Forest Whitaker is a daddy do-gooder who wants every child to have the opportunity to be creative. The actor recently opted to adopt Findley Elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa through a national initiative called ‘Turnaround Arts.’
Created to enrich the lives of school-aged children throughout the country, ‘Turnaround Arts’ is “a public-private partnership designed to transform some of our country’s lowest performing elementary and middle schools using intensive arts curriculum. Turnaround Arts will work in eight ‘turnaround schools’ over the course of two years bringing arts education resources and expertise to primary and middle school children. An external evaluation of the program will measure the success of this new arts education approach.”
As an Academy Award winner and father of four children, Forest knows the value of the arts and importance of expression. He gladly offered to invest his resources into the school and administrators graciously accepted. “We are excited to be one of eight schools in the nation selected for this prestigious program,” said the school’s principal. “Turnaround Arts will help Findley continue to move toward success, not only by focusing on essential content skills, but by focusing on increasing learning through highly engaging arts experiences that connect back to core content.”
