by Timothy Rutt
The Pasadena Unified School District has been awarded a three year, $1 million grant from the U.S. Dept. of Education to fund a program that connects arts educaton with math.
PUSD Superintendent Jon R. Gundry announced the award Wednesday. The grant was awarded to the district in partnership with Pasadena's Armory Center for the Arts, the Pasadena Educational Foundation (PEF), and UCLA. PUSD's grant is one of only 13 federal Professional Development for Arts Educators (PDAE) grants awarded across the country this year. School districts must partner with local non-profit agencies to qualify.
"Connecting arts instruction with mathematical concepts develops the critical thinking skills that are so important for the jobs of tomorrow," said Gundry in a press release. "Coming on the final year of the PUSD/Armory Center for the Arts Artist/Teacher Collaborative, this grant continues to provide access to high quality arts instruction and to closely connect our students with the nationally recognized arts resources of Pasadena."
The federal grant will fund Artful Connections with Math, a project that was co-designed by PUSD's math coach and Arts Education Department, with the Armory Center for the Arts. The grant expands a program piloted at San Rafael Elementary School by the district's math coach and teaching artists from the Armory using visual arts lessons to target key math learning standards. According to PUSD, based on tests, the program has yielded notable improvements among underperforming second and third graders.
The UCLA National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) is the project's evaluation partner, and PEF supported the application process.
"Art can play a transformational role in student achievement by opening the door to learning. Within math, art helps to make abstract concepts more concrete, understandable, and approachable," said Scott Ward, Executive Director of the Armory Center. "The Armory's vibrant and long term partnership with PUSD allows this effort and others to flourish and this partnership will again be proven to be a true key to student success."
The federal grant will benefit an estimated 1,800 elementary school students at 16 Title 1 schools in PUSD. Title 1 schools are designated when more than 81 percent of students participate in the free and reduced school lunch program.
Local participating schools include Altadena and Jackson elementary schools.
