Amount Spent Per Year on Enrichment
Annual Enrichment Expenditures
$10,000
$8,872
$7,500
$6,975
$5,650
$5,000
Top-Income
Bottom-Income
$2,500
$0
$3,536
$835
1972-1973
$1,264
1983-1984
$1,173
1994-1995
$1,315
2005-2006
Source: Greg J. Duncan and Richard J Murnane, “Introduction: The American Dream, Then and Now,” in
Whither Opportunity: Rising Inequality, Schools, and Children’s Life Chances, edited
by Greg J. Duncan and Richard Murnane, 11. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2011. Authors’ calculations
based on Consumer Expenditure Surveys, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
More Funding for Some
“Communities where student poverty is rare tend to have wellfunded schools, whereas schools in communities where
student poverty is rampant tend to receive much less funding.”
Percentage of Students Living in Poverty
Total Per-Student Expenditures
25
22.6
20
20.2
17.8
15
15.4
12
10
10.6
11.2
9.4
7.6
5
0
A Research Synthesis / Unequal School Funding in the United States
Bruce J. Biddle and David C. Berliner
7.8
6.4
Triple Inequality
Out-of-School
Resources
In-School
Resources
Money
What is the Opportunity Gap in Learning
Outside the Classroom ?
Thousands of low-income students experience
• Inconsistent access to educational supports
• Programs that are punitive
• Curriculum that doesn’t differ from their
school day learning
• Few opportunities to pursue their passions
• Little family-oriented experiences
• Little literacy-oriented experiences
How do we provide afterschool and summer
learning opportunities that are high-quality,
replicable and scalable?
BIG Idea
Big Thought’s mission is to
make imagination a part of
everyday learning.
We innovate education to
draw students in to learning,
thereby helping them succeed
What is So Exciting About Out of School Time?
“This is the closest it gets to
real teaching, to real school.”
-Thriving Minds Summer
Instructor
Pacing
Focus
Curriculum
Parental Involvement
Staffing
School Culture
What Do Thriving Minds Program Look Like?
Creative
•
•
•
•
Exploratory
Project-based
Hands-on
Combines math, science, and technology with arts and culture
Engaging
• Career and personal development
• Focuses on students’ individuality and “spark”
• Provides a variety of opportunities in diverse environments
Collaborative
• Created and implemented in partnership with multiple
stakeholders
• Shared vision of success and shared goals
What Does Creativity Look Like?
A student learning
a new dance
works with a
teaching artist …
Who explicitly
connects fractions
to whole turns
and quarter steps
Integrated and
Active/Hands-On
A Student in
West Dallas learns of
the achievements of Latino architect
Santiago Calatrava
Community
Focused
Creative activities tie-in
to school day curriculum
and are observed for
quality
Rigorous
What Does Engagement Look Like?
Relevant
Experiential
Engaged
• I want to use it later
• I’m making something
• Improved academics
• It will benefit me in my
career/life
• I’m meeting new people
• Improved Developmental
Assets
• It makes sense to me
• I’m seeing places I’ve
never seen
• Increased chance of staying
in school
Thriving Minds Success
Percentage of High-Impact Learning* Occurring in
Thriving Minds 2007-2011
*Research conducted in partnership with Dallas ISD Evaluation and Accountability and WolfBrown, using a rubric based on the Principles of
Learning developed by the Institute for Learning, the National Standards for Arts Education, and the Framework for 21 st Century Learning,
developed by the Partnership for 21st Century Learning Skills.
www.creatingquality.org
Thriving Minds Afterschool Student Progress
Thriving Minds Afterschool TAKS Reading
Passing Rates 2008-2011
Thriving Minds Afterschool TAKS Math
Passing Rates 2008-2011
T= Terms, which includes fall, spring and summer, taken from 2008-2011. 1400 Thriving Minds students participated in the study.
Thriving Minds Summer TAKS Score
Improvements 2010-2011
Reading
Reading
Score 2010 Score 2011
Math Score Math Score
2010
2011
What Does Collaboration Look Like?
Thriving Minds Summer
• 6,000 elementary students and 1,350 middle school students
served at more than 13 Dallas locations
• 1,000 elementary and middle school students served in 10
cultural centers and community sites
• 58 juveniles on probation received and eight-week theater and
fine arts residency
• 1,400 rising third graders studied by researchers to determine
how Dallas Children are faring against summer learning loss
• 900 educators, including 250 artists and nonprofit staff,
instructed Dallas kids
• 175 hours of professional development provided for instructors
Who Paid For What: Thriving Minds
Summer Camps
Dallas ISD
The City of Dallas
Types of Funds
Types of Funds
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
General Operating Funds
Temporary ESL (TESL)
Texas Department of Agriculture
Texas Education Agency
Title One
Title Two
Covers:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Classroom teachers
School administration
Custodial Services
Facilities
Transportation
General Supplies
General Operating Funds
Office of Cultural Affairs
Covers:
•
•
Cultural Facilities
Community Instructors
Private Funds
Types of Funds
•
•
•
Local, State and National Foundations
Local, State and National Public Funds
Local Private Funders
Covers:
•
•
•
•
Specialized Instructors
Mission-oriented work
Value-add components
Innovative projects
Sustainability Challenges
Leadership
• Changes occur frequently
• Sometimes leadership falls out of favor
Private Funds
• Have a short lifespan
• Cannot scale effectively
Public Funds
• Are not dependable past their grant cycle
Public Needs
• Organization must realign work with innovation and
flexibility