Research & Assessment

Thriving Minds

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Research & Assessment

Big Thought has been performing research on creative learning supply, demand and quality in Dallas for over 10 years. During that time, friends and partners both local and nationwide have joined us to observe and assess our progress.

Conferences – Have you been to a conference featuring one of our speakers lately? Email us to receive any presentations and other materials discussed.

For Big Thought President/CEO Gigi Antoni and Consultant Eric Booth's presentation at the Hockaday/St. Mark's parent meeting, please click here - there's also a recommended reading list here.
For Big Thought President/CEO Gigi Antoni and Community Specialist Erin Offord's presentation at the 2009 Grantmakers in the Arts, please click here.

Archive – For Thriving Minds Planning Research and older research reports and findings, please visit our Research Archive.

Our Research & Literature

Creative Learning: People and Pathways - NEW!
Building a System of Opportunities for Creative Learning
Big Thought's Research and Evaluation Team, in conjunction with a braod set of community partners, has developed a set of tools to track progress of the Thriving Minds system. This report highlights two years of growth as well as opportunities for future programmatic development.
Equity of Opportunity: Creative Learning Census
Responding to and Building Demand:
Arts Activities of Dallas ISD Students
Improving Quality
Nurturing Creative Capital
More Than Measuring
In this book, researchers share findings illustrating the positive outcomes of collaborative arts integration, as well as outline the ways Big Thought has conducted evaluation to drive improvement. The Dallas ArtsPartners Longitudinal Study was conducted over four years in cooperation with the Dallas ISD, the city of Dallas and more than 50 cultural organizations.
Enriching Minds, Growing our Future

How Others See Our Work

From Hip-Hop to Shakespeare
This article examines Big Thought's role as managing partner of the Thriving Minds system, and in out-of-school creative learning opportunities from hip-hop to Shakespearean drama.
Nonprofits and Evaluation: Evaluation as Part of a Learning Culture
Banks Building Markets by Building Communities
City Schools: How Districts and Communities Can Create Smart Education Systems
Texas New Step
Also known as Deep in the Arts of Texas, this work, written by Christopher Reardon of the Ford Foundation, illustrates how Dallas public schools are boosting student achievement by integrating arts into the curriculum.
360 Degrees of Literacy: A Look at a Community Partnership in Dallas
Field Notes: Nurturing Young People’s Creativity
Critical Perspectives: An Interview with Gigi Antoni, President/CEO of Big Thought

Quick Links: What We Do Creative Learning Workforce Research Archive

Upcoming Events

Library Live! presented by Target

Wed, Sept 1; 11:00am @ Hampton-Illinois Library

Wed, Sept 1; 1:30pm @ Park Forest Library

Thurs, Sept 2; 10:30am @ Martin Luther King, Jr. Library