Autry K-12 Education Programs

K-12 STEAM education

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

The Autry’s sees a tremendous need for K-12 museum education programs that provide real-world opportunities for children and youth to develop 21st Century skills. Our community faces several persistent challenges, including low-achieving schools, overworked teachers, frequently changing education standards, a lack of workplace readiness skills among high school graduates, and, more recently, the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent return to in-person learning. These programs should encourage students to ask questions, to work collaboratively to solve problems, and to understand and appreciate the history, art, and diversity of the peoples and places of Los Angeles and the American West. These programs should also provide vital resources for educators and address state-mandated curriculum standards in History/Social Studies, English Language Arts, Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA), Next Generation Science (NGS), ethnic studies, and more.

As it has every year since 1988, the Autry will offer its Education Programs for K-12 students and educators, including:
FIELD TRIPS include docent-led tours of the museum, self-guided visits, and seven hands-on programs led by museum teachers: Sculptures Explorers; Cowboys: Past and Present; Tongva: The First Peoples of Los Angeles; Eureka! The California Gold Rush; Trails West; Waterways (new in fall 2024); and Animals (new in winter 2025). Many schools serving predominantly low-income communities are supplied with free bus transportation.
AUTRY-IN-RESIDENCE sends trained museum educators into 3rd-5th grade classrooms with a collection of replica objects and grade-specific lesson plans covering topics in the history of the American West. Working together, students learn about the past by asking questions about objects.
AUTRY CLASSROOM CURATORS calls on 1st-12th grade and college students to become researchers, scholars, and problem solvers. Working closely with each other, the Autry, and their teachers, students conduct rigorous research on a historical topic and its continued impact today. Students use their findings to create cultural presentations, such as museum exhibitions.
The STUDENT VISUAL ARTS EXHIBITION features 100+ artworks created by students in response to a prompt put forth by the Autry. The exhibition is installed at the Autry and on display for 6-8 weeks. An all-day opening celebration includes hands-on art making, docent tours, student awards, and more.

LA County students and educators will have more hands-on, learning opportunities that meet educational standards AND expose them to a variety of cultures, ideas, and peoples of the American West. Over the next 4 school years, the Autry will expand its K-12 education programs with the addition of the following:
2024-25
Waterways program for middle school and high school students, covering HSS and NGSS
Animals program for K-2 students, covering early education standards and NGSS
2025–26
Art + Writing program for grades 3+, covering VAPA and ELA
Day of Deliberation: Hetch Hetchy program for middle school and high school students, covering the history standards and government/civics standards
2026–27
Imagined Wests program for grades 3+, covering ELA
California Continued program for middle school and high school students, covering HSS and NGSS
2027–28
Nation to Nation program for middle school and high school students, covering HSS, government/civics standards, and ethnic studies standards

Autry education programs are evaluated by tracking attendance; observing students as they participate in our programs; observing teachers as they implement lessons; regularly communicating with partner teachers; and conducting interviews and surveys with teachers to assess the quality of the programs and the satisfaction of participants. The museum’s Education Department regularly undertakes rigorous evaluation of both the outcomes of its programming and the needs and interests of its constituents. The Department signals its commitment to evaluation through its annual retention of an evaluation specialist, Trainer Evaluation, who assists in the development of evaluation surveys and analyzes the data.
Of note, data from the Autry’s regularly implemented surveys and frequent communication with its education partners has enabled the museum to assess needs, understand the landscape, and make informed decisions regarding the direction of its Education Programs during and after the pandemic.