#ArtsAndHumanitiesForEveryStudent

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Any Given Child DC Blog Series: Ensuring the Arts for Any Given Child, DC

The DC Collaborative is pleased to announce that the DC Community is named the 25th Any Given Child City

A huge thank you to The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, DC Public Schools and our members for joining us for the Any Given Child Washington, D.C. announcement today. In our 20th year, the DC Collaborative is thrilled to be the backbone support organization for Ensuring the Arts for Any Given Child DC, the 25th city to be named through the program.

Any Given Child Washington, D.C. will expand the DC Collaborative members and education leaders to work optimally with all public and private stakeholders. Our Collaborative work, Our Collaborative Effect, remains a truly collective project from planning to implementation. We are a culture capital. We collectively put our world-class cultural amenities to best use for DC students and look forward to creating a plan that will be inclusive and vital. Full of arts and humanities learning in every ward and a key component of the District's strategic educational and cultural planning! We are thankful to our students and educators for motivating and inspiring us to do better for them. We thank The Kennedy Center and DC Public Schools for its continued support of the DC Collaborative. Thank you for being a key local community initiative stakeholder and for nationally recognizing the District of Columbia as the 25th Any Given Child community during the DC Collaborative's 20th year of service. 

Photo Credit: Yassine El Mansouri for The Kennedy Center

Gratitude to the Presenters:

Antwan Wilson, Chancellor, DC Public Schools

Deborah Rutter, President, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Mario Rossero, Senior Vice President, Education, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Jeanette McCune, Director, School and Community Programs, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Arthur Espinoza, Executive Director, DC Commission on the arts and Humanities

Lissa Rosenthal-Yoffe,ExecutiveDirector, DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative

Linda Harper, President, DC Collaborative Board of Directors

Maria Tukeva, Principal, Columbia Heights Education Campus

Special thanks to our talented DCPS Students for performing this morning:

CHEC Latin Jazz Ensemble

David Onley, Director; Ivan Navas, Assistant Director

"El Final Del Verano" - Armando Rivera

Moten Melodics

Allyson Chamberlaine, Director

"Disney's Little Mermaid Jr" -Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Howard AshmanandGlenn Slater:

"Part of Your World" Soloist- Paige Douglas

"Under the Sea" Led by Corrin Harris

Thank you to to our host, CHEC and our friends at DCPS:

Principal Maria Tukeva

Nathan Diamond

Pankaj Rayamajhi

William Gallion

David Onley

Allyson Chamberlaine

Gratitude to our Members for supporting and taking part in our Community's Collective Impact work!

View The Kennedy Center’s Press Release

Want to get involved? Join the Collective Impact Committee!

Quick Links:

DC Collaborative

DC Collaborative Members

Join the Collective Impact Committee!

The Kennedy Center

Press Release

Photos from the Announcement on 9/29/17:

Photo Credits: "Yassine El Mansouri for The Kennedy Center"

CHEC Latin Jazz Ensemble and Director, David Onley

CHEC Latin Jazz Ensemble

Moten Melodics and Director, Allyson Chamberlaine

Moten Melodics and Director, Allyson Chamberlaine

Antwan Wilson, Chancellor, DC Public Schools

Deborah Rutter, President, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Antwan Wilson, Chancellor, DC Public Schools

Lissa Rosenthal-Yoffe, Executive Director, DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative

Arthur Espinoza, Executive Director, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities

Principal Maria Tukeva, Columbia Heights Education Campus, DC Public Schools

Jeanette McCune, Director of School and Community Programs, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

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DC Collaborative Launches its Distance Learning Resource Database

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

The DC Collaborative and its partners launch the DC Collaborative Distance Learning Resource Database!

Quick Links:

DC Collaborative Distance Learning Resource Database

DC Collaborative Website

DC Collaborative COVID-19 Resource and Updates Center

The DC Collaborative would like to extend well wishes to educators, students and parents/ caregivers as the first day of DCPS Distance Learning begins. Though these times are not normal, we are contacting you with hope and optimism that you will experience joy at home with your loved ones. 

As it is necessary for teachers to educate their students remotely and for parents/ caregivers to homeschool their children, the DC Collaborative and the greater arts and humanities education community of practice are here to assist! The DC Collaborative has rapidly responded in creating the following resource for our entire community, including students and educators in both the DC Public School and Public Charter School communities.

The DC Collaborative along with its organization and practitioner members as well as the DCPS Central Office Arts Team have compiled an online Distance Learning Resource Database, a list of online and downloadable arts and humanities education resources from our members. We already have more than 60 responses from our cultural institutions and practitioner/ teaching artist members!  These resources encompass curricular guides, virtual field trips, and other educational activities to enhance students' at-home learning experiences.

View the Database!

Equity/ Access

We are increasingly concerned about student equity and our continued digital divide, especially during our current crisis. We recognize that not all families have access to technology and the Internet, and we are working on creating equitable solutions to provide our most marginalized students with resources. For now, please include downloadable materials so schools can, if possible, distribute the resources to students who do not have online access. We are inspired by our community coming together to ensure that students still have access to the arts and humanities learning experiences, even in a time of a health crisis. The creative community looks to uplift and enrich the residents of our District, even in a time of "social distancing" and look forward to sharing our collective resources and having our institutions open once again to serve you.

Get Involved! 

Calling All Educators, Students, Parents/ Caregivers, Cultural Institutions and Practitioners/ Teaching Artists

We encourage teachers students and parents to utilize the database in their learning and for more members of the cultural community to participate!

Educators, Students, Parents/ Caregivers

View the Database! Peruse the online resources broken down by visual arts, performing arts and humanities and grade level. Each resource includes a description, the appropriate grade levels, curricular connections/ learning standards, and if the resource is printable/ downloadable.

Wish something else was included in the DC Collaborative's Distance Learning Resource Database? Fill out this survey OR email Clarissa Heartsfield, Manager of School Partnerships (Clarissa@DCCollaborative.org), to share what you would like to see included.

Complete the Survey!

Cultural Institutions and Practitioners/ Teaching Artists

Needs Assessment! We would like to hear from you regarding how COVID-19 has impacted the education programming at your organizations so far. We've been called upon by funders, public education system and DC government and other key community stakeholders to share the needs of the greater arts and humanities education community of practice. Fill out needs assessment survey here by C.O.B. Friday, March 27.

Complete the Survey! We are still collecting Distance Learning Resources! Together, let's help our schools provide digital and printable learning opportunities from our arts and humanities organizations. Submit your resources here OR reach out to Trés McMichael, Education Programs Manager (Tres@DCCollaborative.org), to brainstorm resources for inclusion in the database.

Submit Your Distance Learning Resources Here

Questions/ Suggestions?

Contact Tres McMichael, DC Collaborative Education Programs Manager- tres@DCCollaborative.org!

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Meet Trés McMichael!

Introducing (drumroll please) Trés McMichael! 

Trés is our new Education Programs Manager here at DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative. To give him a warm welcome and introduction to you all we sat down with our awesome new co-worker for a get-to-know-you interview. Enjoy!

Where are you from?

I’m from Baltimore, Maryland specifically Pikesville which is like a suburb in Baltimore county. I’ve lived there my entire life and basically, my whole family lives in Baltimore and has lived there for several generations.

What’s your background? 

I went to Elon University which is in North Carolina. I studied arts administration and musical theater and then I also studied African American Studies and Leadership Studies and business administration. So kind of like everything at the same time. I’m really interested in the arts, I’ve been performing for my entire life. But also have a deep passion for arts education and arts advocacy and arts equity as well.  

What are you most excited about working for DC Collab?

I think I’m most excited about just the scope of what the organization does. I think it offers so much to DC Public schools and without the Collaborative, a lot of schools would not have the opportunities that they need to go on arts field trips and have arts access because a lot of schools in DC don’t necessarily have consistent art programming or teachers. So without the Collaborative, a lot of students wouldn’t be having those opportunities and so I’m excited to be apart of that and to continue to allow public school students especially to have exposure to the arts and humanities. I grew up in public school. I went to a title 1 elementary school so I know how the arts have impacted my life and the lives of so many of my friends. To be able to continue to give that to someone else the way that someone did it for me is really inspiring for me.  

Who inspires you?

That’s such a hard question. There are so many people who inspire me. I think my family...I’m not going to say a person I’m going to say a lineage. So I think my family inspires me just to see how far we’ve come along. I come from a very quirky, interesting, weird,  fun, serious family. I think that I’m inspired by how much my family has been able to contribute to so many communities throughout history and throughout the country and in very different mediums. So, you know, my grandparents, they owned a bus company and they contributed to their community that way by giving people in the community opportunities to travel across the country. My mom owns a nurse staffing agency and so she works with different people in their homes to make sure that, you know, they have health care and that they have the proper needs. My sister makes jewelry and she helps people in that way. My great grandmother, she helped integrate a Catholic church and my family started going to that church. And so I think for me it’s like I’m inspired by my family’s almost relentless need to serve whatever community that they’re living in, in some way and capacity. And so for me, it’s like finding what way am I able to now serve my community and in what capacity can I do that. And so I’m inspired by that to be a part of a lineage of service to people who need it and to want and desire to do that service. 

What is your favorite thing to do when you aren’t working? 

I enjoy rock climbing. I used to work at a rock climbing gym actually in Baltimore, it was a lot of fun. I also really love kayaking. Recently, I’ve gotten into going out and dancing by myself. I like to go on Facebook to the events page and see what’s happening around town on any given day even if it’s like a random Tuesday and maybe there will be a live band. I just moved to DC so I don’t have a ton of friends yet so I’ll go out by myself and go listen to this live band and just go dancing by myself. I love music, all types of music. I love classical music, I love jazz, I love LOVE funk music! I love pop, I love RnB, soul, I love broadway, obviously. So just like listening to different types of music, seeing how it moves me, seeing how my body moves to it, I’m really into that. And finding new vegetarian restaurants in DC is interesting.  

Do you have any pets? 

So, I actually have a lot of interesting pets. I grew up in a family where we were really into like exotic aquatic pets. And so growing up we had just the strangest things; stingrays, eels, seahorses, pufferfish, lionfish, catfish, Albino frogs...what else have we had..sea urchins, sea anemones. Yeah, we had like the Nemos and the Dorys. It’s not like your average “cat-dog-type-house”. It’s literally kind of like an aquarium in there. And then we did have a dog, CoCo, who was just like a Yorkie, but ya know CoCo cannot compare to the stingray in our living room. 

Why are you an Arts and Humanities Education Advocate?

I think the arts allow us to see humanity in a way that we just can’t see it walking down the street. And so I think the arts has a way of touching into all of our senses the emotional, the physical, the spiritual and how all of that is so much a part of our education as well. It should be valued as a part of our education. I think that everyone should have access to feeling all of those senses and to feeling humanity on a different level. And I think that the arts provide that. 

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life what would it be?

Spicy Ramen, Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Apple Juice. My go-to meal is ramen, a really good chocolate chip cookie...or a honey bun, and I really like apple juice but I’ve also been getting into seltzer water. And so any combination of that will bring joy. 

What is a topic you wish you knew more about?

Okay, so my dad and my brother both work in computers. So like my dad, he works for Boeing Intelligence and Analytics and my brother is an engineer for Microsoft, and I don’t know anything about computers. It’s actually pretty embarrassing because both of them know like everything and anything that can be with a computer and I still have trouble turning it on sometimes or figuring out where to plug in the keyboard. So if I had to know anything it would be more about just technology in general and how it works so that I can step my game up.

If you could change one thing in the world what would it be?

Oh, that’s a big one. That’s a big question. There are so many things I’d want to change. Let’s just start over! 

I’d want everyone in the world to know or not have any reservations about the fact that they have a purpose. A lot of people go through the world and don’t feel like they have a sense of purpose or a sense of being. And I would want them to know that they do. I think if everyone knew that they had a purpose and knew what that purpose was we’d all be on the right track, and wouldn’t be trying to do or be someone else who we aren’t. 

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Thank You Volunteers!

Thank you to Whole Foods Market, our Volunteers, Shoppers, and anyone who helped spread the word about the 5% Community Giving Program benefitting Arts and Humanities for Every Student field-trips for more students! #Gratitude-- We are so appreciative of all of the support from our community and the opportunity that Whole Foods Market afforded the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative with our 5% Day for equitable access to the arts and humanities for DC students. 

Volunteers- We could not have done this without you. Thank you for encouraging people to shop and support the #ArtsAndHumanitiesForEveryStudent program. More students are going to go on more field-trips this year and that is all because of you!

We got to meet and personally thank hundreds of shoppers, parents, teachers, media, donors and community stakeholders for supporting our mission. Thousands more who just learned about our work for the first time thanks to our friends at each of DC's Whole Foods Markets. 

We had an incredible outpouring of support from our staff, current and former board members, interns, members and educators-- volunteers who stood with us at each of the 4 DC Whole Foods Market stores getting to share the work they do and love on behalf of DC students. Thank you to each of you who helped, whether inviting and socializing the event through your work and social networks, greeting shopping, organizing a happy hour or just buying your groceries!

News4's Aaron Gilchrist, the "Theatre Kid" helped raise awareness about our work on NBC Washington, our friends at The Georgetowner taught us how to use Boomerang, and I got to welcome National Symphony Orchestra Maestro Gianandrea Noseda to the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative on the The Kojo Nnamdi Show. A Heartfelt thank you! Looking forward to continuing to support more students and teachers and the arts and humanities education community in our 20th year!

Check out Part of the Day!

View us live at H Street Whole Foods Market

Check out our Twitter Whole Foods Collection!

Check Out Some Photos!

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Connecting to Curriculum Series: AHFES Hours at the National Museum of Women in the Arts

Submitted by: Eva Steinhardt, DC Collaborative Communications Intern June 12th, 2017

Last Tuesday, over thirty members of our community gathered at the National Museum of Women in the Arts for the first AHFES Hours session of the summer.

These sessions are designed to help guide our members in creating impactful arts and humanities experiences which can be included in our Arts and Humanities For Every Student program next school year. In the June 6th session, our focus was on curriculum connections in order to successfully incorporate the programs offered by our members into existing curriculum topics.

Our committed members learning about DCPS’s curricular priorities

We listened to presentations by our DCPS partners including Nathan Diamond (DCPS Arts), Jennifer Jump, and Raymond Cummings (from English Language Arts). Our speakers provided detailed insight into the process of curriculum creation. Through an examination of specific K-12 curricula, our members were able to come away from these presentations with a strong sense of DCPS priorities and, importantly, how to supplement those priorities through their educational programming. Following the presentations, the group split into breakout sessions where our members were able to discuss their individual programs and ask questions of the DCPS staff. 

One of our breakout sessions in NMWA’s beautiful library

The National Museum of Women in the Arts provided us with refreshments, opening remarks, and an inspiring setting in which to facilitate important conversations between DC cultural institutions and DCPS curriculum builders. Additionally, after the meeting concluded, our attendees were given the chance to explore the museum free of charge until closing.

 A huge thanks to our friends at NMWA for hosting this event!

We are so grateful to all our members who attended our first AHFES Hours. Everyone contributed to the inspiring and productive session. We were reminded once again how fortunate we are to be the facilitators of this collaborative. 

Our next AHFES Hours will focus on Social Studies curriculum and will be held at our headquarters on F Street on June 13th - please click here to RSVP.

We look forward to seeing you all again soon!

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Do More 24: Why do I support the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative?

Submitted by: Annelisa Crabtree, DC Collaborative Intern Tuesday, June 6, 2017

  Why do I support the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative?

My support for DC Collaborative officially started a little over 24 hours ago: as their newest intern!  I am excited and honored to be working at a place that is doing such important work for DC students and the arts and humanities as a whole.  I truly believe that seeing and reading and listening to art in all its mediums, in and out of the classroom, makes an impact and opens people up to different worlds and ways of thinking.

Start Your Activism @Home…

The DC area is home for me.  I grew up here and some of my most impactful experiences were related to arts and culture.  Whether it was Theater in the Woods at Wolf Trap, walking sweaty but excited through the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, visiting an instrument petting zoo at the Kennedy Center, or a new exhibit at the National Gallery of Art, the exposure taught me about other people, other cultures, ignited my imagination, and showed me new ways to express myself.

I ended up going away to college and studying music, so clearly, those excursions and experiences had some sort of impact on me.  And I recognize I was extremely lucky to not only attend those activities outside of school, but also to take part in art, literature, and musical classes and excursions through school.  After graduating, it was important for me to not only come back to this area for its rich cultural and artistic life, but to give back to the community that provided me with so much.

Make your donation now through June 8th by clicking here.

That is how I came to be at DC Collaborative.  It is incredibly inspiring to work with the staff, members, and educators to ensure quality and equitable access to the arts and humanities for students across DC.  And in doing so, I can do my part to give back to the community and work to provide others with the experiences that every student deserves and indelibly shaped me.  

Annelisa at a Kennedy Center instrument petting zoo circa 2001.

~Annelisa , Intern, DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative

To donate to the DC Collaborative through June 8th: DoMore24

For more information about the DC Collaborative: www.dccollaborative.org

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Do More 24: Why do I support the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative?

Submitted by: Anna Walker, DC Collaborative Development Volunteer Images Submitted by: Anna Walker, DC Collaborative Monday, June 5, 2017

“Start Your Activism@Home” 

Why do I support the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative? 

I believe in the power of connecting classrooms with the creative community beyond the school walls. As Washingtonians, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to do more for the education of DC students. One way to do this is by participating in this year’s Do More 24 Campaign through the United Way. I’ve made my financial contribution to invest in the DC Collaborative’s work to provide arts and cultural field trips for students in our public schools and public charter schools, and I encourage you to do the same.

Start Your Activism @Home...

My commitment to the arts and humanities actually began many, many moons ago as a middle school student growing up in the inner city of Jackson, Mississippi. Our class was to join other schools in the city for a matinee performance of Verdi’s La Traviata at the Civic Auditorium. I grew up in a large family supported by my father’s modest salary as a brick mason. While struggling to provide for our basic living essentials, my parents would still gather up the necessary dollars required to have my siblings and I participate in school activities, including field trips. So, I was able to attend my first opera and I was enraptured, and the seed was planted for my lifelong advocacy for arts and humanities education.

A decade or so later, as an elementary school teacher in Jackson, many of my colleagues and I would often use our own money to make sure students whose parents could not afford to do so had the ability to go on field trips of all kinds, including arts exhibitions and performances. The joy I received in observing the light in my students’ eyes was immeasurable. Further, I noticed they demonstrated more interest and creativity in the classroom as a result of this cultural engagement. Later on my career path and life journey, I became an administrator with the local arts council and was able to use Community Development Block Grant funds to involve students from low-income families throughout the county in arts experiences in which they otherwise would not have had access.

Since transitioning to DC a few years ago, I have been thrilled to recently find the DC Collaborative, an organization whose unique mission is building connections between schools and the District’s vibrant arts and humanities institutions. It’s not just about bright eyes watching a performance; it’s about bright futures being nurtured. Let’s help families and schools not have to struggle to create these enriching educational experiences for DC students.  “Start Your Activism@Home” by contributing to the DC Collaborative through the Do More 24 Campaign. Your donation of $24 can make a difference for a DC student!

Make your donation now through June 8th by clicking here.

You could be the catalyst for bringing creative change to the education of our students and transforming a child’s life by inspiring a lifelong engagement with the arts and humanities.

~Anna Walker, Volunteer, DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative 

To donate to the DC Collaborative through June 8th: DoMore24

For more information about the DC Collaborative: www.dccollaborative.org

 Thanks Anna for sharing your story with us!

Quick Links:

Donate to the Collaborative’s Do More 24 Campaign

www.dccollaborative.org

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A Trip to Freer|Sackler for the “Look and Discover Museum Tour”

AHFES Program Feature: Freer|Sackler

Submitted by: Maya Simkin, DC Collaborative Programs and Communications Intern Images Submitted by: Karen Daniels Thursday, April 27, 2017

On March 30th, Karen Daniels and her 1st and 2nd grade classes from Fillmore Arts Center (pictured above) went on the Look and Discover Museum Tour at the Freer|Sackler Museum. This program is part of our Arts and Humanities for Every Student Program March Lottery and runs through the end of the school year.

Look and Discover Museum Tour

In this program, students spent time exploring the museum’s gallery  looking closely at artworks depicting various styles and cultural traditions from the permanent collection. They also took a look at Japanese paintings from the special exhibition Inventing Utamaro: A Japanese Masterpiece Rediscovered (April 8-July 9, 2017). The lively and engaging docents helped students describe what they saw and consider how the elements of art—line, color, shape, pattern, etc.—helps us to understand individual artworks and the cultures that produced them. 

A 2nd grader on the trip told the teacher, "I enjoyed the Asian  museum tour.  We had a nice docent, Mr. Woo.  He taught us about the monkey hanging sculpture, the golden Buddha and we created our bodies in movement to honor the Shiva Dancing Goddess.  We loved the Peacock Room and interacting on the computer to recreate the Cosmic Buddha."

Using material received after the event, Karen Daniels, the classroom teacher, said that the class used a paper visual sample of a specific sculpture for a creative art project back in the classroom.

Karen added that it was a “great learning experience” and that there were “many cross-cultural connections to the students' lives.”

Quick Links

DC Collaborative Website

Freer Sackler

Freer Sackler AHFES Feature Page

Inventing Utamaro: A Japanese Masterpiece Rediscovered

Fillmore Arts Center

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#ArtsandHumanitiesforEveryStudent - Important Dates to...

Last week we shared our insights from ArtsAction DC Advocacy Day, but our work advocating for equitable access to the arts and humanities for DC students is far from over! While ArtsAction Advocacy Day DC did a fantastic job advocating for art and humanities funding and support from local government, it was only a first step.

Following the release of the Mayor Bowser’s budget proposal earlier this past week a series of hearings will be held to determine the final FY 2018 for the District. We are excited to be testifying during five of the seven hearings that are relevant to our work in arts and humanities education and ask that you join us in doing the same.

In addition to our community-wide three arts and humanities asks, which includes asking Councilmembers  to restore the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities budget to $25 million (which is actually what it used to be before the recession,) we have put together a list of arts and humanities education specific goals.

1)   Commitment to Equitable Access to Cultural Experiences for all DCPS Students

2)   Arts Education Policy

3)   Access to Data to Support our Collective Impact Work

4)   ESSA Implementation - Well Rounded Education (including a commitment to 21st century skills)

These are the commitments, that we will be asking for in our testimonies over the next several weeks. We encourage our members, and all in the arts and humanities education community here in DC, to attend and engage with these hearings!

Being an active community, that works diligently to ensure equitable access to arts and humanities education for all pubic school students within the district, means that we have to raise our collective voice at crucial moments. These hearings are just such a moment. They are an opportunity for our stories, our observations, and our priorities, to be expressed and heard. We are excited to have this chance to engage with our elected officials and look forward to seeing other representatives from the arts and humanities education community!

The hearings, relevant to the continued growth of the arts and humanities education community in DC, are as follows:

Committee on Finance and Revenue

Date: Wednesday, April 12th

Place: Room 123

Time: 10:00 AM – End

Agency: Commission on the Arts and Humanities 

Details: Persons wishing to testify about the performance of any of the agencies may contact Sarina Loy (sloy@dccouncil.us, 202-724- 8058)

Committee on Education

Date: Tuesday, April 25th

Place: Room 123

Time: 10:00 AM – End

Agency: Deputy Mayor for Education

Details: Persons wishing to testify about the performance of any of the agencies may do so online at http:bit.do/educationhearings or by calling 202-724- 8061

Date: Wednesday, April 26th

Place: Room 120

Time: 11:00 AM – End

Agency: Office of the State Superintendent of Education

Details: Persons wishing to testify about the performance of any of the agencies may do so online at http:bit.do/educationhearings or by calling 202-724- 8061

Date: Thursday, April 27th

Place: Council Chamber (room 500)

Time: 10:00 AM – This hearing will end after the last witness and reconvene at 5:00PM

Agency: District of Columbia Public Schools (Public Witnesses Only)

Chairperson: David Grosso

Details: Persons wishing to testify about the performance of any of the agencies may do so online at http:bit.do/educationhearings or by calling 202-724- 8061

Date: Monday, May 1st

Place: Room 412

Time: 11:00 AM - End

Agency: District of Columbia Public Library System

Details: Persons wishing to testify about the performance of any of the agencies may do so online at http:bit.do/educationhearings or by calling 202-724- 8061

Date: Wednesday, May 3rd

Place: Room 412

Time: 10:00 AM - End

Agency: District of Columbia Public Schools (Government Witnesses)

Date: Thursday, May 4th

Place: Room 412

Time: 11:00 AM - End

Agency: District of Columbia Public Charter School Board and State Board of Education

Details: Persons wishing to testify about the performance of any of the agencies may do so online at http:bit.do/educationhearings or by calling 202-724- 8061

#ArtsandHumanitiesforEveryStudent!

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DC Collaborative Connecting to Curriculum Round-table Series:

Everyday DC- A DCPS Arts Curriculum and Community Partnership

Submitted by: Rebekka Nickman, Development and Communications Coordinator March 31, 2017

#CollaborativeEffect

As part of a broader vision to strengthen our community of practice and expand upon our Collective Impact work, the DC Collaborative is helping to bridge the gap and foster new connections between our members, educators and the students we collectively serve. 

To ensure that our DC Collaborative members are developing high-quality programs that connect to relevant DCPS curriculum, the Collaborative began a series of professional development workshops called, “Connecting to Curriculum Round-table Series.” These Collaborative workshops highlight points of intersection between the arts and humanities and other academic studies, and assist teachers and members in connecting to the DCPS Framework for Arts Learning. We're happy to recap our recent convening here.

Connecting to Curriculum Round-table Series: Everyday DC- A DCPS Arts Curriculum and Community Partnership

This past Wednesday, March 29, Nathan Diamond, Director, DCPS Arts; Kristy Esparza, DCPS Visual and Digital Arts Specialist; Fareed Mostoufi, Senior Education Manager at the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting; and Allison Shelley, Pulitzer Center Grantee and award winning photojournalist presented a fantastic example of what a successful community partnership looks like when they discussed the Everyday DC project. This session was especially for DC Collaborative Members interested in visual literacy and connecting to the new DCPS Framework for Arts Learning and nearly 40 members attended!

The Blind Whino SW Arts Club  - our host for this Professional Development Workshop

About Everyday DC

Everyday DC was originally developed by The Pulitzer Center’s Education Department and inspired by Everyday Africa as a way to help students learn how to compile, curate and present their unique experience of DC through photography.

Adding on to the recent successes of the Pulitzer Center’s Everyday DC program, Kristy and Fareed connected and decided to expand this project into a Unit Plan for middle school students through the new DCPS Framework for Arts Learning. 

In this unit, students develop visual and cultural literacy skills, as well as perspective and empathy. They are asked to think critically about media representation of their communities and challenge the public perspective. This experience teaches students how art can be used for social engagement and problem-solving. In the first year of this community partnership, seven middle schools participated in the unit and exhibit.

Fareed and Kristy discuss successes and challenges of community partnerships.

The Everyday DC exhibition was also curated by middle school students.

Connecting to Curriculum Program Highlights

Nathan Diamond began the workshop by explaining a little bit about the new DCPS Framework for Arts Learning as a structure and how it can be used to bridge gaps between academic subjects. (The DC Collaborative is encouraging all members to incorporate this framework in all student programming moving forward.) 

Next, Kristy and Fareed discussed the implementation of the Everyday DC unit and the success and challenges with DCPS community partnerships. Then Allison described the project from a teaching artist’s perspective. Best practices and insights gained for future iterations were established.

Everyday DC Program Highlights:

Student work demonstrates increased understanding of photography techniques and vocabulary.

Student Engagement: Teachers reported an increase in student engagement. Students were able to connect and appreciate each other’s work.

Community Engagement: Positive feedback from the more than 100 parents, teachers, students, and staff from both organizations that attended the opening of the exhibition

The Pulitzer Center’s Everyday DC project was funded in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Fareed interviews Allison about the teaching artist perspective of the Everyday DC project!

“We need to create a generation of critically-thinking, collaborative problem solvers. Students who know and understand world issues. Students who understand political and socioeconomic systems on a global scale. Students who recognize and appreciate cultural diversity. If we really want to face and solve the problems of this complex, multifaceted, diverse, and complicated world, we need a generation of students who are strong in all the C’s: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and global competency.” - Jamie Casap, Global Education Evangelist at Google

Future Collaborations

DC Collaborative Executive Director, Lissa Rosenthal-Yoffe closed the meeting by encouraging all members to connect to the DCPS Framework for Arts Learning. She informed the participants that the DC Collaborative programming committee has recommended that all AHFES applications for the 2017-2018 school year incorporate this new framework.

We look forward to providing more training and encouraging more collaborations that will lead to more curricular connections!

Quick Links:

Connecting to Curriculum Powerpoint Presentation

Everyday DC DCPS Unit Plan

Where you at the PD? Fill out the Post-Event Survey!

DCPS Framework For Arts Learning Web Site

DCPS

Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting

DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities

National Endowment for the Arts

Blind Whino SW Arts Club

Read More:

”Washington, DC Public School Students Showcase "Everyday DC" in New Photojournalism Exhibit” - Ifath Sayed, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting

“EverydayDC: Student Photographers React to Exhibit” - Arthur Jones II, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting

“Collaborative Effect in Action: Connecting to Curriculum Round-table Series” - Katie Greer, DC Collaborative Storybank Blog

“’Walk Like a Journalist’ with 5th graders from Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School" - Fareed Mostoufi, The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting

“An ‘Everyday’ Exhibition” - Amanda Ottaway, The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting

“Member Feature: The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting” - Rebekka Nickman, DC Collaborative Storybank Blog                                  

More photos from the Blind Whino SW Arts Club - Thank you to our hosts!

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ArtsAction DC Advocacy Day 2017

Submitted by: Eva Steinhardt, DC Collaborative Communications Intern  Wednesday, March 29, 2017

From The Hill to The Wilson Building

On March 22, the arts and humanities community of DC moved from The Hill, where they had been gathered for Americans for the Arts National Arts Advocacy Day, to the John A. Wilson Building for our local ArtsAction DC Arts Advocacy day!

The day started off with an advocacy training session led by DC Collaborative's Lissa Rosenthal-Yoffe and national advocacy briefing provided by Americans For the Arts. Throughout the day conversations and meetings were held between DC government officials, and the caretakers and advocates, of Washington’s arts and humanities spaces, programs, educators, artists and creatives.

The message these advocates sought to share was a unified one. Three requests were made in every meeting - whether the meeting was held with a councilmember, a staff representative, or Mayor Bowser. These requests were:

Return Funding of DC Commission for the Arts and Humanities to at least $25 Million

Provide Financial Support to Implement the DC Cultural Plan (upon its completion in April)

Develop a new funding cohort for the Commercial Arts/Professional Services Sectors of the Creative Economy

Organized by ArtsAction DC, these three requests summarize the legislative priorities of our local arts and humanities community. Our cultural organizations, artists and educators are looking towards a future where The District both sustains and is sustained through an investment in arts and humanities. This hopeful tone was conveyed in yesterday’s meetings, as culture advocates shared their stories, and vision, with local representatives.

ArtsAction DC Members, including DC Collaborative’s Executive Director Lissa Rosenthal-Yoffe, meet with Mayor Muriel Bowser, Kay Kendall, Chair, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) and Arthur Espinosa, Jr., Executive Director, DCCAH.

Politics and Art: A Jam Session

However ArtsAction DC Arts Advocacy day wasn’t confined to the meetings that took place. Armed with the understanding that the cultural scene of DC needs to be experienced in order to be understood, and that arts and humanities speaks loudest for itself, ArtsAction DC brought arts and humanities popups from across DC into the Wilson building’s corridors. This effort was complimented by Politics and Art: A Jam Session - organized by DC Collaborative Member Washington Performing Arts - that took place in the Wilson Building lobby that evening.

Politics and Art: A Jam Session, was an opportunity for the arts and humanities community of DC to come together in a creative, and meaningful, space. Rainbow drapes decorated the entrance hall pillars and the lobby became a stage where local musicians (including the Alice Deal School Jazz Band and other youth groups) were invited to preform. It was a rare opportunity to gather our arts and humanities community together to exchange ideas and visions for future collaboration.

The event did not go unnoticed by government officials in the building and many came to explore the scene - wandering the exhibition tables and learning about the many programs offered by a range of organizations. Some, such as Councilmember Grosso, Chair, Committee on Education and Councilmember Robert White, Jr. stepped up the stage and shared remarks on the value of the arts and humanities in the city. Thanks Councilmember Grosso for the DC Collaborative shoutout and for all you do to help ensure students have equitable access to the arts and humanities!

DC’s Arts Advocacy day capped off a week of national advocacy, by shifting the attention back to our local community, and bringing together a diverse range of arts and humanities stakeholders from across the city.

Quick Links

DC Collaborative Website

DC Collaborative Donation Page

Mayor Muriel Bowser

DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities

ArtsAction DC

Americans for the Arts National Arts Advocacy Day

ArtsAction DC Local Arts Advocacy day

Washington Performing Arts

Politics and Art: A Jam Session

Councilmember Grosso, Chair, Committee on Education

Councilmember White

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Arts and Humanities for EVERY Student Blog Series

About the DC Collaborative

Submitted by: Maya Simkin, DC Collaborative Programs and Communications Intern Video by: Stone Soup Films Friday, March 24, 2017

Arts and Humanities Education Advocacy

This is the final video in the short documentary series that Stone Soup Films made about us! We are so thankful that Stone Soup was able to create these videos for us to use as part of a month of arts and humanities advocacy initiatives. We are grateful to our community partners that were featured in this video like The Kreeger Museum, Phillips Collection and Washington Bach Consort. This video encapsulates our mission and the work we do in partnership with our members to reach as many students as possible with meaningful arts and humanities educational programs. 

We are inspired by the work of our members and school partners to ensure that the cultural institutions are seen as a integral part of the education of DC’s students.

About the DC Collaborative Video Blog!

Fourth and final blog in the #ArtsAndHuamnitiesForEveryStudent series

Our Executive Director, Lissa Rosenthal-Yaffe, makes the case for the DC Collaborative and its members that collectively, the arts and humanities education community is making a crucial impact on student learning in the District when providing access to the education programming at cultural institutions. She looks forward to eventually working with all 85,000 students in the DC community both inside and outside of the classroom.

Linda Harper, Board President of the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative, comments on the rich cultural amenities in DC and the need for public schools to take advantage of these resources in the city. The DC Collaborative in partnership with its members, fills this void and acts as a bridge between DC cultural institutions and DC Public and Pubic Charter Schools.

Jeanette McCune, the Director for DC School and Community Initiatives at The Kennedy Center and DC Collaborative Board Member, says that the DC Collaborative has been necessary and dependable resource for students experiencing programs at The Kennedy Center as well as other institutions in the city.

Thank you to to Stone Soup Films for helping us show off highlights of our work!

DC Collaborative helps upwards of 30,000 DC Public and Public Charter School students attend field trips throughout the school year. We are dedicated to providing access for all students to high quality arts and humanities education experiences like the ones in this video.

You can donate here to help us reach more students!

Thanks to Stone Soup Films for the video!

Quick Links:

DC Collaborative Website

Stone Soup

DC Collaborative Donation Page

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#ArtsAndHumanitiesForEveryStudent A Day in the Life of an AHFES Student

Take a look at our Arts and Humanities for Every Student Picture Bank to see what our students have been experiencing and learning! 

Imagination Stage- Looking for Roberto Clemente

Students from Fillmore Arts Center and Sousa Middle School attend Imagination Stage’s production of Looking for Roberto Clemente at Atlas PAC, among 3,000 other students in the DC Public Education system.

View the whole Story Bank Feature here!

Washington Ballet- The Nutcracker

Over 1,000 students from all around Washington DC filed out of busses and into Warner Theater to see Septime Webre’s version of The Nutcracker presented by The Washington Ballet. Images courtesy of Katie Greer (Collaborative Intern). 

View the whole Story Bank Feature here!

George Washington’s Mount Vernon- Founding Farmer

Ross Elementary School Students visited Mount Vernon on 1/9/17. Images courtesy of teacher Meghan Pazmino.

View the whole Story Bank Feature here!

Freer Sackler Gallery- ‘Art of the Islamic World’ Group Tour

McKinley Technology High School Students toured Freer Sackler Gallery on 1/13/17. Images courtesy of Katherine Gutierrez (DC Collaborative Intern) 

Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting- Walk Like a Journalist

On April 27, 2016, 46 fifth graders from Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School stormed Dupont Circle in Washington, DC, with notebooks, cameras and a mission to use reporting and interview skills to capture the essence of the park on a rainy April afternoon.

View the whole Story Bank Feature here!

Imagination Stage- Aquarium

On October 26, 2016, John Borroughs Elementary visited Atlas Performing Arts Center to see Imagination Stage’s program Aquarium. Images courtesy of DC Collaborative Intern Rebekka Nickman. 

President Lincoln’s Cottage- Lincoln’s Hat, I See the President, and Debating Emancipation

On October 20, 2016 Amidon Bowen Elementary School Students visited President Lincoln’s Cottage. Images courtesy of teacher Greta Schorn.

View the whole Story Bank Feature here!

Washington Bach Consort- The Wunderkind Projekt

On October 6, 2016, DC Bilingual PCS visited Church of the Epiphany for Washington Bach Consort’s concert Bach in Time. In addition, they also received an in-class visit as part of a deeper engagement program. Images courtesy of teacher Manuel Hernandez.

View the whole Story Bank Feature here!

DAR Museum- Patterns and Shapes in Quilts

DC Bilingual visited DAR Museum 1/25/17, Images courtesy of Katherine Gutierrez (DC Collaborative Intern) 

National Museum of Women in the Arts- Thinking Routine Thursday

Images provided by Stone Soup Films (Spring ‘16)

Library Of Congress- ‘A Book that Shaped Me’ Writing Contest

The Library of Congress National Book Festival wants to connect children with their local libraries and get them to reflect on what books mean to them personally through the “A Book That Shaped Me” summer writing contest.

View the whole Story Bank Feature Here! 

Environmental Film Festival- An American Ascent

Students at at DAR Constitution Hall for screening of film “An American Ascent” and a Q&A with Tyhree Moore and Director Andy Adkins after the screening

View the whole Story Bank Feature here! 

THEARC- Black History Month

SEED PCS students attending ‘Black Angels Over Tuskegee’ on 2/25/2016 

View the whole Story Bank Feature Here! 

Kreeger Museum- Seeing Shapes and Colors

Images submitted by Seaton Elementary

Seaton Elementary visits the Kreeger Museum! View their StoryBank.

Kreeger Museum- American Chamber Players Series

Images provided by School Within a School at Goding and Kelly Miller Middle School. 

View the StoryBank of their experiences. 

Avalon Theatre- Screening of Soundtrack for a Revolution

Images provided by Avalon Theatre. View their StoryBank!

Phillips Collection- Arts Integration School Tours

Images provided from our Stone Soup Films documentary.

Tubman Elementary School attends an Arts Integration School Tour at the Phillips Collection. 

National Geographic- WILD Series Monster Fish

Images submitted by Cleveland Elementary

Cleveland Elementary 5th grade Students on a trip to National Geographic Museum. View their StoryBank!

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts- Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre

Photos submitted by Fillmore Arts Center

5th grade students from Fillmore Arts Center- Ross and Key Elementary Schools got to see Alvin Ailey at The Kennedy Center! View their StoryBank!

National Museum of American History

Photo submitted by Sousa Middle School

Sousa Middle School on a field-trip to Join the Student Sit-in at National Museum of American History.

National Building Museum- My House My Home

Images provided by Simon Elementary.

Students from Simon Elementary on a field-trip to National Building Museum. View their StoryBank!

National Building Museum- City By Design and Designing for Disaster

Images provided by National Building Museum

George Washington University Museum and the Textile Museum- Bingata! Only in Okinawa

Ketcham Elementary School’s 4th graders visit Textile Museum.