Richmond’s strength in the arts not only enriches the lives of Spiders, but now area public school students as well, thanks to a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Because of our Partners in the Arts program and relationship with Richmond Public Schools, we are the new recipients of the generous grant that will support teachers’ professional development, which will ultimately develop well-rounded students. Teachers will begin enrolling in the Arts Integrated Learning Certificate Project this summer.

Throughout the four years of the grant, up to 100 educators will be provided with the knowledge and skills to integrate arts into the classroom for improved student engagement and achievement.

So what does this all mean exactly? We’ve chosen focus areas, which include music, dance, drama, media arts and visual arts, and each academic area will connect to a specific community art event. One example is exploring the principles of light and sound to inform a play production. Another is doing geometry and algebra to build sets for a play.

“This generous grant will enable Richmond’s teachers to align their teaching practices to how students learn, closing the opportunity to learn gap for all RPS students through the arts,” PIA Director Rob McAdams said. “It is imperative to the success of our students that we bring arts teachers, academic teachers, community arts and cultural programs together to collaborate in engaging and empowering instruction.”

The Partners in the Arts program was founded in 1994 to improve instructional practice and connect educators and students to the Richmond region’s vibrant arts and cultural community.

“This is the kind of program that I aspire to at the University of Richmond, which is crossing boundaries to enhance learning,” Provost Jeffrey Legro (photo above) told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “The arts are just an accessible and attractive vehicle to young people to open their worlds.”

We’re thrilled to be included in such a large grant in support of Virginia’s students!