An After-school Cultural Arts Program (2005)

Abstract This article focuses on an after-school cultural arts program as an oasis in a test-preparation environment. It explains the school and program, defines culture, and includes a discussion of methods and program evaluation. Introduction Students in grades 2-5 had an opportunity to enter an oasis on their test-focused campus by participating in an after-school cultural arts program. This article describes and evaluates the enrichment program offered in a South Texas school serving mostly low-income Latino children. School Description Tarea is a pre-K-5 campus with approximately 400 students. It is one of the oldest, smallest, and poorest elementary schools in its South Texas district and is part of a federal empowerment zone. Approximately 75% of its students are English language learners and 99% are Latino. Yet because of its smallness, Tarea gets less district funding than the large elementary schools and it has no art teacher. However, it has a 98% attendance rate, partly because it is a neighborhood school. Another important context is Tarea's testing focus. Although the Texas Education Agency had rated Tarea exemplary for several years, district and school administrators had teachers focus on the state-mandated Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). Similarly, Guerrero and Sloan (2001) discovered that teachers in four exemplary elementary schools (one urban and three on the Mexican border) focused instruction on the Texas-mandated test. School administrators serving primarily low-income students and English language learners often worry about test scores, concentrate on the basics, and eliminate non-tested subjects (Martinez, 1999). ALAS Description ALAS, the enrichment program I created and taught at Tarea, was not only an escape from seatwork and state benchmarks, but an oasis participants entered through beaded curtains. This oasis allowed participants to explore the world through the arts and authentic literature. ALAS (an acronym for Arts and Literacy to Achieve Success in English or wings in Spanish), was made possible because of a $5,000 grant from the Kenedy Foundation which paid for supplies and my assistant. ALAS was also made possible because of 87 volunteers: 21 graduate and undergraduate students and 7 professors, 4 Tarea teachers, 5 community members, and 50 adult family members of participants. These volunteers presented mini-lessons, assisted in class activities and cooking, performed dances, helped in decorating the room monthly, and shot photos. From November 2002 to April 2003, participants learned about their own and other cultures through authentic reading and writing and hands-on experiences in the arts (e.g., creating a Chinese dragon head for a dragon dance). Participants attended ALAS twice weekly; each session started at 3:30 and ended at 5 p.m. Twelve third graders studied Native Americans in November. Seven fourth graders learned about Africa in December. Fifteen fifth graders explored China in January. Nine second graders examined Mexico in February. Seven third graders investigated Morocco in March. Lastly, twelve fifth graders focused on the arts (e.g., creating pantomime, performing a play, and exploring art styles) in April. There were 53 participants, nine of whom participated twice; an average of 10 students attended monthly. ALAS goals were to: 1) involve parents in their children's literacy development, 2) involve the community to support family literacy, 3) increase students' and parents' knowledge and skills in social studies, and 4) increase students' enthusiasm and skills in learning and literacy. The following schedule connects ALAS goals with daily activities and assists those interested in program replication: Tuesdays began with pairs selecting and reading narrative and expository children's books in the ALAS room; these books related to the month's theme. Next, participants formed a circle on our gathering rug, summarized their books, read their favorite sentences aloud, and explained why these were their favorites. …