Superintendent's Award

Recognizing Excellence in Museum Education


The Superintendent’s Award for Excellence in Museum Education competition recognizes the outstanding achievements in California museum programs that serve K-12 students and/or educators. The competition is the joint project of the sponsors, the California Association of Museums (CAM) and the California Department of Education (CDE). Since 2012, the competition has recognized 56 programs, presented by a diverse range of institutions that demonstrate the vibrant contributions museums make to California’s K-12 educational system. In 2022, CAM and the CDE recognize 4 outstanding programs that took place in 2021. 
 
 Congratulations to the 2022 recipients of the Superintendent's Award for Excellence in Museum Education:

Oceanside Museum of Art ‒ OMA’s Literacy Through Art: A Community-Driven Partnership Addressing Oceanside’s Early Childhood Literacy Crisis

 

Literacy Through Art (LTA) promotes reading proficiency through closely looking at and analyzing works of art. The program is designed to “level the playing field” for third grade readers–where some students are advanced and others are at or behind grade level–so that all students, including those with special needs, ESL, multiple learning styles, can effectively and meaningfully participate. Key to the success of this program is that all of the components from the videos, to the pre- and post-lessons, to the gallery activities and hands-on components connect students to literacy skills through strong themes and messages.

 


Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County ‒ Marine Science Teen Internship Program

In 2019 the Education team at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County launched the Marine Science Teen Internship Program. The program recruits ten high school juniors and seniors from the Math, Science, & Technology Magnet Academy, Theodore Roosevelt High School, and Felicitas & Gonzalo Mendez High School in Boyle Heights, who begin as interns in the spring. They become paid Museum employees over the summer, when they develop a marine science-related project.

 


USC Pacific Asia Museum ‒ Distance Learning Program

The Distance Learning Program is designed to bring the museum’s collection of Asian and Pacific art to students learning at home. Students explore the diversity of Asian and Pacific cultures and develop critical thinking and analysis skills through looking at and making art. Grade-level appropriate themes lead students in exploring different cultural artistic practices, making connections between core curricular content, and current issues facing students to build empathy and intercultural understanding.

 


The Contemporary Jewish Museum ‒ The Stories and Art of Ezra Jack Keats Virtual Tour

The Stories and Art of Ezra Jack Keats tour was designed in collaboration with The Contemporary Jewish Museum's (CJM) teacher advisory group. This virtual field trip brings a CJM Educator to your classroom over Zoom for an interactive tour of the past CJM exhibition The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats, highlighting early literacy concepts, followed by a guided art project inspired by Keats’s illustrations.

 

 

 

 

 Past Superintendent’s Award Recipients