Tom Horne To Honor Howell Arts Program for Selection in National Study

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Estella Zavala or Karen Gallagher, 225-6437 
Posted on: November 21, 2005

State Superintendent Tom Horne will honor Peter Howell Elementary School with a Certificate of Recognition for its inclusion in the book Third Space: When Learning Matters which describes how the arts transform schools, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00a.m. Nov. 28 at Howell Elementary School, 401 N. Irving. 

Commissioned by Arts Education Partnership, the book is based on a three-year research study and describes the process of transformation in ten elementary, middle, and high schools serving economically disadvantaged students in urban and rural regions of the country. It draws on current research in cognitive science, student engagement, and youth development to explore how and why the arts have enabled the schools to succeed where others often fail.

Howell was selected for the study because it is one of the original research schools for Opening Minds through the Arts (OMA), a nationally recognized arts integration program shown to improve student achievement on nationally standardized tests. OMA is also featured on the Arts 4 Learning Website (www.arts4learning.org).

Now in its fifth year at TUSD, OMA integrates the fine arts into traditional curriculum for kindergarten through sixth-grade students. The OMA model is based on extensive research on the neurological development of children. Using opera, dance, costume design and music, students learn new ways to view and understand complex math and language problems. Classroom teachers collaborate on lessons with professional artists from throughout the Tucson community and an OMA arts integration specialist who is assigned to each school to work with the teachers, artists, and students. Further information can be found at www.omaproject.org.

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