Editing Royal Society of Arts (section)

===Projects===

The society offered the first national public examinations in 1882 that led to the formation of the RSA Examinations Board now included in the [[OCR (examination board)|Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations Board]].

In 1876, a predecessor of the [[Royal College of Music]], the ''National Training School for Music'', was founded by the RSA.<ref>Skidmore, John (February 1992), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/41378132?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents "7. The Society and the National Training School for Music"], ''RSA Journal'', Vol. 140, p. 203. Retrieved 19 July 2018.</ref>

The RSA devised a scheme for commemorating the links between famous people and buildings, by placing plaques on the walls – these continue today as "[[blue plaque]]s" which have been administered by a range of government bodies. The first of these plaques was, in fact, of red terracotta erected outside a former residence of [[Lord Byron]] (since demolished). The society erected 36 plaques until, in 1901, responsibility for them was transferred to the [[London County Council]] (which changed the colour of the plaques to the current blue) and, later, the [[Greater London Council]] (the G.L.C.) and, most recently, English Heritage. Similar schemes are now operated in all the [[constituent countries of the United Kingdom]].

In 1929, the society purchased the entire village of [[West Wycombe]]. After extensive repairs, the village was legally conveyed by deed to the [[National Trust]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Explore West Wycombe Village |url=https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/west-wycombe-park-village-and-hill/features/explore-west-wycombe-village |website=National Trust |access-date=2 October 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Delafons |first1=J |title=Politics and Preservation: A Policy History of the Built Heritage 1882–1996 |date=2005 |publisher=E & F N Spon |location=London |isbn=0419223908 |page=32 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W-GRAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA32 |language=en}}</ref>

During the 1980s, the RSA worked with the [[Comino Foundation]] and established a Comino Fellowship Committee 'to change the cultural attitude to industry from one of lack of interest or dislike to one of concern and esteem'. This eventually led to a joint government/industry initiative to promote 1986 as "Industry Year",<ref>Chandler, Sir Geoffrey, CBE (1985), "Industry Year 1986", ''Industrial Management & Data Systems'', Vol. 85, Issue 5/6, pp. 6–10.</ref><ref>Anne Powell (1986) "The Industry Year Attack", ''Production Engineer'' vol. 65. Issue: 1, pp.13–14.</ref> with the RSA and the Comino Foundation providing core funding of £250,000 – which persuaded the [[Confederation of British Industry]] to raise £1 million and government departments to provide £3 million.<ref name="Darbyshire">Darbyshire, Anthony, and Duckworth, Eric (2011), [http://www.cominofoundation.org.uk/PDF/Demetrius_Comino_a_life_and_legacy_of_achievement.pdf ''Demetrius Comino: A life and legacy of achievement''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514235835/http://www.cominofoundation.org.uk/PDF/Demetrius_Comino_a_life_and_legacy_of_achievement.pdf |date=14 May 2013 }}, Comino Foundation. Retrieved 22 February 2012.</ref>

In July 2008, the RSA became a sponsor of an [[Academy (English school)|academy]] in [[Tipton]], The [[RSA Academy]], which opened in September 2008. A New building for the school was completed in September 2010. In 2021 it was announced that the school would no longer be associated with the RSA. Projects include Arts and Ecology, Citizen Power, Connected Communities, Design and Society, Education, Public Services, Social Brain, and Technology in a Cold Climate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thersa.org/projects|title=RSA Projects|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100310020748/http://www.thersa.org/projects|archive-date=10 March 2010}}</ref> There are six schools in the RSA Family of Academies, all in the West Midlands, including [[Whitley Academy]]. The former RSA Academy in Tipton was also a member, until its disassociation in 2021.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rsaacademiesteachingschool.org.uk/about-us/our-academies/ | title=Our Academies | publisher=Royal Society of Arts | work=RSA Teaching School Alliance | access-date=18 November 2017}}</ref>

Past projects include delivering fresh drinking water to the developing world, rethinking intellectual property from first principles to produce a Charter (published as the [[Adelphi Charter]]), investigating schemes to manage international migration and exploring the feasibility of a UK-wide [[personal carbon trading]] system. It still promotes the practice of inclusive design, and is working with artists to communicate ideas about environmental sustainability (for example, through one of the RSA's past projects, [[WEEE Man]], and currently through the Arts and Ecology project).

The RSA has been home to [[TEDxLambeth]], a TEDx conference based in Lambeth, since October 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|title=TEDxLambeth {{!}} TED|url=https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/33524|access-date=16 August 2020|website=www.ted.com}}</ref>