Welcome to Arts in Action Community Charter Schools! We are a group of educators who are committed to changing the gross inequities in our educational system. Historically, most K-12 students in urban, minority neighborhoods have less access to the arts, to progressive education methods, and to content on global social issues than their white, middle-class counterparts. The type of education middle-class students receive is not only more rigorous but it is also more holistic in terms of enrichment opportunities. At Arts in Action we strive to provide our students with a holistic education—one where students develop intellectual, emotional and artistic skills to be a well-rounded student. We believe that learning is about exploring ideas and places outside of our comfort zone, questioning the world around us, and embarking on a journey of continual growth. Much of this learning happens in our arts program and social justice curriculum, but it also happens every day in the way our teachers ask students rigorous questions and set-up hands-on investigations of new content, in the way we expect that our students challenge themselves to try harder tasks, and in the way we reframe failure as learning. For us, it is critical that students develop a growth mindset so that they can thrive not only as students, but also as productive members of society. We teach and continually reinforce to students to identify themselves as scholars and to internalize how scholars think and act. We believe that this is an essential step towards college readiness. At Arts in Action we are not only preparing future college graduates, but we also strive in preparing future leaders that are going to make a difference in our world.