Turnaround Arts

Turnaround Arts
Name	Turnaround Arts
Type	Nonprofit initiative
Founded	2012
Founder	Michelle Obama
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Area served	United States
Focus	Arts education, school improvement

Turnaround Arts is a federal initiative started to use visual arts, music, and performance to support transformation in low-performing schools. The program pairs public elementary and secondary schools with professional artists, cultural institutions, and philanthropic organizations to integrate arts-based strategies into school improvement plans, community engagement, and student supports. It connects artists and institutions with policy actors, local administrators, and school districts to promote whole-school change through creative instruction, professional development, and cultural partnerships.

Overview

Turnaround Arts operates at the intersection of arts policy, school reform, and cultural diplomacy, collaborating with institutions such as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, Smithsonian Institution, and local museums. The initiative engages artists from diverse fields including composers, choreographers, painters, and theater directors associated with entities like the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, American Ballet Theatre, and Lincoln Center. Partner artists have included figures tied to institutions such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Grammy Awards, and Pulitzer Prize winners. Operating with support from foundations such as the Ford Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, and Carnegie Corporation of New York, the program focuses on measurable school metrics while leveraging cultural capital from museums, orchestras, and arts councils.

History and Development

The initiative began as part of a White House effort associated with the Obama administration and the Office of the First Lady during Michelle Obama’s tenure, drawing on precedents from arts integration pilots in districts like Chicago Public Schools, Los Angeles Unified School District, and Boston Public Schools. Early models referenced research from university centers such as Teachers College, Columbia University, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and University of California, Los Angeles. Expansion phases involved collaborations with mayors’ offices including those of Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington, D.C., and coordination with state education agencies in California, Texas, and New York (state). The program’s rollouts were informed by comparative projects like the Turnaround for Children model, community arts partnerships exemplified by El Sistema in Venezuela, and arts-based youth development initiatives linked to YouthBuild and AmeriCorps.

Programs and Initiatives

Turnaround Arts implements a suite of interventions including artist residencies, classroom coaching, professional development for principals and teachers, and community concerts or exhibitions hosted at venues such as the Carnegie Hall, Museum of Modern Art, and the National Gallery of Art. It supports curriculum integration drawing on repertoires and productions comparable to programs by the Royal Shakespeare Company, New Victory Theater, and Guggenheim Museum. Initiatives include mentorship programs with organizations like the Juilliard School, summer intensives modeled on Broadway rehearsal processes, and cross-sector collaborations with United Way, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and local arts councils. Evaluation components have been designed in partnership with research organizations including RAND Corporation, SRI International, and university labs at Stanford University and University of Michigan.

Impact and Evaluation

Evaluations have examined academic outcomes, attendance records, disciplinary incidents, and arts participation, aligning metrics with standards used by bodies such as the U.S. Department of Education and the National Center for Education Statistics. Published analyses referenced methodologies from think tanks like the Brookings Institution and Annenberg Institute for School Reform and peer-reviewed studies appearing in journals associated with American Educational Research Association and Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. Reported impacts include changes in standardized test performance comparable to gains documented in district arts integration studies in New York City and Dallas Independent School District, reductions in suspensions paralleling trends observed in restorative-practices pilots in Oakland Unified School District, and increased family engagement similar to outcomes from community arts programs in Philadelphia. Longitudinal tracking efforts have drawn on data systems used by National Student Clearinghouse and state longitudinal data systems in California and Texas.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources blend federal seed support, private philanthropy, and in-kind contributions from cultural institutions. Major philanthropic partners have included the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and family foundations connected to civic initiatives in cities like Chicago and Los Angeles. Corporate partners and donors have involved entities linked to Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and technology firms that collaborate with arts education programs at Google and Microsoft. Local partnerships frequently involve municipal agencies such as the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, school district offices like Chicago Public Schools, and university arts centers including University of California, Los Angeles School of the Arts.

Criticism and Controversies

Critiques have focused on sustainability, scaling, and attribution of outcomes, echoing debates in literature on program replication criticized in cases involving No Child Left Behind-era interventions and contested evaluations of philanthropic initiatives like those funded by Gates Foundation. Observers have questioned whether short-term injections of cultural programming can produce durable institutional change without systemic policy reforms advocated by analysts at Education Trust and Economic Policy Institute. Concerns about equity and selection bias have been raised by scholars affiliated with Teachers College, Columbia University and civic watchdogs such as ProPublica, while debates over arts curriculum priorities have paralleled controversies involving arts funding decisions in municipal budgets in New York City and San Francisco. Legal and procurement challenges have surfaced in some districts similar to disputes in Chicago Public Schools procurement cases.

Category:Arts education in the United States Category:Educational programs