Arts SURVIVE

Arts Survive investigated arts education partnerships in schools in order to ascertain why some partnerships survive and others do not. The program studied two types of partnerships: those that are securely positioned in and supported by school and community, and those that are less mature (perhaps less secure) and reflect some common difficulties faced by many partnerships.

Arts Survive had two main goals:

1) To be of value to educators struggling with the difficult decisions and practical problems of how to incorporate arts education into the life of school and community; and

2) to make a significant contribution to a discussion of arts education and its relationship to school reform, especially regarding the establishment and maintenance of innovative arts partnerships.

Through careful study of how leaders of surviving partnerships have negotiated the integration of arts partnerships into the life of their schools, Arts Survive identified critical keys to partnership survival. It also provided a greater understanding of what survival means to arts education partnerships and what circumstances, activities, and interactions among teachers, parents, administrators, artists, community members, students, and others are essential to build and sustain lasting partnerships.

The project produced a resource guide that features models, histories, and lessons learned by those involved in arts education partnerships, as well as relevant theory and research.