RACC and Right Brain seek community input on arts education

Issued on February 2, 2011

Three surveys launch the Portland area Any Given Child initiative; results will help shape a long-range plan for the region

The Regional Arts & Culture Council and The Right Brain Initiative invite residents of Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties to participate in one of three surveys taking stock of local K-8 arts education resources. These surveys are part of the first phase of the Any Given Child initiative, a national program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts spearheaded locally by Right Brain.

The three surveys can be found at the links below:

• Licensed staff currently employed by K-8 schools in the Gresham-Barlow, Hillsboro, North Clackamas or Portland Public School districts (deadline 2/7). (http://svy.mk/hIIt1l)
• Artists and arts organizations that currently provide K-8 education in the tri-county region (deadline 2/14). (http://svy.mk/eWXouD)
• All other community members (deadline 3/20). (English http://svy.mk/f1e1GD / Español http://svy.mk/h0FO7K)

The Portland metropolitan area was selected in June 2010 by the Kennedy Center as the third site nationally to participate in Any Given Child. Since October 2010, the Kennedy Center has worked with the Portland regional Any Given Child Community Arts Team to articulate a vision for equitable arts education and to develop these surveys. The results of the surveys will help the team create a long-range plan to ensure comprehensive arts education for all K-8 students in the Portland region. The team was assembled with a combination of school district administrators, arts educators and community leaders.

The completed plan and survey results will be released at a public event in August of 2011.

The Any Given Child team plans to distribute these surveys broadly. They request help from the public to forward the survey links to their communities; particularly those with views that might be underrepresented. Community surveys are available in English and Spanish; to request surveys in other languages, or hard copies, contact Rebecca Burrell at the information listed above.

About The Right Brain Initiative
The Right Brain Initiative is a sustainable partnership of public schools, local government, foundations, businesses and the cultural community, which launched its programming in Portland area classrooms in January 2009. The program’s goal is to achieve a measurable impact on learning by integrating the community’s arts and cultural resources into the education of every K-8 student in the Portland metropolitan region’s school districts. The Right Brain Initiative is a project of the Regional Arts & Culture Council, with Young Audiences of Oregon & SW Washington serving as Implementation Partner. Read more online at www.TheRightBrainInitiative.org.

About Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC)
RACC is a nonprofit arts services organization serving the Portland metropolitan area, including Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties. In addition to serving as the managing partner for The Right Brain Initiative, RACC provides grants for artists, arts organizations, schools and other community-based arts projects; conducts workplace giving for arts and culture (“Work for Art”) and other advocacy efforts; provides workshops and other forms of technical assistance; shares printed and web-based resources for artists; and integrates artwork into public places. Read more online at www.racc.org.