We have some exciting news to share: the US Department of Education has just awarded Arts Corps a $1.75 million grant to bring our Creative Schools Initiative (CSI) to the Highline School District! This award will be used over the next four years to expand the CSI program and measure the impact that arts integration has on the lives the students we serve.
Over the next school year, Arts Corps staff will work with Highline administrators to finalize a plan that will integrate arts learning into public school classrooms by forging collaboration between artists and classroom teachers, starting in two Highline middle schools. Imagine an unforgettable lesson that builds deeper understanding of complex texts through drawing and drama. Arts Corps’ aim is to develop students’ creative and academic habits of mind through quality arts learning in the classroom, ultimately supporting their long-term academic success.
“It’s amazing to see kids grow their creative and critical capacities through an integrated arts learning model,” says Arts Corps Executive Director Elizabeth Whitford. “This funding allows us to bring a powerful model to scale as well as understand how and why it deepens classroom engagement in the short and long-term.”
Arts Corps was one of just 18 organizations out of 105 applicants across the U.S. to receive the Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination (AEMDD) grant. We’re excited about what this means for the youth of King County, and the future of our work throughout the region!
Thank you all for helping to make this possible. We wouldn’t be in this exciting position if it weren’t for your deep investment in our 2012 CSI pilot project, which continues to serve two K-8 schools within Seattle Public Schools. Your ongoing support is critical as we continue to advocate for systemic change within our education system, so that all of our young people have equal access to arts-rich learning opportunities.
You can read the full press release here. Feel free to reach out to csi@artscorps.org with any questions you may have. And help us spread the word by liking and tweeting this post (below)! Thanks, all!
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