For over 22 years, the KID smART organization has been a driving force in providing high-quality arts education to over 32,000 students in the New Orleans area. Recently, the organization’s executive director, Elise Gallinot Goldman, spoke with Avenue to discuss how KID smART is making a difference in meeting the significant demand for arts education in the city.
Goldman, an artist with a strong background in education, was drawn to the mission of KID smART, which blended these two passions. She became an integral part of the organization as its second employee, starting as a dedicated teaching artist and later taking on the role of program director.
In addition to the flagship program — Creative Schools — the organization also supports professional development for educators, the With Feeling curriculum, and the Arts Literacy initiative. These many programs help empower educators, foster emotional intelligence in students, and promote arts education for a holistic approach to student development.
For the Creative Schools program, KID smART partners with public schools in NOLA by incorporating teaching artists in the classroom. These educators integrate their art into the curriculum. For instance, if a theater artist works with a social studies teacher, then the artist may help make historical content more engaging by encouraging students to create monologues based on the Freedom Riders, for example. In another instance, a visual artist may help a math teacher illustrate the concept of fractions by combining the lessons with color theory.
Now available in 15 schools throughout the city, KID smART has reached thousands of students. Sometimes, the benefits show up in unexpected ways. For instance, one teacher works in a school with a high percentage of English language learners. She’s found that the students often come out of their shells more and engage with the arts, helping them connect with fellow students.
“Arts education is such a powerful way for students to be able to express themselves as creators, to have more connection with themselves socially and emotionally,” said Goldman. “It makes learning more joyful, and it makes learning stickier for kids.”
In addition, the KID smART team extends their support to teachers by offering professional development opportunities. Teachers from participating schools can benefit from the expertise of the KID smART team through workshops. Schools that have at least 10 faculty members interested in incorporating arts into their curriculum are eligible to participate in one of their 25 development workshops. Workshop topics include Mathematical Monologues, Picturing Poetry: Comprehending Texts Through Image Making, and Improv for Insight & Empathy.
Including more arts in the classroom has proven to benefit not only students, but also teachers. “The same thing happens for teachers, they feel more connected with their profession,” said Goldman. When teachers incorporate arts into their lessons, they experience a greater sense of joy and fulfillment in their role as educators.
Drawing inspiration from visual arts and theater, this innovative curriculum supports educators interested in teaching techniques that foster emotional literacy in children. The curriculum provides a variety of engaging, interactive, and age-appropriate materials that make learning about emotions fun and enjoyable for students.
With lesson plans available for both Kindergarten through 4th grade and 5th through 8th grade, the materials cater to different age groups, allowing educators to tailor the lessons to meet their students’ unique needs. By creating collages, self-portraits, landscapes, and many more projects, students learn about emotional regulation and conflict resolution.
Designed for students in kindergarten through 3rd grade, the Arts Literacy NOLA program also uses the arts to help students improve their reading comprehension. Because so many learning materials are presented in written format from the 4th grade onward, it’s critical for students to reach this milestone for academic success.
