Turnaround Arts

Turnaround Arts is a national program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education, the National Endowment for the Arts, several foundations and corporations, and local program partners. It was founded in 2011 by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, a White House advisory committee on cultural issues, under the Obama Administration. The program is based on the premise that high-quality and integrated arts education can strengthen school reform efforts, boost academic achievement, and increase student engagement in schools facing some of the toughest educational challenges in the country. The program currently works in 73 schools across the country, in 37 districts and 17 states and the District of Columbia. As part of Turnaround Arts, schools receive an array of arts education services designed to increase their opportunities for success, engage their community, and raise the visibility of their achievements. Key to these efforts is building arts education programming that is rigorous, effective, and integrated holistically into the school, as well as strategically targeted to addressing larger school challenges. The program works closely with each school throughout the year to help the school community plan and implement their programming and ensure its quality and impact.