Kennedy Center: Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network

The KCAAEN develops and provides tools and resources that assist in developing and assessing programs related to arts education for two targeted audiences:

General Community: a community that includes educators, teaching artists, arts institutions, parents, and other advocates.
KCAAEN Members: State Alliance organizations and members of the national Alliance network.

For the General Community

The Arts Beyond the School Day: Extending the Power
A special report compiled by a joint task force of the Kennedy Center Alliance for the Arts Education Network and Kennedy Center Partners in Education. Published by the Kennedy Center in November 2000, this report provides information about opportunities for arts education within the after-school arena and a protocol for evaluating quality after-school programs in the arts.

A Community Audit for Arts Education: Better Schools, Better Skills, Better Communities
In November 2000, the KCAAEN developed an effective tool known as A Community Audit for Arts Education: Better Schools, Better Skills, Better Communities , to assist local education, community and cultural leaders in assessing the status of arts education in their schools and school districts, and to encourage community partnerships to strengthen and expand arts education for all students. While designed to encourage serious evaluation, it is most valuable as a vehicle for encouraging conversation and community planning in support of arts education.

The Audit was updated in May 2007 and is now available as a workable pdf. This version is best viewed using Adobe Reader 6.0 or higher. If you would like to save your edits to the Audit, please use Adobe Acrobat Professional.

A Community Audit for Arts Education: Findings Report
The Findings Report is a document that shares the use of an audit process that KCAAEN developed (A Community Audit for Arts Education: Better Schools, Better Skills, Better Communities) used by 11 demonstration site communities. Published in July 2002 by the Kennedy Center, the research findings in the report have provided new information and important insights for local school and community leaders interested in providing an education that includes the arts for children.

A Community Audit for Arts Education Addendum
In June 2003, an Addendum to the Findings Report was published that summarizes the work of five additional national demonstrations sites that used A Community Audit for Arts Education in 2002-2003 .

Both the Findings Report and Addendum are designed to help other communities understand the ways in which the Audit was used by the demonstration sites and to summarize the impact of this process on building support for arts education in these communities.

For KCAAEN Members

KCAAEN Self-Assessment Kit
The KCAAEN Self-Assessment Kit is a framework for State Alliances to use to conduct an assessment of their operations, programs and services. This kit was designed in 1999 for the use of staff and board members involved with managing State Alliances. This guide will assist State Alliances to understand how they are performing by providing a comprehensive overview of all aspects of managing the work of State Alliances as independent, non-profit organizations.

KCAAEN Leadership Kit
Designed in 2003 as a companion piece to the KCAAEN Self- Assessment Kit , the KCAAEN Leadership Kit is a framework to support leadership development needs of State Alliances. The kit guides individuals to understand their leadership role within the context of executive director, chair with staff, chair without staff, and board member.

The KCAAEN Self-Assessment Kit and KCAAEN Leadership Kit were updated in December of 2007 and are now available as workable pdfs. These versions are best viewed using Adobe Reader 6.0 or higher. If you would like to save your edits to these documents, please use Adobe Acrobat Professional.