Boston Arts Academy
| Boston Arts Academy | |
|---|---|
School building
|
|
| Address | |
|
174 Ipswich St. Boston, Massachusetts 02215 United States |
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| Information | |
| School type | Public high school |
| Founded | 1998 |
| School district | Boston Public Schools |
| Dean | Kathleen Marsh Joy Bautista |
| Headmaster | Anne R. Clark |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 440 |
| Classes offered | Academics, The Arts |
| Hours in school day | 12 |
| Affiliations | ProArts Consortium |
| Website | bostonartsacademy |
Boston Arts Academy (BAA) in Boston, Massachusetts, USA is Boston's first and only high school for the visual and performing arts and is a partnership between Boston Public Schools and the ProArts Consortium. ProArts, a group of six arts colleges and universities in the Boston area, pushed the city to open the school, which was founded in 1998. The Consortium continues to support the school with performance space, music lessons and free college-level classes to BAA students.
BAA won the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the National Schools of Distinction in Arts Education Award for the 2009-2010 school year from the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network.
BAA is Boston's only public school dedicated to the arts. The school day has no sports, yet is eight hours, two hours longer than normal schools, to allow for classes in the arts disciplines. The school offers an arts and academic education for students and inspires them to pursue higher education. BAA was also Boston's first full-inclusion high school; students with disabilities are fully integrated into the school program. Alumni achievements demonstrate the school's value as a step to success.
Although admission is academic-blind, eighth graders must audition to be accepted to the performing arts program. In 2007, only 27% of the dance applicants were accepted, just 6% were accepted to the drumming program; and just 25 of the 81 theater applicants. BAA had 800 applicants for 150 slots in 2011.
BAA offers an education to urban youth who come from less-than ideal backgrounds. Because of BAA's success with urban students, the school is involved in public education reform. Its use of the arts as a strategy for improving teaching and learning has attracted national and international attention. Through the school’s Center for Arts in Education, BAA’s best practices are documented and shared with educators, administrators and policymakers worldwide.
In 2010, the school ran a pilot program for 125 ninth graders in summer school, who spent Fridays at BAA in remedial courses with recent BAA graduates as teachers. The students had very poor attendance records and social problems, such as direct experience with violence. Most were in danger of not being promoted. The program was set up to rekindle an interest in school through non-traditional learning using theater, music, martial arts, poetry and other art forms.
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