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In the spring of 2004, from April 28 to May 2, over 300 artists, activists and youth from across Canada and around the world gathered in Vancouver, B.C., to participate in The EARTH Symposium: Breaking New Ground, a conference organized by DanceArts Vancouver, now JMP. A UNESCO designated event, produced in collaboration with Simon Fraser University and part of the longer-term EARTH Project, these five days of activities explored the many ways in which the arts are being used in communities around the globe as tools for social change, particularly work with youth. Complete listing and access info »

Approximately a dozen internal research studies into student learning and program effectiveness were conducted during ArtsSmarts' first eight years. In the spring of 2006, we compiled the results of those studies, along with a like number of reports by outside researchers, to create a synthesis of possible directions for future work. Although we used a small sample of available outside studies, it was immediately and glaringly evident that the arts and educational communities are hungering for research that will "help us understand what the arts learning experience is for children, and what characteristics of that experience are likely to travel across domains of learning" (Deasy, 2002:99). It was equally evident to all ArtsSmarts partners that, while future ArtsSmarts research could be taken in any number of directions, it made the most sense to identify and build from ArtsSmarts' own strengths and successes. We also felt the need to align the research direction and the methods of data collection with our intended audiences.Different groups would find different aspects of ArtsSmarts compelling, and distinctly different types of data would be required for each. Partners identified educators (teachers, administrators, and senior Board office personnel) as the audience they most wanted to reach.With that in mind, the decision was made to develop a theory of learning that would serve the dual purposes of explaining ArtsSmarts' impact in Canadian classrooms and framing the research work of the next few years. We felt that establishing an ArtsSmarts theory of learning would help to answer the question, "If ArtsSmarts didn't exist, what would be lost?" Further, a theory of learning would assist teachers, artists and partners in identifying key, essential components of the ArtsSmarts experience, and would also prevent ArtsSmarts from being viewed as a pleasant but unnecessary add-on to classroom activity. The paper that follows develops an ArtsSmarts theory of learning centred on the concept of student engagement. Complete listing and access info »

Le present rapport vise a : 1) presenter une analyse des conclusions d'une enquete, d'entrevues et de groupes de discussion sur des projets GenieArts finances par la Fondation de la famille J.W. McConnell au Canada, en 2002-2003; 2) appuyer les activites de representation visant a obtenir un financement a long terme et a assurer la viabilite de l'approche GenieArts. Le rapport est axe sur l'impact des projets sur les eleves, le systeme d'education, la collectivite et le milieu des arts touchant ainsi les 'spheres d'influence' cles du systeme d'education. Complete listing and access info »

The purpose of this report is to provide: 1) an analysis of findings from a survey, interviews and focus groups regarding ArtsSmarts projects funded by the J.W.McConnell Family Foundation across Canada in 2002-2003 and 2) to support advocacy work to obtain long term funding and support for sustainability of the ArtsSmarts approach. The report focuses on the impact of the projects on students, the education system, the community and the arts community addressing key "spheres of Influence" in the educational system. Complete listing and access info »

In spring 2004, PCTV embarked upon an ambitious evaluation project aimed at exploring the meaning of youths' engagement in the media arts program. Fifteen youth and eight adults were interviewed in small groups and individually during the September 2004 - June 2005 program year. It became evident during this process that the program successfully teaches media while creatively emphasizing positive youth development that ultimately impacts participants in numerous ways. Complete listing and access info »

In 2008, Mosaic released the findings of a three-year study conducted by the University of Michigan Department of Psychology, The Detroit Initiative and area-Detroit community based organizations. The study identifies and assesses the internationally acclaimed, professional performing arts training program's goals, practice methods, and expected outcome. Mosaic seeks to empower young people with the tools necessary to create positive changes in their lives and communities by helping them to develop patterns of cooperation, disciplined work habits and effective problem-solving skills through the creation of high-quality, professional-level performances of theatre and music. By highlighting the immense talent of young Detroiters, Mosaic helps to create positive peer role models and young people who can view a more positive future for themselves and for their community. Complete listing and access info »

Building on the workshop process developed during The ICE Project, DanceArts Vancouver, now Judith Marcuse Projects, in the period 1998 to 2001, organized dozens of wide-ranging, carefully-constructed and challenging workshops in movement, theatre, media literacy and film and video production that were attended by a highly-diverse group of more than 400 hundred youth aged 15-18 throughout British Columbia.

This in-depth process produced a body of stories, observations and insights that provided the "raw material" for the later creation, by the core artistic team, of the script for the production, FIRE....where there's smoke. While ICE explored the issue of teen suicide, FIRE explored the nature of violence as experienced by youth and its effects on their lives.
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For two years, the Workshop participated in an evaluation project run by the California Arts Council. The goals of this project were to identify potentially "at-risk" student populations and then evaluate the effects of a Creative Movement or Theatre residency in the classroom. Areas for student improvement were based on the Workshop's Cycle of Artistic Inquiry which seeks to demonstrate the process of critical thinking through arts learning. The following reports deal with the findings of this project at three separate locations: The Paul Robeson & Diego Rivera Academy, John Muir Elementary, and Mission Education Center. Complete listing and access info »

Without solid evidence about the status and condition of arts education in the nation's public schools, it is difficult to make a convincing case for the arts. This research and policy brief draws on the experiences of five states -- Illinois, Kentucky, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Washington -- as the basis for a discussion of various approaches and methodologies for conducting statewide arts education research. Complete listing and access info »

Describes the trend toward coordinated approaches to arts education, with a focus on a Wallace-funded program linking artists, local government, cultural organizations, schools, and parents to bring quality arts education to Dallas' poorest children.

More information about this publication is available at PubHub.
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