Principles

The ArtsBridge school/university partnership model supports top undergraduate and graduate students through scholarships, fellowships, and/or course credit, in return for their offering instruction in K-12 classrooms. Arts instruction provided by ArtsBridge is linked to national and state K-12 educational standards.

ArtsBridge emphasizes hands-on, participatory instruction. The primary goal is to engage school children actively in the acquisition of knowledge and skills, the creation of art, and discovery across disciplines.

ArtsBridge responds to local priorities. School teachers identify the needs of their classroom and are actively involved in the definition and desired outcomes of their ArtsBridge projects.

ArtsBridge projects are integrated into the school day and bridge to other subjects in the curriculum.

ArtsBridge projects offer one-on-one professional support to teachers in their classrooms. The projects are sustainable; ArtsBridge scholars document their projects so that teachers can continue to use them after the initial project has ended.

ArtsBridge measures the quality and impact of its work through observation reports, teacher and scholar evaluations, pre-post tests, and other means of measuring cognitive social and personal development in participating students.

ArtsBridge concentrates on low-performing public schools, and works to promote academic preparedness, and access to higher education for all children.