Exciting Progress in the fine arts brings national attention to Hamilton County Schools
Posted on 08/13/2019
Students singing at Hamilton Sings concert
Hamilton County Schools is rewinding successes of the past year as we prepare for the announcement of historic progress in our school district this Wednesday with the release of state student achievement data. The exciting progress of the district in the fine arts last year earned national attention and honors.

Last October, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced Chattanooga-Hamilton County, Tennessee, as the 26th site in the country for Ensuring the Arts for Any Given Child and later in the year the district was honored as a NAMM Foundation 2019 Best Community for Music Education.

Any Given Child is a catalyst program that improves the academic experience and performance of children and creates change by involving the arts community in the power of strategic, coordinated arts education. The group was back in our community last week to update the community on the status of the program after one year. In its tenth year, the program is based on arts education as an essential component of a student’s education with the belief that all children deserve equitable access to quality arts education, and that the community must work with schools to create long-range plans that benefit students and improve communities. With the addition of Chattanooga-Hamilton County, the program has 26 sites in 20 states and Puerto Rico.

In Chattanooga-Hamilton County, Any Given Child is incorporating existing resources of Hamilton County Schools, ArtsBuild, local arts and community organizations, and the Kennedy Center. Local educators and philanthropic and for-profit stakeholders will provide additional resources. ArtsBuild will also serve as the lead organization for Any Given Child Chattanooga-Hamilton County with funding support towards the first four years provided by the Hamilton County Schools.

The NAMM Foundation honored Hamilton County Schools with its Best Communities for Music Education designation for the district's outstanding commitment to music education. Hamilton County Schools was one of ten school districts in Tennessee and only 623 districts nationally to receive the honor.

Now in its 20th year, the Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students. To qualify for the Best Communities designation, Namm Foundation reviewed funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music programs in Hamilton County Schools. Responses were verified and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.

Improvements in the fine arts are helping the school district meet goals in Action Area 1: Accelerating Student Achievement and Action Area 2: Future Ready Students in the five-year strategic plan Future Ready 2023 adopted last year. Accelerating Student Achievement provides amazing possibilities for our children’s future, and Future Ready Students has a focus of ensuring graduates are prepared for success after graduation.

You are invited to join Hamilton County Schools as we announce the historic progress of students and schools with the release of state achievement data on Wednesday, August 14, 2019, at 1 p.m. The announcement will be held at the Tennessee Aquarium located at 1 Broad Street in Chattanooga.

Photo: Fifth-grade students perform during Hamilton Sings event last October

View the Hamilton sings Concert