ArtsNOW has been awarded a $2.78 million Assistance for Arts Education (AAE) grant by the US Department of Education (USDOE) for its project, “STEM + the Art of Integrated Learning (SAIL).”

The AAE program promotes arts education for students and teachers through professional learning, development, and dissemination of accessible instructional materials and arts-based programming, and community and national outreach activities that strengthen and expand partnerships among schools, local educational agencies, communities, and arts centers.

The focus of this project is two-fold. First, ArtsNOW will develop and test the use of a set of arts-integrated lessons that are:

• aligned with the 3rd through 5th-grade content standards for math and science,
• supported by standards in the arts, and
• incorporate inquiry-based activities to support the development of students’ critical thinking skills.

To support the lesson plan writing component and lend their expertise, ArtsNOW will partner with Georgia Tech’s Center for Education Integrating Science, Math, and Computing (CEISMC).

SAIL will include the development of eighteen inquiry-based math and science units supported by 124 hours of professional development over three years and will benefit six elementary schools with over 2,200 students and 114 teachers.

Project partners will include:

• Barrow County School System: Winder Elementary and Statham Elementary
• Cobb County School District: Dowell Elementary and Mableton Elementary
• Savannah-Chatham County Public School System: Garden City Elementary and Gadsden Elementary

Second, SAIL will also explore ways in which arts-based programming can be used to build students’ social-emotional competencies. Fine arts teachers will develop lesson plans focused on integrating the arts with student well-being.

In partnership with Young Audiences, Inc., ArtsNOW consultants will participate in training for trauma-informed practice to develop a deeper understanding and responsiveness to students’ well-being to foster a safer, inclusive classroom.

Project partners will include:

• Atlanta Public Schools: Hillside Conant School
• Douglas County School System: Youth Villages-Inner Harbor campus

The SAIL grant will begin in the fall of 2021 and conclude in the fall of 2026.

ArtsNOW is a national non-profit that offers customized solutions to improve teacher efficacy and student results through authentic arts integration.