The Right Brain initiative is a sustainable partnership between public schools, local government, foundations, businesses and the cultural community to teach to children using the arts, creativity innovation, and whole-brain thinking. It is a project of the Regional Arts & Culture Council, and was started in the Portland area in January 2009.

This year, in honor of National Arts in Education week last week, The Right Brain Initiative will be serving 11,500 more children than last year by adding six public schools in the Portland area as partners. Between September and June, the integrated arts program will bring music, dance, theatre, visual and media arts to 14,000 K-8 students in 49 schools and six school districts total, throughout the Portland metro area. Also significant is Gresham-Barlow School District becoming the first to incorporate the Right Brain Initative at every Elementary school in their district this school year.

For more information on the Regional Arts Council and the Right Brain Initiative go to TheRightBrainInitiative.org.

Photo by Amy Graves, courtesy of The Right Brain Initiative.