Education Policy

An education policy will provide a framework for action to address the provision of education services for museum users. The policy will set out the intent of the organisation, identify priorities and should reflect the overarching concerns and priorities of the museum as outlined in management policies preferably addressing Curriculum Council Outcomes Statements.

Framework

The education policy includes:

An education mission statement
Intentions and priorities
Education strategies identifying key objectives over five to ten years
An action plan for a period of three to five years

Content

The following areas should be considered when drawing up a policy:

Relevance to the Curriculum Council Outcome Statements
Target audience
Resources/budget
Types of service
Aims and objectives of running the program
Networks into which it can link outside the museum
For Marketing & Evaluation refer to separate info sheets

Target audience

There are many potential museum audiences and each will have individual or specific needs. Potential audiences can include:

Pre-school children (children, parents, carers); school children; teachers; tertiary students; family groups; community groups – adult groups, ethnic groups, senior citizens, people with disabilities; specialists; volunteers; colleagues; organised groups; visitors.

The policy statement needs to make clear who the target audiences are and identify priorities within these groups. A user survey can identify the current museum users. Priorities can then be decided based on:

The collections - may be more appropriate for some groups than others
Seeking new audiences
Limitations – imposed by the building and the facilities
Staff skills and numbers

Resources/budget

The action plan must work within a controlled budget. Different categories for consideration include the collections, costs, staff, time, space and equipment. Associated issues include the following:

The collections are the most important resource of the museum. Does education have access to: objects from store; a handling collection, a loan service, interactive exhibits, the presentation of the themes through exhibitions and displays?
Is the educational use of objects considered before and during acquisition?
Is there an adequate supply of objects and staffing to run programs?
How many people are available for education work and for how long? What skills and experience can they offer?
How much money is available and how is it controlled?
How does the timing of a major exhibition relate to the audience and staff needs?
What space is set aside for educational use?
Are there cloakrooms and toilets, a lunchroom, a teaching space, space to set up a seminar room or teachers centre?
What support equipment is available? (eg Audio-visual equipment and desk top publishing etc).

Types of service

Plan the level of service intended against the available resources and the objectives of the museum.

The nature of the provider
The target audiences
The location
Charging
The content of the educational experience

Decide on an action plan around these areas and detail types of programs/resource that can be offered over a three to five year period.

What types of service might contain the following?

Direct teaching including: lectures, handling sessions, guided tours, workshops, role-play sessions, holiday activities

An Information service including: answering queries, offering printed resources such as teachers’ packs, bibliographies, teachers’ notes, worksheets, gallery notes

A museum-based service, with education delivered through, displays, publications, travelling exhibitions or events

An out-reach service with a: loan service, travelling exhibitions, videos/dvds, distance learning packs, slides sets, work with communities, reminiscence groups

Target audiences could include:

School children, teachers, advisors, community groups, specialists

Providers can include:

Museum education staff, curators, volunteers, seconded teachers, community representatives, freelance specialists

Which groups will have access to which service? Will the service be free, and if not, how will charging be structured and organised?

Where will educational work take place?

Schools, galleries, separate education room, out-stations, community centres?

What will people be educated about?

The collections, the site, the local area, the museum building, the museum as an organisation/cultural institution, general interest areas where the museum has expertise but no directly relevant material, issues such as conservation or heritage education or specific subject areas such as archaeology, history or geology?

Roles and functions of education within the museum

What management decisions need to be made about offering an education service? Consider exhibition planning, access issues, eg signage, people with special needs and training for involved staff.

Networks outside the museum

Once target audiences have been identified, develop a wide contacts network including: Curators, other museum education officers, museums association, professional groups, area museum councils, specialist groups eg re-enactment or drama groups, volunteers, regional arts boards, specialist societies eg historical associations, advisory teachers, teacher training institutions, parent/teacher associations, universities/colleges, youth clubs, disability groups, social services, community groups, including religious groups, artists or women’s groups

References and further reading:

Museums and Galleries NSW, Online Resources, in particular:

Hooper-Greenhill, E., (ed) (1991) Writing a Museum Education Policy, Leicester University

Research Centre for Museums & Galleries (2002) Researching learning in museums & galleries 1990 - 1999: a bibliographic review. RCMG, Department of Museum Studies, University of Leicester.

Scottish Museums Council (1987) Education in museums - museums in education. H.M.S.O.

Talboys, G. K. (2000) Museum educator's handbook Gower