Why We’re Here: ActUp Knows…
THE IMPORTANCE OF ARTS EDUCATION:
Arts education levels the "learning field" across socio-economic boundaries, improves student retention and reduces the achievement gap
Students who attend schools with high levels of poverty have the least access to arts instruction
Arts positively engage students and their families to help them to build ties, support, and lasting memories
Children with limited English-language proficiency are at an especially high risk of academic failure
THE REALITY:
29% of public schools in Connecticut offer no study in any arts discipline
Only 48% of African-American and Latino students who start 9th-grade graduate four years later
Chronic absenteeism affects 25.3 percent of Hartford students
Hartford School District is among the nation's most at-risk to drop out of school
Hartford School have over 20,000 students with 49 schools and only 12.76 % of Hartford schools offer theater arts programming
According to Attendance Works, more than 8 million children are "academically at-risk" because they're not in school enough. Connecticut's rate of chronic absence is 10.7 percent
OUR QUALITATIVE IMPACT:
Impacted the culture of our community
Establish teamwork with casts for different geographical and socio-economic backgrounds
Provide opportunities on and off stage
Build confidence and social skills
Motivate students to strive towards their goals
Improve speaking and presentation skills
Encourage good behavior in school
Create lifelong memories
