'Grow with GIVE' Program Launches to Promote Inclusive Education Practices at NYC Cultural Arts Organizations

Today, New 42 / New Victory Theater, ArtsConnection, and Community-Word Project announced the launch of "Grow with GIVE," a free program funded by The New York Community Trust and designed to support five NYC-based arts organizations to fully utilize and implement the GIVE Guide into their classroom settings and organizational practices. "Grow with GIVE" will take place during the 2022-23 academic school year and will give organizations the tools to deepen their inclusive practices in Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT) and other classroom settings serving students with disabilities. This program is part of a generous $445,000 grant from The New York Community Trust.

"Our city's public schools rely heavily on Teaching Artists because there are few arts teachers on staff; it's crucial that Teaching Artists receive guidance on how to work with students with disabilities. That's why we're funding New 42 / New Victory Theater, ArtsConnection and Community-World Project to train these professionals and create teaching materials to cultivate classrooms in which all students can thrive," said Rachel Pardoe, Senior Program Officer for Healthy Lives at The New York Community Trust. "We hope this promising work is shared throughout our school system for years to come."

In New York City, and in school districts across the country, many schools partner with nonprofit cultural organizations that have Teaching Artists leading arts education instruction. These Teaching Artists are often placed in Inclusion or ICT Classrooms, which are a mix of students with/out diagnosed disabilities; and based on data collected by the GIVE team, they have little to no training for working in these classroom settings.

Launched in 2021, The GIVE Guide is a free online resource composed of over 50 unique elements, including a checklist for inclusive lesson planning; guidance for creating a stigma-free classroom; and strategies for supporting students with disabilities. GIVE was created with focus group feedback from Teaching Artists, classroom teachers, paraprofessionals and parents of students with disabilities, as well as 275 NYC arts educators who articulated promising practices, modifications or gaps in instructional knowledge. The GIVE project is a paradigm shift in how Teaching Artists, and the cultural organizations they work with, approach working in ICT classrooms.

"Congratulations to New 42 / New Victory Theater, ArtsConnection, and Community-Word Project on the launch of 'Grow with GIVE,' funded by The New York Community Trust to support Teaching Artists with inclusive resources and strategies to better address the needs of students with disabilities. This project is a critical tool for cultural partners in bringing quality arts learning to diverse learners in NYC public schools," said Maria Palma, Executive Director of the Office of Arts and Special Projects for the NYC Department of Education.

Preliminary GIVE research, conducted in Spring 2021, shows that Teaching Artists who participated in training to use the GIVE resources improved in creating a welcoming and inclusive classroom more substantially than a control group of Teaching Artists working in similar environments. There is also evidence that Teaching Artists who engaged with the GIVE materials taught students to use digital tools and platforms more effectively than their untrained peers.

"We are absolutely thrilled with the launch of 'Grow with GIVE,'" said New 42 President & CEO Russell Granet. "Teaching Artists are engaged in vital work in classrooms and this critical program will provide tools that support and enhance their work while increasing inclusivity. We are extremely proud that Teaching Artists are leading the way in this effort and underscoring the essential role of arts education in New York City public schools."

"Grow with Give" applications are open to any cultural arts organization based in New York City with arts education programming in NYC public schools and a demonstrated desire to deepen their work in inclusive practices. The program will include an introductory workshop on GIVE for all a??organizational a??staff and Teaching Artists as well as a year-long professional development program for selected staff. A stipend of $3,000 will be provided to each participating organization to acknowledge their commitment to this work and to help offset expenses for TA and staff compensation. Workshops and coaching will be led by the GIVE Trainers who are made up of Teaching Artists and staff from the partner organizations (New Victory Theater, ArtsConnection and Community-Word Project) all of whom are trained in GIVE methodologies and many of whom developed the resources collaboratively.

Applications are open now until Tuesday, April 26, 2022.

More information about the program is available HERE.

Interested organizations can apply HERE.

Selected organizations will be informed by late May. The initial orientation meeting will take place in summer 2022 and the orientation session will kick off a planning process for each organization during the summer. The training program will launch at the top of the 2022-23 academic year and culminate in June 2023.

For more information and specific details, we invite you to attend the "Grow with GIVE" virtual Open Housea?? on Thursday, March 31 from 4:00-5:30pm. To reserve your place, click HERE.

ABOUT New 42

Under the leadership of President & CEO Russell Granet, New 42 is a cultural nonprofit whose mission is to make extraordinary performing arts a vital part of everyone's life from the earliest years onward. Driven by a deep commitment to performing arts access, New 42 connects people to world-class performances, essential education and employment programs, and creative communities that push culture forward. Through New Victory and New 42 Studios, the nonprofit serves artists, educators and New Yorkers of all ages with invaluable arts engagement and resources in and beyond the performing arts. Together with our supporters, New 42 opens new perspectives, incubates new works and creates new opportunities to move us all.

ABOUT ArtsConnection

Quality arts education a??empowers young people to imagine and act on their capabilities - important tools for students in an educational system rife with racial and socioeconomic inequities. For over 40 years, ArtsConnection (AC) has provided comprehensive arts education for NYC public school students. AC reaches 45,000 students (pre-K through 12) annually through programming in 100+ schools, as well as through out-of-school-time programs that engage teens in NYC's vast array of cultural opportunities. Programs draw upon the expertise of 125 culturally diverse teaching artists. Our 13 federal U.S. Education grants over the years have allowed for in-depth research and evaluation, supporting AC's program design, and dissemination to the field at large. The organization a??has a long history of working with students who have been marginalized in different ways, equipping them with the tools to successfully navigate their own education and the real-life challenges they face.

ABOUT Community-Word Project

Community-Word Project (CWP) is a New York City based arts-in-education organization with the mission to facilitate culturally responsive, multidisciplinary art programs for students, teaching artists, and communities to develop and amplify their voices and creative skills. CWP believes creative learning through the arts teaches students to solve problems creatively, to communicate clearly, and to collaborate with others. CWP's Teaching Artist Project's (TAP) comprehensive, skills-training seminars and internships provide Teaching Artists the skills they need to help students meet their individual needs and exceed city- and state-mandated learning standards. TAP provides a supportive community for Teaching Artists to engage in a self-reflective, social justice-oriented pedagogy and learning practice in service of their teaching.

ABOUT The New York Community Trust

The New York Community Trust is a grantmaking foundation dedicated to improving New York City and its suburbs. It connects individuals, families, foundations, and businesses with vital nonprofits working to make a healthy, equitable, and thriving community today and tomorrow.

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