Table Of Contents

Introduction and Summary
The Introduction and Summary provides the reader with an overview of the Coming Up Taller report and a brief history of its genesis in Why this Report?. It reports conclusions in Summary of Findings, details the methodology in How the Report Was Done and outlines the organization of the report.

A Changed Environment for Children: A Status Report
A Changed Environment for Children describes the context in which these programs operate, presenting both disheartening statistics and the evidence of resiliency that children can display in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. This chapter provides data on the status of children and youth, information on the roots of risk in children's lives and the characteristics of resilient children.

Culture Counts:
The Case for the Arts and the Humanities in Youth Development

Culture Counts reviews the value of the arts and the humanities for youth. It suggests that arts and humanities programs are crucial components of any community strategy that seeks to improve the lives of children and youth. Culture Counts demonstrates how the arts and the humanities have the potential to enhance learning and academic performance as well as contribute to chidren's social and emotional development.
Transforming Lives: An Overview of Arts and Humanities Programs
Transforming Lives is an overview of the widely varied cultural programs surveyed for the report. This part of the report provides information about youth participants and program origins, the program content and the program staff, partnerships between arts and humanities programs and other community institutions serving youth, and program budgets and funding sources.
A Delicate Balance:
Principles and Practices of Promising Arts and Humanities Programs.

A Delicate Balance summarizes the principles, policies and practices found in these promising programs. This chapter describes thirteen common characteristics found in successful programs.
Looking Ahead: A Next-Step Agenda
Looking Ahead recommends continued examination of arts and humanities programs for youth and discusses the need for technical assistance and financial support. The report highlights the importance of community links to other public agencies and community organizations that serve youth. It also calls for improving assessment and evaluation of youth arts and humanities programs.
Appendix
The appendix contains information on program evaluation in A Note on Assessment, chapter foototes in Notes, and acknowledgments of the people and organizations that made this report possible. It also includes a state-by-state index of all programs profiled in the report.

 

DOWNLOAD the full Report [Microsoft Word - 115K]

VIEW the full report as a text file