Clara Barton Elementary School - Where excellence is expected

This year Clara Barton’s 4th and 5th Grade teachers are partnering with Changing World’s Art, Culture and Literacy (ACL) Program.  Changing World’s ACL Program partners with schools to implement integrated arts, culture and literacy residences for youth in grades 3-8.The 4th and 5th grade students are excited to be beginning the Changing Worlds Arts, Cultural and Literacy Connections Program.   The students will be taught by a literacy specialist and teaching artists who will visit classrooms for one hour one day a week. They will use stories of the student’s lives, cultures and family histories with writing and the arts as a springboard to teaching core concepts in language arts, fine arts, and cultural awareness.  Students will produce final art projects and written work which will be showcased at a culminating event.

Clara Barton has renewed its partnership with GEAR UP, the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs.  GEAR UP provides student support in and out of school, teacher professional development and parent support programs, all designed to strengthen academic programs and student services in the schools.

GEAR UP will focus on our current 7th and 8th Grade students.  You will hear more about GEAR UP in the upcoming weeks, as we are working to secure a kick-off date.  

Illinois State University's College of Fine Arts and College of Education was recently notified that they were awarded a contract with the Kennedy Center, and its affiliate, Very Special Arts (VSA), in response to the Request for Proposals for Arts Education Programming for Students with Disabilities (VSA-AESD) & Professional Development for Educators of Students with Disabilities (VSA-PDE).  This proposal was carefully written by the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation to work with the administrators, teachers, and children of Clara Barton Elementary School.

This project provides an opportunity for teachers and paraprofessionals to further develop skills in adapting arts education instruction and assessments for students with disabilities. In addition, parents, pre-service teachers, and community-based partners will be informing the work of this project to achieve project goals.  This project will include the collaborative team of Illinois State University’s arts education and special education faculty working closely with teachers and paraprofessionals in the Chicago Public Schools including Clara Barton Elementary to develop standards-based music, movement/dance, drama/theater age appropriate inclusive curriculum and assessments for students with disabilities.