Sarah Jessica Parker visits Bethune to see how arts improve learning

Star Tribune, Alejandra Matos… Students at Bethune Community School performed spoken word poetry, songs and chants for actor Sarah Jessica Parker on Monday as part of a program intended to help the school boost academic achievement through the arts. Kindergartners, wearing glittery wings, sang about the life cycle of a butterfly. Third-graders shared their dreams and ambitions through beat boxing spoken word, and a group of students in a stomp group proclaimed black lives matter. The performances illustrated the way teachers and administrators have used arts to rethink the way they teach different concepts to students. The school was selected to participate in a national program known as Turnaround Arts, which targets the nation’s lowest performing schools with arts-focused curriculum and resources. The program is an initiative of President Obama’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. Bethune is one of 54 schools around the country and four schools in the state that are in the program. http://www.startribune.com/bethune-students-show-actor-sarah-jessica-parker-how-arts-improve-learning/304186761/