“KID smART teachers engage children in such a way they don’t even realize they’re absorbing math facts, parts of speech, or the water cycle – strategies that continue to build student success.” –Kate Werner, KID smART Board Member
KID smART blends academic subjects with dance, drama, poetry and visual art to make New Orleans public schools more joyful and effective places to learn. We do this by:
- Placing teaching artists in 12+ New Orleans public schools to co-plan and co-teach with classroom teachers, reaching more than 3,000 students each school year;
- Providing monthly workshops in arts integration to 85+ public school teachers;
- Piloting an Artful Families program to help parents and guardians support positive child development through the arts;
- Offering Homegrown, a teaching artist institute targeted to arts of color and artists native to New Orleans;
- Working alongside other organizations to advocate for arts education and broaden the conversation around the definition of student success.