Local arts-in-education nonprofit KID smART is a growing presence in the dynamic local public education sector. Rather than reform of school finance and governance, KID smART’s emphasis is on reform of curriculum and pedagogy. Its core value is that the arts have the power to engage children in learning across the curriculum.
KID smART’s focus is arts integration…teaching the arts, but also using the arts as a pedagogical tool to teach other content. Teaching artist Rachel Carrico puts it this way, “ The difference between working with KID smART and other arts programs I’ve worked with is that the art is integrated directly into the classroom and into the core curriculum. So instead of the students being expected to make the connection from their after school drama program or their after school dance program to what they’re learning in social studies, in language arts, in science, we make those connections very tangible right in the classroom on a daily basis.”
In its Education through Imagination initiatives, teaching artists are placed in long term residencies with teachers in elementary school classrooms where they co-teach the language arts, science, math and other core subjects. KID smART also offers an intensive professional development program for classroom teachers to develop their own arts integration skills.
In the 2010-11 academic year, KID smART anticipates working in fifteen local participating schools and with 350 classroom teachers.
This past week, KID smART was honored with the prestigious Arts Education Award from Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit advancing the arts in America. The annual award honors the best in arts education program design, execution and organization leadership. Executive Director, Echo Olander, shares her thoughts…
“KID smART’s work has always been collaborative. The Americans for the Arts award provides a great opportunity to thank our philanthropic, cultural, educational, and artist partners, for sharing our vision of children engaged in learning through the arts. We share the award with these partners and acknowledge their passionate commitment to rebuilding our arts, cultural and education sectors after Katrina and the levee breaches We are grateful to the Americans for the Arts for recognizing the value of our team to the children of New Orleans.”
For more information about KID smART and its Education through Imagination initiatives,visit www.kidsmart.org.
