Click here for links to Arts in Mind partners and resources.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
 What is Arts in Mind?
Arts in Mind is a collaborative effort among the Syracuse City School District, Partners for Arts Education, members of the CNY Arts and Culture Leadership Alliance, and local foundations that is dedicated to teaching, inspiring, and empowering our children through the arts. Arts in Mind wants to make it easier for teachers to incorporate the arts into learning, for cultural organizations to share their offerings with students, and for funders to provide lasting support for education that makes a real difference to children throughout Syracuse.
Who is participating?
Arts in Mind comprises a broad spectrum of the Syracuse community, including many cultural organizations, government officials, funders, educators, and more.
We welcome the participation of everyone who is interested in the education of our children. Join us!
What schools are participating?
For 2008 - 09, two new schools - Frazer School and Van Duyn Elementary - are joining the 2007-08 pilot schools (McKinley-Brighton, Danforth, Franklin, and Grant). Read more about the schools.
What cultural organizations are participating?
Cultural organizations particpiating in Arts in Mind in 2008-09 include:
CNY Jazz Arts Foundation, Downtown Writer's Center, Everson Museum of Art, Light Work, Open Hand Theater, Syracuse Opera, Syracuse Stage, and Syracuse Symphony Orchestra.
To read more about the arts experiences these cultural organizations are making available to schools, click here.
How does one teach a subject "through the arts?"
Every teacher/artist partnership comes up with a unique answer to this question, using the New York State Standards as a basis for exciting and rich units that develop skills and knowledge. Perhaps a math teacher and a dancer team up to give students new ways to think about geometry by choreographing a dance piece. A social studies teacher and a theatre artist might help students write and perform a play that gives them personal insights into life in another time or place. Science students could work with a musician to investigate the physical properties of sound through musical composition.
You see examples of dozens of successful partnerships in New York State at http://www.arts4ed.org/model_partnerships/index.shtml
We know that when students are given the opportunity to use the arts as a way to connect to subject matter, they tend to be more enthusiastic about their studies, to absorb information more deeply and retain it longer, and to become more competent at other related skills like teamwork, observation, and critical thinking. Students who are engaged are more likely to come to school and stay in school.
How can teachers incorporate the arts into their classrooms?
There are three levels of arts-based learning, and all three levels can be part of students' arts experience:
access - Students experience artwork (see a performance, view visual art, etc.) in school or another location which may or may not have a direct connection to their subjects of study.
alignment - Students experience art which is related to material they are studying in class. They may make use of a study guide or similar materials with their classroom teacher to help connect the work of art to their class study.
integration - Students work with an artist in the classroom to create artwork that relates to curriculum material. Artist and teacher co-plan units of study that combine standards-based arts and other curricula to deepen and expand learning.
Read more about levels of arts-based learning.
How will teachers learn how to use the arts in their classrooms?
Professional development is an integral part of Arts in Mind. We recognize that there are many teachers for whom teaching with and through the arts is new territory. You do not need to be an artist yourself to use the arts in your classroom. We are convinced, through the many successes we have witnessed, that with excellent training and support, teachers develop exciting and productive ways to use the arts as a teaching tool.
How will the initiative be funded?
Crucial to the success of Arts in Mind is the importance of a reliable and committed funding stream for long-term stability and growth. Locally, both the Gifford Foundation and the CNY Community Foundation understand our mission and have chosen to support Arts in Mind in its foundation-building stages. Funding from New York State also plays a major part. We are pursuing funding from major national foundations that focus on education.
How do you know this will help students learn?
There is an abundance of research that links participation in the arts with increased student learning (see research links). The kinds of skills working in the arts develops - problem-solving, creativity, thinking beyond preconceptions, teamwork - are exactly the ones that are necessary for success in the 21st-century workplace, combined with the reading and math skills that standardized tests measure.
Assessment is an important part of any educational program, including Arts in Mind, and ongoing assessment is built into partnership plans so teachers can find out if and what students are learning, and then adjust their plans accordingly. Every classroom is an action research project.
Are other school districts doing anything like this?
Cities around the country are using district-wide reform initiatives to improve teaching and learning by using the arts as a classroom resource. Each city devises its own solution that suits its unique circumstances, but all recognize that their local communities have resources that can cooperate to bring excellence in education to all their children. Keep Arts in Schools tracks a number of these programs.
Is this going to be another "here today, gone tomorrow" project?
We are very sensitive to the frustrations of teachers who have seen many promising new programs started up, only to disappear after a year or two because the funding dries up or their principal changes. That is why we are focusing on long-term, stable funding and on instituting district-wide policies, so that the time and effort teachers (and cultural organizations) put into learning new skills, modifying curricula, and developing materials has lasting benefit.
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