First Lady Michelle Obama, the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH), the U.S. Department of Education, the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) and a number of top performers and artists will participate in a series of events this week to showcase the importance of arts and music education to student achievement. The events will spotlight the Turnaround Arts initiative, a successful PCAH pilot program to help turn around low-performing schools, narrow the achievement gap, and increase student engagement through the arts.

In May 2012, the President’s Committee, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education and the White House Domestic Policy Council, launched the Turnaround Arts initiative as a pilot program in eight “turnaround schools” across the country—public schools in the lowest-achieving five percent of their state that are receiving School Improvement Grants through the U.S. Department of Education. Over the last two years, the Turnaround Arts initiative has brought intensive arts education resources and expertise into the pilot schools and worked with school leadership to make the arts a pillar of their reform strategy. Interim evaluation results show that participating schools are demonstrating improved academic performance, increased student and parent engagement and improved culture and climate.

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