BOLTON, MISSISSIPPI – Today, United States Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) announced that Parents for Public Schools of Jackson, Inc. has been selected to receive $48,000 in federal funds. The grant will be for a period of one (1) year beginning September 1, 2009 thru June 30, 2010.
The funds will are for the “Ask for More Arts: Our Community – A Sense of Place.” Parents for Public Schools of Jackson serves as the convening partner in Ask for More Arts (AFMA), a school-community arts partnership launched in 2004 to ensure that students in Jackson Public School District have access to a well-rounded, quality education that includes the arts. The arts are considered to be on equal footing with other core subjects such as reading, language, math, science, and social studies. Research points to the arts as a “serious subject in its own right and as a part of a proven strategy to improve student performance in other core subjects.” However, in Jackson, MS Public Schools, the arts are almost non-existent in elementary schools.
Through AFMA, more than 100 teachers at 23 elementary partner schools receive high quality training in how to use the arts to teach core subjects such as reading, math, science and social studies and how to connect to learning for children across the curriculum. Approximately 2500-3000 students will benefit directly and thousands more will benefit indirectly.
For more information, please contact Carolyn Jolivette, Parents for Public Schools of Jackson, Inc. at (601) 696-6015
Be the first to comment