> See Color Charts Following Release
> Embargoed Until Wednesday, January 29, 2003
> Contact IMLS: Eileen Maxwell, [log in to unmask]
> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>, 202-606-8667
> Museums Spend Over a Billion, Commit Over 18 Million Hours to K-12
> Education Program Federal Study Finds
> 72%Use Web sites to Teach
> WASHINGTON, JANUARY 21, 2003 - In its second study of K-12 educational
> programs offered by the nation's museums, the federal Institute of Museum
> and Library Services (IMLS) found that the percentage of museums' median
> annual operating budgets spent on such programming increased four-fold
> since 1996. The study also calculates that America's museums commit more
> than 18 million instructional hours every year on programs for K-12
> schoolchildren. IMLS, an independent federal agency, is a primary source
> of federal grants for the nation's museums and libraries.
> No matter a museum's size or discipline, whether rural, urban, or
> suburban, chances are, it offers educational activities specifically
> geared for school-age children. According to the study released today,
> museums of every discipline, from art galleries to zoos, present
> educational programs for the K-12 audience in core school subjects
> including math, science, language arts, and social studies. The survey, a
> follow-on to a 1995 IMLS survey that examined the relationship between
> museums and schools, found that museums are strengthening their commitment
> to K-12 schools by serving an increasing number of students and teachers.
> IMLS Director Dr. Robert Martin said, "This second IMLS study of
> museum-school relationships confirms that museums and schools are
> effective partners for educating children. Museums are no longer
> depositories of the past, but are centers of learning. The resources that
> they bring to school partnerships provide unique object-based and visual
> learning opportunities that help schools meet their learning objectives.
> IMLS wants every child to have access to museums, and libraries, to
> encourage a love of discovery and learning that they can return to again
> and again in their lives."
> Based on a representative sample of more than 15,000 museums of all sizes,
> types, and locations, IMLS found the following:
> *     In 2000-01, nearly 70 percent of responding museums said the number
> of schools, students, and teachers they serve had grown in the past five
> years. IMLS estimates that nearly 11,000 museums were offering such
> programs in 2000-01.
> *     Museums offer a wide range of activities that include staff-guided
> field trips for school groups (77 percent), museum staff visits to schools
> (54 percent), teacher training (32 percent), and resource kits at school
> sites (34 percent), and traveling exhibits (17 percent).
> *     Seventy-one percent of museums work with curriculum specialists to
> tailor educational programming to support school curriculum standards.
> *     Increasingly, museums use new technologies to bring their resources
> into the lives of American school children. Seventy-two percent of museums
> use Web sites for educational programming; fifty-eight percent communicate
> with teachers via e-mail, and 24 percent e-mail students.
> The survey highlight publication, True Needs, True Partners 2002, includes
> examples of successful partnerships and can be used as a tool for other
> museums considering education programs for K-12 schools. The publication
> is available on the IMLS Web site at www.imls.gov/pubs/pdf/m-ssurvey.pdf
> <http://www.imls.gov/pubs/pdf/m-ssurvey.pdf> or by calling 202-606-8339.
> About the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The Institute is an
> independent federal grant-making agency that promotes leadership,
> innovation, and a lifetime of learning by supporting the nation's 15,000
> museums and 122,000 libraries. The Institute encourages partnerships to
> expand the educational benefit of libraries and museums. For more
> information about the Institute, please log onto www.imls.gov
> <http://www.imls.gov/>.
>  <<...OLE_Obj...>>
>  <<...OLE_Obj...>>
>
>
> Eileen Maxwell
> Public Affairs Specialist
> Institute of Museum and Library Services
> 1100 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
> Suite 510
> Washington, DC  20506
> 202-606-8339
> 202-606-8591 (fax)
> [log in to unmask]
> Subscribe to Primary Source, the IMLS monthly e-mail newsletter, for
> important museum and library news
> http://www.imls.gov/utility/subscrbe.htm.
>
>

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