Compton Unified School District (CUSD) and The Juilliard School are revolutionizing arts education through a multi-year partnership, offering mentorship for students and professional development for educators.
The partnership deepens Compton Unified School District’s work in strengthening student pathways for artistic exploration and subject-specific professional development for teachers. Together, the organizations have built a new model that brings collaborative professional learning resources to CUSD’s performing arts educators as well as student mentorship opportunities with industry professionals and members of the Juilliard community and alumni network.
“We are absolutely ecstatic to be partnering with an arts organization of such unparalleled caliber as Juilliard. They indeed are the gold standard in arts education, synonymous with excellence, creativity, and achievement at the highest level,” says Micah Ali, president of the Compton Unified Board of Trustees. “For Compton Unified to partner with such a prestigious institution is emblematic of our commitment to providing world-class arts education. We are setting the stage for our scholars to thrive artistically, academicallyand beyond.”
“In Compton, we recognize that the arts are not just an enrichment — they are essential to a student’s growth, building confidence, discipline and creativity,” says CUSD Superintendent Darin Brawley, Ed.D. “Our partnership with Juilliard is more than an opportunity; it is a game-changer, elevating our scholars to the same level of excellence and world-class instruction as the most elite programs in the world.”
This partnership expands Juilliard’s longstanding commitment to working with partners to build new pathways into the performing arts. This two-way learning relationship for both education institutions also showcases CUSD’s dance, drama and music educators. The four-year program is broken into two areas:
- Collaborative Professional Learning for Performing Arts Educators
- Student Mentorship and Professional Engagement
Together, they will create enriched learning environments that engage local expertise from the Los Angeles area while broadening artistic opportunities for students and educators alike.
“We see this partnership with Compton Unified not just as a program, but as a shared commitment to making artistic excellence accessible to all students,” says Richard Mannoia, Juilliard’s senior director of Education and Strategy, K–12 Programs and Initiatives. “Together, we’re building a sustainable model that nurtures creativity and helps activate every child’s intrinsic artistic potential.”
The program will launch in 24 Compton Unified schools, with plans to eventually expand districtwide. The initiative kicks off in mid-April and runs through June 2028, serving Compton Unified students from kindergarten through grade 12.
