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School Partnership Programs

Our School Partnership Programs allow students and teachers to explore curricular themes by examining artworks through multiple sessions with a museum educator. Programs combine guided explorations of our collections and special exhibitions with professional development, assessment, and planning between teachers and museum educators. These elements make for successful, intensive programs that benefit both the school and the Museum. Our educators work cooperatively with school and district leaders to determine the exact nature of each partnership.

To request a partnership, complete the request form. Schools must assign a coordinator to oversee the partnership throughout its duration.

The way we teach: Our educators take an anti-oppressive approach in their teaching and collaborative practices. Through art-centered discussions, our School Programs team prioritizes the narratives of historically marginalized groups that are often missing from classroom curricula. We recognize that institutional and structural racism have informed U.S. education systems and museums, impacting children of all ages. We work with teachers and students to analyze, critique, and intervene in these systems of power. In turn, we invite partners to join us in applying an anti-oppressive framework to teaching. Together we will prepare students to think critically, practice empathy, and offer strategies and resources for building a more just society.

Together we can:

  • Speak and listen with care
  • Acknowledge multiple narratives through art
  • Complement and complicate curriculum by incorporating diverse artworks, artists, and art-making practices
  • Strengthen cultural fluency and literacy

We offer two models of school partnership: 

Brooklyn district-wide learning
In this model, each district works with museum educators to highlight a particular curriculum area for distinct grades. With input from district leaders and teachers, we create a variety of resources—including pre-recorded videos, digital handouts, and live virtual lessons—that may be shared among district schools. Additionally, we offer teachers pedagogical tools to implement the resources, in combination with several antiracist teaching workshops held throughout the year.

Customized school partnerships 
In this model, serving grades K–12, teachers work with a dedicated museum educator to complement their school’s curriculum based on a selected theme. Each partnership may include educator-led lessons held virtually or in the galleries or classroom, pre-recorded video lessons, and/or digital handouts. All partnerships, regardless of scope, include a planning meeting, classroom observations (contingent on health and safety protocols), a reflection meeting, and professional development opportunities for teachers.

Hear what past participants have to say about our School Partnerships.

Questions? Email us at school.programs@brooklynmuseum.org.