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M-DCPS AWARDED $1 MILLION GRANT FOR CULTURAL FIELD EXPERIENCES This year, 130,000 Miami-Dade Public School students will be able to take a cultural field trip – twice the current number – with new funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Miami-Dade schools’ Cultural Passport Program received a $1 million grant as part of the foundation’s Knight Arts Challenge. A total of $3.8 million in challenge funds will be distributed among the 27 contest winners to bring South Florida together through the arts. “The Knight Foundation is giving thousands of Miami-Dade County Public Schools students the opportunity to learn about the arts first-hand through visits to world class theaters, galleries and museums,” said Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho. “Our community will benefit from young minds being inspired by art, music, theater and dance, and we can expect to see great things from these youth far into the future.” The Cultural Passport program helps develop a lifelong appreciation for the arts among K-12 students through age-appropriate cultural field experiences. Students will visit museums and art galleries and experience live musical, theatrical, and dance performances in the course of their education with additional support from the District’s Foundation for New Education Initiatives, Inc., and partnerships with local arts and cultural organizations. Educators guide students in making meaningful connections between the arts and other core subjects while further developing literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills that research indicates improve overall academic performance. "For so many children, that first cultural field trip - many times their first visit to a museum or theater - leaves an indelible impression. Cultural Passport will now ensure that more Miami-Dade kids have the opportunity to visit one of this region's cultural gems," said Dennis Scholl, Knight Foundation's vice president/arts. During the 2009-10 school year, the Cultural Passport program was piloted in nine high-school feeder patterns, including 13 middle schools, seven K-8 centers and 48 elementary schools. More than 50,000 students, from grades K-12, participated in cultural field experiences and connected learning activities. In the 2010-2011 school year, the reach of the program is being doubled to serve students in a total of 18 feeder patterns. # # # 10-JS/300/HD |
