USA TODAY…The last time Aleya McBride visited the White House, she was following around a tour guide during a class field trip. On Wednesday, the wiry 10-year-old with the unruly poof of black hair was going to dance for first lady Michelle Obama.
Turnaround Arts is a national program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It was founded in 2011 by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, a White House advisory committee on cultural issues, under the leadership of former First Lady Michelle Obama. The program is based on the premise that high-quality and integrated arts education can strengthen school transformation efforts, boost academic achievement, and increase student engagement in schools facing some of the toughest educational challenges in the country.
Struggling schools hope arts focus can provide a boost