The Impact of Engaging All Learners Through Culturally Responsive, Social Emotional and Arts Education Not by Word But by Action

Dora Danner • Cahn Fellow 2020

Our philosophy at P.S.234 Q, The School of Performing Arts and Technology,  is that children learn best when they are happy and engaged. Over the last year our school community, along with the entire world, has gone through unprecedented changes. The pandemic has caused an interruption and disruption in learning and development for millions of students. Some consequences of the pandemic include: uneven access to technology, impact on student’s mental health and social emotional well being, and a widened achievement gap. As a result of the pandemic two-thirds of our student population participated in remote learning for the 2020-2021 school year. This means that for two-thirds of our students, instruction and any academic work would have to be conducted and received remotely.