the national backbone, the Kennedy Center provides an Annual Exchange Meeting for all sites to gather and exchange information and strategies, tools and resources. The Kennedy Center also holds quarterly conference calls for site liaisons, and provides free teacher workshops and artist training to sites in the first four years of participation. Milestones The following 7 outcomes have been identified by the Any Given Child sites: --Increased student access to the arts in education during the school day --A foundation of robust data about where arts education resources exist for students (sometimes this is the first time a school district has had the full picture). --A shared community vision which has served as a call to action --A true collective impact with many sectors gathering to address equity in arts education --Increased capacity in teachers, artists and arts organizations to provide arts education (provided through systematic professional learning.) --Improved ability by the community to leverage resources as a collective --A growing national network of communities commited to Any Given Child and the arts for all students Community Engagement and Advancing Equity Community Engagement Activities Participation in committee work; participation in arts classes; participation in professional learning for all adults who deliver arts education instruction. Regular communication through the work of a communications committee to keep the community informed. Activities to Advance Equity Data is collected regularly to determine which students, grades, and school buildings have access to each of the 5 art forms (and including the percentage of students affected and how many minutes of instruction is provided per year). Data is also collected on which students attend performances/exhibits in the arts each year and which art forms and arts organizations are represented. Each site updates their action plan each year to address issues of inequity. Initiative Partners and Governance Contributing organizations Nationally, the Newman's Own Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the U.S. Department of Education. Sectors Engaged Nonprofit Philanthropic Funders Public Sector Business Sector Broader Community/People with Lived Experience Initiative governance Three governing partners: (Mayor's office, Superintendent of Schools, and a lead arts agency). A backbone organization with a Kennedy Center Liaison position. There is typically an advisory committee made up of committee chairs. There are typcially four or five working committees covering topics of fundraising, programming, communications, etc. Discussions
