Community and education leaders in Kansas City decided that they could harness the considerable cultural resources of their metropolitan area . . . including such treasures as the Nelson Gallery-Atkins Museum and Missouri Repertory Theater. . . for learning. In 1986 they replaced the haphazard system of field trips and artist visits with a systematic approach to how students use these valuable learning resources throughout their school career . . . from kindergarten through twelfth grade.
Through Arts Partners, each visit by artists to schools and every field trip is connected to the core learning objectives of each of the participating school districts. The result has been a remarkable increase in the effectiveness of these activities. School leaders talk about "value-added" by making these connections and cultural leaders talk about the innovative ways they now view their collections and performance activities as educational resources.