U.S. Department of Education Awards $2 Million in Grants to Eight Organizations to Provide Model Programs for Arts in Education

Press Release

The U.S. Department of Education today announced $2 million in grants awarded to eight organizations to provide effective models of arts in education programs.

The Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination grants are designed to enable school districts and other organizations with arts expertise to create and develop materials that will be duplicated or adapted for integrating a range of arts disciplines into the elementary and middle school curricula. Grantees use a variety of arts including music, dance, theater, visual arts, and folk art in the classroom. The program is designed to fund projects that will increase the amount of nationally available information on effective models for arts education that integrate the arts with standards-based education programs.

"The arts play a role in helping our students gain the skills they need to succeed in college and career," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "These grants will help organizations establish and implement sound practices that can be used in classrooms across the nation. Arts education helps students hone skills that require creativity, perseverance, and problem solving, and should be a part of every school."

Eligible applicants include school districts, including charter schools considered school districts under state law and regulations, which may partner with a state or local nonprofit or governmental arts organization; a state education agency or regional education service agency; an institution of higher education; and/or a public or private agency, institution or organization, such as a community- or faith-based.

The purpose of the Arts in Education Program is to create enhance, expand, document, evaluate and disseminate innovative, cohesive models of arts in education programs that are effective in integrating arts into education and strengthening them in the core elementary and middle school curricula.

Following is a list of grantees:

Streetside Stories San Francisco Calif. $294,275

The Center for arts Education New York N.Y. $233,770

Neighborhood House Charter School Boston Mass. $245,609

Independent School District #625 St. Paul Minn. $314,988

Mount Vernon City School District Mt. Vernon N.Y. $314,532

Rockford Public Schools Rockford Ill. $325,000

Everett Public Schools Everett Mass. $293,450

Columbia College Chicago Chicago Ill. $201,353

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