Arts in Education

The arts take you straight to the heart of learning. When you dig your thumbs into wet clay to create a water jug just like the ones early Native Americans used to carry water from the stream (before water came from faucets)—history comes alive. When you understand how heat turns that soft clay and liquid glaze into a jug that can actually carry water, science makes sense. Music teaches you the math of intervals, half notes, and time. Performing a poem gives you that poem forever. Create a dance of verbs and adjectives, and your writing is suddenly much more real.

In an age where imagination, creativity, and innovation are essential to success in school, the workforce, and life arts learning experiences in schools and communities are more critical than ever. The North Carolina Arts Council, along with many partners around the state, seeks to create an environment where all children have the opportunity to learn through the arts.

	The A+ Schools Program The A+ Schools Program, which was established in 1995, is a whole school reform model that views the arts as fundamental to how teachers teach and students learn in all subjects. A+ Schools combine interdisciplinary teaching and daily arts instruction, offering children opportunities to develop creative, innovative ways of thinking, learning and showing what they know. Teaching the required curriculum involves a collaborative, many-disciplined approach, with the arts continuously woven into every aspect of a child's learning. To Learn more about the A+ Schools Program, visit our website at http://aplus-schools.ncdcr.gov/
	Poetry Out Loud Recitation and performance are the latest trends in poetry. The recent resurgence of poetry as an oral art form is evident in slam poetry and the immense popularity of hip-hop and rap music among youth. Poetry Out Loud seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers by building on this momentum and inviting the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word, and theater into the English classroom. Click here to learn more about Poetry Out Loud
	cARTwheels II Building on the success of the previous cARTwheels tours, the N.C. Arts Council introduced cARTwheels II, an educational performing, literary and visual arts touring program that ensures that students across the state experience professional, live art before they leave school. cARTwheels II expands the art offerings available to students and deepens the educational experience for each of the participating school districts with extended activities. Click here to learn more about cARTwheels II
	Lincoln Center Institute Workshops Over the years, the Lincoln Center Institute (LCI) has developed and refined a professional development model for artists and educators using a curriculum based on "aesthetic education." This inquiry-based approach, unique to LCI, places the arts at the center of the imaginative learning experience. The methodology is applicable to all subjects across the curriculum, and challenges participants to consider the role of art and imagination in education and ways to bring them into classrooms. Click here to learn more about LCI’s International Educator Workshops in North Carolina. View this Powerpoint presentation to learn more about Lincoln Center Institute Workshops.