More than 1,200 parents, speaking eight languages, registered for the conference, which took place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The event stressed the importance of summer learning, and provided parents with information about how to enrich their children's summer experience by taking advantage of the many cultural resources available in the City. Speakers and all documents were translated into Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Bengali, Arabic, Haitian Creole, Korean, and Urdu.
"The language of art needs no translation; it is universal and transcends cultures, bringing people together in common expression," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Students learn to express themselves in a variety of art forms, increasing their ability to communicate with others while having fun. We are grateful to Learning Leaders and the Metropolitan Museum of Art for recognizing the importance of this important learning tool," he added.
Parents were able to visit two of the museum's collections, Egyptian Art and Greek and Roman Art. Parents also previewed the PS. Arts 2009 Exhibit, which includes artworks from 58 New York City public school students, which opens to the public shortly.
"Education not only happens in our public schools, but it also happens in great museums and cultural institutions in New York City. Parents can play a key role making sure that their children don't lose ground over the next several months – this is especially important for our ELLs," said Schools Chancellor Joel Klein.
"Having this event at The Metropolitan Museum of Art really epitomizes how vibrant learning can be for families of all cultures and linguistic backgrounds," said Maria Santos, executive director of the DOE's Office of English Language Learners.
Currently, more than 148,000 students (14 percent) in New York City public schools are classified as ELLs, and more than 135,000 (12 percent) are former ELLs. Additionally, 41 percent (435,000) of our students report speaking a language other than English at home.
"Providing parents with tools to support their children in all forms of literacy – including visual literacy – is core to our program," said Mindy Duitz, president of Learning Leaders. "There is no better place to kick off the summer than at one of the City's great cultural institutions where learning and fun are synonymous."
"The art and museums of New York city should be a home away from home for all our kids and their families," said Paul King, executive director of the DOE's Office of Arts and Special Projects. "Any opportunity to deeply explore the visual and performing arts and to keep learning alive when students are out of school is real added value," he stressed.
