Writers’ Theatre Announces New Education Programs

As Chicago Public Schools adopt a 7-hour day and implement The Common Core State Standards, Writers' Theatre (based in nearby suburban Glencoe) has expanded the reach of the Theatre's Educational Programs to assist teachers and schools with the transition.

Writers' will work with nine Chicago Public Schools through its innovative Novel Series Program, which will reach over 650 students. The company's Civil Rights production The MLK Project: The Fight for Civil Rights will begin its seventh year of touring having reached 35,000 students in hundreds of schools, including two youth correctional facilities and multiple alternative high schools for students who have been expelled.

Writers' Theatre education programs are unique in their approach to learning, geared toward teaching a love of reading, rather than simply teaching foundational reading skills, and using full texts to attack "big picture questions" that connect to students' lives. This approach, which anticipated the new Common Core Standards that CPS schools are in the process of incorporating this year, has been described as the Reading Rainbow of theatre education programs. Through a combination of academic and creative activities, Writers' Theatre is able to engage students in the process of connecting great works of literature to their lives.

This groundbreaking approach was validated by a 2011 independent study commissioned by the Chicago Community Trust, which indicated that Writers' Theatre's Education Programs are able to reach the same number of students as organizations ten times larger, with deeper interaction and investment.

"Under these programs, reading scores have increased by an average of 8-12% in classrooms working with Writers' Theatre. It has made a tangible difference in lives of many students," says Director of Education Nicole O'Connell. "For example, a student with a severe stutter, who had never spoken out loud except one-on-one with a speech coach, was able to get up in front of his class and speak during a presentation. After participation in the program, Detention Center youth have written and presented moving, personal poetry in front of an audience, and every year we see English Language Learners develop the confidence to speak in front of their class for the first time in English. We're proud of the overall test scores, the positive feedback we receive from teachers and most importantly the response from individual students."

The Writers' Theatre Novel Series curriculum focuses on a full book instead of segments from a reader, leading students to invest and empathize with characters and to make reading a part of their lives. Vocabulary, discussion, writing and theatre exercises based on the selected book are also uniquely customized for each individual school.

Writers' Theatre's The MLK Project: The Fight for Civil Rights is an initiative built around a one-woman play, commissioned and developed by Writers' Theatre and written by poet and Chicago native Yolanda Androzzo. It is now entering its seventh year on tour to Chicago Public Schools where it has reached more than 35,000 students to date. The MLK Project tells the story of a Chicago student's investigation of the Civil Rights Movement through the collective oral history of Chicagoans, emphasizing the sharing of history, the power of legacy and the importance of non-violent solutions. The program, which includes pre- and post-show discussions and comprehensive Study Guides for use in the classroom, encourages students to make connections between history and their own lives with a focus on addressing racism and appreciating diversity.

Writers' also offers customizable "Write On" programs specially designed for each individual classroom, structured to meet the creative writing and literary needs of each partner school or organization.

Multiple community partnerships now exist to enhance the effectiveness of the Writers' programs for students throughout Chicago. Examples of partnerships include:

· The Hazelden Foundation's Olweus bullying prevention program, which provided pre- and post-play residencies that used the issues raised in The MLK Project performance to connect the concepts of racism and discrimination to bullying today

· Performances at local Juvenile Detention Centers, which have led to additional poetry, writing and performance instructional residencies at those centers

· The Schuler Scholar Program on the North Shore, which makes continued education possible for first generation college bound students

· Communities in Schools of Chicago, which provides solutions to students who lack access to the resources that help them succeed academically by connecting them with free programs and services to address students' unmet needs.

In addition, this year Writers' joins several cultural institutions, community organizations and The Chicago Public Library in Now Is The Time, a city-wide initiative to address youth violence. Now Is The Time to ACT, a coalition that includes more than 15 of Chicago's finest theatres, inspires young people to make positive change in their communities and stop violence through youth-driven and arts-based programming. In addition to playing a role in the planning of the initiative, Writers' will take action through The MLK Project tour, special events with community organizations in conjunction with the tour, a poetry and essay competition and a new extended afterschool residency at Mays Elementary in Englewood using theatre to address bullying issues.

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