Community Partners - ArTES Magnet

Project GRAD advisors work proactively one-on-one with two cohorts of ArTES Students – Class of 2017 and Class of 2018 – to help instill the social-emotional competencies, college knowledge, and academic tools needed to ensure college success. They also develop new curriculum designed to support students make a successful transition to college, such as the Transition to College Math course, preparing seniors to pass the CSU Entry-Level Mathematics test.

EduCare offers academic, enrichment, and recreation activities funded by a 21st Century Community Learning Center (“21st CCLC”) grant. This programming acknowledges that low self-esteem, doubt, fear, and uncertainty can often be the greatest barriers to a student’s achievement, so the programming encourages students to believe in themselves and provides them with the tools they need to succeed. EduCare also offers the ACE Student Success Program to our entire 9th grade class at the beginning of each school year.

Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) is an innovative leader in school transformation, known for effective programs and collaboration that is responsive to student needs. Through partnership with LAEP, ArTES has become a community school with a focus on health and social services, youth and community development and community engagement. Community schools lead to improved student learning, stronger families and healthier communities. They offer a personalized curriculum that emphasizes real-world learning and community problem-solving. LAEP also assists ArTES in planning and putting on professional developments both on and off campus for a range of different purposes. They have trained members of our faculty on humanitas unit development, Cognitive Coaching, and making the shift to the Common Core State Standards initiative, among other topics. Additionally, LAEP provides coaches to assist teachers in individual curriculum development, project development, and in creating materials and content to present at ArTES PD.

Urban Arts Partnership (UAP) uses the arts to address educational inequity and provide the opportunity for young people to gain the skills and understanding they need to move on to college and career. Our professional development programs give classroom teachers a transformational set of creative approaches, tools and resources to address Common Core learning standards through the arts. UAP programs ignite curiosity, develop character, and create pathways to success and excellence for students in Kindergarten to 12th Grade.

California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) has had a close partnership with ArTES since 2014. Our partnership seeks to deepen our arts integration instructional program, promote a college- going culture, and tap into CalArts’s educational and other resources. In 2014, ArTES sent our entire 9th grade class to the CalArts for the three days of school to take part in the ACE program of socio-emotional and high school readiness activities, while being exposed to one of the top art colleges in the nation. Their first days of high school were spent on a college campus, a powerful message about our expectations for all of them. Multiple ambitious programs are planned for 2015. In May, ten CalArts graduate students trained in art integration with collaborate with our staff to develop and co-deliver Common Core-aligned, arts-integrated mini-lessons to 200 invited parents in a series of hands-on workshops intended to educate parents on the Common Core. Our biggest plan is to create annual teaching residencies for 4-6 grad students to work as teaching artists in close collaboration with our core teachers. This ambitious idea will help us implement true arts-integrated curriculum nearly wall-to-wall with minimum cost to ArTES, while providing real-world teaching experience to future arts educators.

Youth Policy Institute (YPI) transforms Los Angeles neighborhoods using a holistic approach to reduce poverty by ensuring families have access to high quality schools, wrap-around education and technology services, enabling a successful transition from cradle to college and career. Resources range from innovative education, training and technology. Examples of services offered on the CCLA campus include after school enrichment classes, funding for NWEA testing software, and funding for teacher professional development. Their goal is to provide services that build comprehensive solutions to the challenges in high-poverty communities.

The Arts Consortium (AC) is a unique collaboration of Los Angeles’ leading arts and education institutions including CalArts, The Huntington Library, ArTES (the Art-Theater -Entertainment School) and the five Esteban E. Torres schools. Capitalizing on the power of the arts as an accelerator for change, the Consortium’s tailored programs for partner schools are designed to transform schools, students and the communities we serve through innovation and creative problem solving. Teaching students real-life skills through linked learning and inspiring them through the arts, AC programs encourage students to complete their secondary education and pursue advanced degrees—in the arts or other professional fields. Students touched by our programs are prepared to be agents of transformation in their communities for a lifetime. Serving schools in communities of concentrated poverty, Consortium partners and educators collaborate with students to increase access to arts in schools and neighborhoods. The Consortium’s overall mission is to improve the quality of learning and life for students by:

Building student capacity to use the arts as a catalyst for positive change in their schools and neighborhoods
Deepening the impact of arts institutions in high-poverty schools and communities
Engaging educators in creating authentic learning for students
Building community capacity to become agents of change
Engaging artists as strategic partners in school and neighborhood transformation

Youth Speak Collective is a youth-driven organization founded on the idea that all young people can succeed if provided with the right opportunities. The organization follows a “for youth, by youth” philosophy in which young people are empowered to help design and implement our programs. Programs offered at ArTES include Womyn’s Circle, Digital Arts, and Youth Council. Youth Speak’s mission is to empower low-income, at-risk youth and their families with the skills necessary to pursue higher education and create strong communities. The organization’s name stems from its commitment to providing youth with the opportunity to ‘speak’ – to be vocal and empowered, helping develop the very programs they participate in, programs that improve the health of their neighborhoods.

Arts Schools Network is a non-profit association dedicated to its mission to provide leaders in arts schools with quality resources support, and networking opportunities. Their vision is to be the premier resource for arts schools leaders. ASN has provided communications, programs, services, and events to support these goals for more than 30 years. ASN members represent art leaders, schools, and organizations from around the world. Together, they share experiences and expertise in such areas as planning, facilities, finance and fundraising, admissions and recruitment, teacher training, arts integration, community and parent relations, evaluation, career development, and more.