Institutional Partners


Our Institutional Lead Partner: DREAMYARD

The DreamYard Project is a non-profit organization that helps transform school communities through the power of arts education. DreamYard trains professional artists to work side-by-side with classroom teachers to help students develop the skills to use the arts to form connections between what they are learning and the world around them. DreamYard understands that it is imperative to direct a young person's creativity toward positive goals as we strive to develop well-rounded and engaged citizens.

DreamYard currently provides yearlong in-school programs to 8,500 Bronx youth. Of the 40 schools with which they partner, 15 are middle schools. With DreamYard's help, DY Prep is working to establish an educational pathway that will serve as a recruitment mechanism, attracting young people who are already well versed in learning through arts based project work.

As the Lead Partner of DY Prep, DreamYard provides the following support:

  1. DreamYard artists who: 1) collaborate with academic teachers to develop and implement art-integrated projects, 2) serve as Community Advisors, 3) participate in staff development workshops and curriculum planning, and 4) design the elective and arts major courses
  2. DreamYard will establish an After School Arts Company program to DY Prep. The Arts Company Model has proven effective in four other schools providing after school programming in theater, visual art, creative writing/publication and dance
  3. DreamYard students present their original poems, songs, plays, paintings, and dances in the school community and throughout the city. DY Prep students will present at venues such as: the Bronx Museum, Lehman College, Sotheby's, Scholastic, The Point and Hostos Community College.
  4. DreamYard will host several retreats for the teachers and teaching artists over the course of each school year. At these retreats, the school community will cover such areas as documentation, portfolio development and integrated curriculum development
  5. A DreamYard Director odf arts Programming will work to support all aspects of arts programming including the collaborative teaching teams, other arts partnerships and student exhibitions/performances

Our Institutional Partner: New Visions for Public Schools

New Visions for Public Schools, founded in 1989, is the largest education reform organization dedicated to improving the quality of education children receive in New York City's public schools. Working with the public and private sectors, New Visions develops programs and policies to energize teaching and learning and to raise the level of student achievement.

Their goal is to ensure that all students have access to effective schools that enable them to realize their full potential and become productive citizens. They believe the guiding principles for effective schools are:

  1. A Rigorous Instructional Program
  2. Personalized Relationships
  3. Clear Focus and Expectations
  4. Strong Instructional Leadership
  5. School-based Professional Development and Collaboration
  6. Meaningful Continuous Assessment of Student Learning
  7. Partnerships with Community Organizations
  8. Family/Caregiver Engagement and Involvement
  9. Student Participation and Youth Development
  10. Effective Uses of Technology and Information Resources