Highly Acclaimed Author Calls TUSD Opening Minds through the Arts (OMA) Program a Model in Public Education

TUCSON - February 23, 2010 - In his recently released book, Innovate the Pixar Way: Business Lessons From the World's Most Creative Corporate Playground, author Bill Capodagli praises Tucson Unified School District's Opening Minds Through the Arts (OMA) program.

Capodagli states, "I witnessed firsthand how Tucson Unified School District is reinventing the learning experience and capitalizing on the childlike dreaming through its Opening Minds Through the Arts program."

"If you set out to develop a plan for creating a learning environment for children to prepare them for working in an environment such as Pixar, you'd surely be benchmarking the OMA project in Tucson, Arizona. In less than a decade, what began as one man's dream of integrating the arts into the entire learning experience within a single school district is now cutting edge of a new paradigm in public education."

Pixar Animation Studios is an Academy Award®-winning computer animation studio. According to the company website, www.pixar.com, the company's objective is to combine proprietary technology and world-class creative talent to develop computer-animated feature films with memorable characters and heartwarming stories that appeal to audiences of all ages.

OMA Foundation Executive Director Donn Poll commented in the recently released book, "With the use of arts integration comes the enormous opportunity to bring every child the opportunity to love the process of learning and to be engaged on the level of their own passion-this carries forth throughout their lives in anything else they want to learn."

Dr. Elizabeth Celania-Fagen, superintendent of Tucson Unified School District, commented, "It is a great honor to have Bill Capodagli, a nationally recognized leader in business, recognize OMA as one of the many great things happening here at TUSD. This is a testament to the commitment of our teachers, staff, and professionals to continuously provide a high quality education for our students."

According to Innovate the Pixar Way: Business Lessons From the World's Most Creative Corporate Playground, "In 2001, WestED, a nationally recognized educational research firm, conducted a study to answer two primary questions: does OMA have a positive effect on test results in reading, writing, and math; and does OMA improve teacher effectiveness? The answer to both was a resounding 'yes'."

OMA was created around children's neurological development and brain-based learning theories. The program employs teaching artist-professionals from Tucson's cultural institutions- who use music, dance, and visual arts to teach concepts and skills applied in academic subjects like reading, writing, math, and science. OMA currently operates in more than half of TUSD elementary schools and a quarter of its middle schools.

"Our district is taking on the amazing challenge of moving OMA to the next level...designing the learning that will meet the future needs of our 'digital native' students," Celenia-Fagen said. "And, who knows, they may also be preparing the future generations of Pixarians!"