How Has the History of After-School Art Education Programs in Boston’s South End Shaped the Way Students Learn Today?
History and Review of What is Known:
After school programs began in the form of settlement houses when Samuel & Henrietta Barnett created the first settlement house in hopes of “bridging the gulf that industrialism had created between rich and poor, to reduce the mutual suspicion and ignorance of one class for the other, and to do something more than give charity” (Davis p. 6). This became a system where educators in the community lobbied together to better assist the poor in hopes for a brighter future for society.
The first known settlement house, Toynbee Hall, originated in the East End of London, England, and opened its doors to residents in 1884. The hall was located at the heart of both Jewish and Irish immigrant communities and Toynbee residents quickly became involved in campaigning for ethnic minorities.
In the nineteen-thirties, against the rise of fascism, Toynbee Hall was “mostly staffed by male graduates of Oxford and Cambridge who spent a few years engaged in social investigation and urban reform” (Skocpol p. 119-120). Residents of Toynbee went on to successful careers as civil servants. Toynbee Hall was named after Arnold Toynbee a young academic and earlier associate of the Barnett’s who dedicated his life to serving the poor.
Back in the United States, a gentleman by the name of Robert Woods was studying under and becoming highly influenced by his Professor, William Jewett Tucker of the Andover Theological Seminary. After a series of coursework, Robert decided to become a six-month resident student at Toynbee Hall in 1890. It was there that he learned about settlement houses and decided to establish one in Boston. Upon his return, Woods, with the help of others, established the first settlement house in Boston, The Andover House, which became the fourth settlement house in the US, the 1st being the Hull House in Chicago founded by Jane Addams.
The Andover House which shortly after was named the South End House opened its doors in 1892 at 6 Rollins Street in the South End and began developing after-school art based and other educational assistance programs.
The approach of settlement houses was to absorb newcomers into neighborhoods enriched by all cultures & income levels. These early programs assisted people with housing, public health, summer camps free concerts, art exhibitions, reading, job training and drama clubs.
Other settlement initiatives, such as the Children’s Art Centre built in 1918 at 36 Rutland St. in Boston’s South End, were implemented based on the South End House.
Through the efforts of settlement-house administrator, Albert Kennedy and Fitzroy Carrington, curator of prints at the MFA, art classes for boys and girls began. In the 1930s, the director of the Children’s Art Center began soliciting local artists and galleries for the purpose of rotating shows within the center.
The CAC gained the reputation as being a museum for children and also for their instruction in traditional art classes. The goal of the center was to inspire children to use their imaginations to the fullest in hopes of fostering an appreciation of the arts.
Well-known artist, Allan Rohan Crite received his start at the Children’s Art Centre in the South End. Encouraged by his poet mother, Crite, at an early age, enrolled in the Children’s Art Centre at United South End Settlements in Boston. He graduated from English High School in Jamaica Plain in 1929 and was accepted at Yale. Instead, he chose to go to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, graduating in 1936 (USES records).
The period from the 1930s through the 1960s was very active for the CAC. Young artists were literally bursting through the wrought iron gates to get into these classes. Children from all different backgrounds and ethnicities attended the CAC.
“In the 1950s and ’60s, most of Boston’s settlement programs, including CAC, merged into what is now known as the United South End Settlements or USES — the name still used today” (USES records).
The history of after school art based programs dates back to the 19th century. “After-school programs first emerged in the last quarter of the 19th century in the form of a small, idiosyncratic “boys’ clubs” often no more than a storefront or a room in a church or other local building” (Halpern, 2003 p.9). In 1960, The Children’s Art Center, along with the Harriet Tubman house, Lincoln House, The South End House, and the Haley House, formed the United South End Settlements (USES). These settlement houses were highly welcomed in the local neighborhood for it provided resources for adolescents that were otherwise unavailable. USES became a gateway for the redevelopment of the South End.
Gap in current knowledge:
Many studies have been conducted on how to better educate our students and figure out what is most effective. The list of studies is continuous on how to best educate our students. Despite the endless amounts of tests students are put through each year, the question still remains unanswered, what makes for effective teaching and why aren’t our students learning? John Holt puts it best in How Children Fail when he says:
“It is as true now as it was then that no matter what tests show, very little of what is taught in school is learned, very little of what is learned is remembered, and very little of what is remembered is used. The things we learn, remember, and use are the things we seek out or meet in the daily, serious, nonschool parts of our lives.”
This is a bold statement that sadly holds a large amount of truth to it. Students in traditional curriculum forced classrooms today are not retaining the material taught because is mostly taught “to the test”. After school and unschooled children are experiencing the benefits of having self directed curriculum while students in a traditional classroom are suffering. Researchers are not exploring and implementing the benefits of alternative teaching methods and students are paying the price. Why aren’t more people comparing results of after school and home-school art based programs with more formal education? It appears other successful models of educating students are not being taken seriously.
Question:
How has the history of after-school art education programs and the unschooled compare to traditional methods of teaching? How has each method shaped the way middle and high school students learn today?
Claim:
Ever since the conception of after school art education based programs in the 1800’s, student achievement has been highly successful and beneficial for those who have had such opportunities available to them. This rings true especially in low income and minority communities when comparing after school and unschool with traditional schooling.
After school art based programs and child centered schooling appear to provide more effective & more successful levels of learning and understanding than traditional art education classes do. Students’ who have after school art opportunities available to them or the freedom to study at “home” are more apt to succeed in college.
“What children need is not new and better curricula but access to more and more of the real world; plenty of time and space to think over their experiences, and to use fantasy and play to make meaning out of them; and advice, road maps, guidebooks, to make it easier for them to get where they want to go (not where we think they ought to go), and to find out what they want to find out” (Holt, 2003, p10).
How is it that some kids never go to school yet become well-rounded adults? Students need alternatives to formal education. It is evident that the current systems we have in place are doing more damage than good.
Reason:
There are many ways for students to grow, develop and learn without schooling. There are also many alternatives to teaching with a set or fixed curriculum. Students are choosing to attend after school based art programs because they can learn in an environment that is not centered around MCAS testing and achieving the highest scores.
“School itself has been found to be a steadily more unwelcoming place for low-income children as they advance in grade. Teachers’ styles often become less nurturing; for example, teachers give less positive reinforcement to children and spend less time conversing with them and listening to what they have to say”(Halpern/Calkins, p.117).
In after school and home schooling programs, students have the ability to strengthen their craftsmanship and trades with one on one individualized attention and not be under scheduled time restraints. Artists especially, understand passion and what it feels like to work on something they love for hours on end but feel as though only a few minutes have passed.
Most educators will agree that creative outlets strengthen confidence, creativity and expression and allow the student to develop individual voice. How are students able to retain information in the public school system when they are learning in a restrictive and biased environment where the primary goal is to achieving higher test scores? One would imagine this has a serious impact on their career choice and future decision-making. If a student is working on something they love, are passionate about, excites and energizes them, how frustrating might it be to have a 45 min. time restraint placed on it, especially if this is something they need in order to prepare them for a career in the arts or specific trade industries. This is a major part of what formal education has come to be, especially when we bring in standardized testing. “Human communities depend on a diversity of talent, not a singular conception of ability” (Sir Ken Robinson). Many would argue that a good teacher has the ability to teach every student no matter what the circumstances, however with the classroom sizes getting bigger and the competitive test results at their peak, this becomes a real challenge. We need to stop herding students like cattle in line for slaughter and instead let them flourish with more personalized curriculum.
In a recent TED talk, Sir Ken Robinson talks about how schools run much like factories do with their ringing bells, separate facilities and subject areas. He expresses concern with how we educate children by batches, separating them by age group. If students’ main goal is to achieve the highest placement scores and forget everything else, how are they any different from one another when they graduate? They almost become clones and everything becomes standardized.
“Key attributes of good after-school programs – such as time and opportunity to explore talents, interests, and possible identities without risk of failure or ridicule; emphasis on experience for its own sake and on process rather than product; an the idea of adults spending time with children that is focused on children’s lives and agenda – turn sour when linked to narrowly instrumental aims and societal worries” (Halpern p. 118).
Advocates of after school art based programs and home schooling such as John Holt & Howard Gardner would agree that traditional classroom time is not for every student, in fact, it might even be detrimental to the learning of many students. Programs such as the Children’s Art Center in Boston’s South End for example provide students with the freedom to learn in a creative and unstructured environment.
Evidence:
Two recent studies on the benefits of after school programs conducted by Speilberger & Halpern show that “Children typically felt safe and free from pressures experienced elsewhere and also saw after school programs as places where they could be themselves” (Halpern p. 118). Feeling and being safe are key elements in being able to learn and try new activities. In addition, it is important to note that in good after-school programs, students are given the time and opportunity to explore talents, interests, and possible identities without risk of failure or ridicule; emphasis is placed on experience for its own sake and on process rather than product. The idea of having adults spend time with children that is focused on children’s lives and agenda is so important.
John Holt, a huge promoter in home schooling says in How Children Fail “Forcing children to learn makes them unnaturally self-conscious about learning and stifles children’s initiative and creativity by making them focus on how to please the teacher and the school with the answers they will reward best” (Farenga p. 2). But there are not a lot of studies out there comparing home school and after school with formal education.
There are many differences between after school, home school and formal education. Here are a few key items of alternative schooling and reasons parents are choosing home school and students are choosing after school based art programs in place of or in addition to formal education:
- Students can learn in an environment that is not centered around MCAS testing and achieving the highest scores.
- Students can build confidence, self control, develop original ideas, think critically, work in teams, and develop creative problem solving skills in a safe environment without risk of failure or ridicule.
- Students learn craftsmanship and trade in technical and conceptual areas of visual, performance and movement arts with more individualized attention without a time restraint.
- Emphasis is placed on experience for its own sake and on process rather than product with a focus on children’s lives and agenda.
- Small and intimate class sizes with more individualized attention and unrestricted class time.
- Utilize the arts as a catalyst for promoting literacy and critical thinking skills.
- Improve the community as a whole by providing a venue for friendship building across racial, cultural, political and economic divides.
- Help to develop and support arts programs in local public schools.
- Because educating children is a parent’s business, not the government’s.
The bottom line is that parents want to keep children from being hurt, mentally, physically, and spiritually, home-schooling and after school programs can assist with parents and students needs. Too much emphasis is being placed on test scores and the benefits of choosing non-traditional schooling seem to get lost along the way.
“What is most important and valuable about the home as a base for children’s growth in the word is not that it is a better school than the schools but that it isn’t a school at all” (Holt, 2003, p.10).
John Holt’s statements opposing traditional schooling are harsh but genuine. Unschool or after school students are able to self select their courses and utilize as much time as needed to complete assignments. Often times multiple age groups are mixed as opposed to grouping students by age which becomes extremely important in a students growth and learning process. These experiences in addition to a flexible curriculum allow for a more nurturing environment and give students the freedom to experiment with that which they are naturally driven to.
Conclusion:
It begins to make sense why students seek alternatives to formal education, especially artistic students who’s art programs have been cut or shortened or who’s AP art classes revolve around the MCAS test and do not allow room for creative expression and experimentation.
“Test scores can be made to rise by narrowing the curriculum. Art, music, creative writing, physical education, recess, ROTC, and so forth are all reduced in time or dropped from the curriculum when schools need to increase their scores on the state tests” (Amrein p.5).
The Children’s Art Center still holds a strong presence in Boston’s South End today. Without it, many Boston-area middle and high school students would not have assistance in focused visual arts instruction and assistance in portfolio preparation.
All students participating in CAC’s preschool and after-school programs for example, are required to attend visual arts classes on a weekly basis, with additional instruction in dance and music offered through partnerships with the New England Conservatory of Music. Staff is hired on a volunteer basis. The Children’s Art Centre has resumed its role as a special neighborhood-gathering place where residents of all ages explore their creativity under the guidance of experienced practicing artists.
After school programs assist students in developing professional skills through exposure with local art resources such as galleries, artist studios and museums, and they aid students in personalized programs that best suit the student’s interests and provide structure and guidance throughout the college application process. Places like CAC have become places where students feel comfortable to explore visual arts practice in a way that they can’t or do not have the opportunity to in their day school program. Places like CAC and other after school educational programs allow students the assistance they need to have customized guidance along their pathway to college.
John Holt put it bluntly when he said, “The only difference between a good student and a bad student, is that the good student is careful not to forget what he studied until after the test…” (Farenga p.2) but one has to wonder if this is the sad truth in education today and if so, what do we have to look forward to?
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Amrein, A. L., & Berliner, D. C. (February 01, 2003). The Effects of High-Stakes Testing on Student Motivation and Learning. Educational Leadership, 60, 5, 32-38.
2. A (Very) Brief History of the Children’s Art Centre, 1980
United South End Settlements Records (M126).
Box 56, folder 96.
3. Carrington, FitzRoy. “The Children’s Art Centre: Of the Settlements Museum Association 36 Rutland Street, Boston, Mass.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin. September 1918: Vol. 13, No.9, pg 201-204.
4. Clark, E. (1979). Annamae Palmer Crite and Allan Rohan Crite: Mother and artist son–an interview. Boston: Suffolk University.
5. Davis, A. F. (1967). Spearheads for reform: The social settlements and the progressive movement, 1890-1914. New York: Oxford University Press.
6. Evaluation Report: June 1982
United South End Settlements Records (M126).
Box 48, folder 45.
7. Farenga, P. (June 06, 1999). John Holt and the Origins of Contemporary Home schooling. Paths of Learning: Options for Families & Communities, 1, 1, 8-13.
8. Fisher, L. D. (2002). Addressing the social question: Robert A. Woods and Boston’s South End House, 1892-1925.
9. Framework for Future Development
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10. Halpern, R. (January 01, 1999). After-School Programs for Low-Income Children: Promise and Challenges. The Future of Children, 9, 2, 81-95.
11. Halpern, R. (2003). Making play work: The promise of after-school programs for low-income children. New York: Teachers College Press.
12. Harvard College Library. (2006). South End House (Boston, MA.). Records: Guide. Cambridge, MA: Houghton Library of the Harvard College Library.
13. Holt, J. C. (1964). How children fail. New York: Pitman.
14. Holt, J. C., & Farenga, P. (2003). Teach your own: The John Holt book of home schooling. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Pub.
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16. Sacks, P. (1999) Standardized minds: The high price of America’s testing culture and what we can do to change it. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books
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18. Shapiro, E. S. (January 01, 1978). Robert A. Woods and the Settlement House Impulse. The Social Service Review, 52, 2, 215-226.
19. TED Talk – Sir Ken Robinson “Human communities depend on a diversity of talent, not a singular conception of ability.” May 24, 2010
20. United South End Settlements Records (M126). University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department. Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
Historical Time Line of Boston’s Settlement Houses:
I. 1880’s Settlement house origination – London England.
II. 1890 Robert Woods, influenced by Prof. William Jewett Tucker spends 6 mo. at Toynbee Hall in to observe the settlement project.
III. 1891 Woods, with the advice of Tucker, develops the first settlement house in Boston.
IV. 1892 Woods opens the Andover House at 6 Rollins St. with the help of others. 1st in Boston 4th in the US!
V. 1895 Andover House is renamed The South End House
VI. 1918 The Children’s Art Center (CAC) was built at 36 Rutland St.
VI. 1950-1960 United South End Settlements (USES)
“In the 1950s and ’60s, most of Boston’s settlement programs merged into the United South End Settlements — the name still used today.
VII. The Present: Currently “The South End House is a historic building that has become home to USES youth programs. In 1950, five settlement houses— South End House, Lincoln House, Hale House, Harriet Tubman House, Ellis Memorial & Eldredge House—and the Children’s Art Centre federated, and a joint board was created”.
