Our Mission   MAPS Defined   Program Objectives

Our Mission

Museums And Public Schools (MAPS), a new direction for teaching Chicago's children, will create a lasting impact on teaching and learning by integrating museum resources into the educational process and serve as a national model. Through this sustained partnership of museums and schools, students and teachers will be engaged in authentic learning experiences.

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MAPS Defined

The MAPS initiative was created to strengthen the educational relationship between the nine "Museums In the Park" (including Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum of the Chicago Academy of Sciences, Chicago Historical Society, DuSable Museum of African American History, The Field Museum, Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, and John G. Shedd Aquarium) and the Chicago Public Schools teaching community. The vast resources of these institutions serve as an indispensable learning tool for Chicago Public Schools in establishing a commitment for lifelong learning among its students.

MAPS is aimed at accelerating classroom practices of new and creative approaches to teaching. It is guided by the Chicago Academic Standards, the curriculum Framework Statements, and the Illinois Learning Standards with the intention of incorporating museum resources as an integral part of classroom learning and teaching. Through curriculum models developed by museum and CPS educators, classroom instruction will be enlivened while fulfilling specific academic standards. This collaboration will advance school improvement and is an investment in Chicago's future.

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Program Objectives

MAPS is designed to:

• Implement innovative teacher development training that integrates collections of the nine world class museums into the curriculum and classroom.
• Increase teacher awareness and capacity in using museums as educational resources;
• Engage teachers and students with authentic educational experiences;
• Provide concrete educational experiences for long-term impact on teachers, students and families;
• Demonstrate that the Chicago Public Schools is a model for the nation in using museum effectiveness in serving teachers and students;
• Influence institutional systemic change; and
• Make MAPS a model for educational reform.

MAPS development is continuously informed by its comprehensive and integrated research program. The MAPS-II Study, as it is called, is directed by a representative panel of MAPS leaders in close collaboration with researchers from the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy.

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