The N.C. Arts Council is a champion for education, advocating for comprehensive arts education for all students, both inside and outside the classroom. The arts enrich education by fostering curiosity, deepening understanding, and inspiring lifelong learning. They equip students with essential skills such as creative thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving—skills that are vital both in school and beyond. For educators, the arts offer dynamic approaches to teaching that make learning more engaging and inclusive, leading to improved test scores and increased student retention.
One of the N.C. Arts Council’s key arts education initiatives is the nationally recognized A+ Schools of North Carolina, a whole-school transformation model that treats the arts as essential to teaching and learning. A+ Schools foster a creative culture where the state’s mandated curriculum is delivered through collaboration and multi-discipline integration, with the arts consistently woven into every student’s learning experience. The A+ Schools Program offers professional development, tools, strategies, and ongoing support to help schools transform from the inside out.
Our programs enhance student learning through meaningful arts experiences, such as:
- Traditional Arts Program for Students (TAPS): hands-on after-school programs where students learn traditional arts
- Poetry Out Loud: an initiative that encourages high school students to connect with poetry through slam poetry, spoken word, and theater
Through our Arts Learning resources and programs, we support schools and nonprofit organizations in strengthening arts integration in pre-K–12 school settings.
In partnership with the Department of Public Instruction and other education and cultural leaders, we work to build citizen consensus around the value and benefits of arts in North Carolina’s education system.
