Oregon is leading the way in arts-integrated education with the launch of the Arts, Care & Connection (ACC) initiative, a free resource providing K-5 educators with high-quality, artist-led online lessons. In these dynamic lessons, students will embark on a creative adventure—crafting original songs, designing vibrant collages, writing, drawing, bringing movement to life through choreography, and unleashing their imaginations with improv. Through hands-on arts learning, they’ll forge meaningful connections with their classmates and teacher, making every moment an inspiring and joyful experience!

The ACC project will culminate in 96 stand-alone, one-hour lessons, each including a detailed lesson plan, instructional videos, and a slide deck. These lessons align with the Oregon Arts Standards and Oregon’s Transformative Social Emotional Learning Framework, ensuring accessibility and effectiveness for all educators, regardless of artistic background. The ACC lessons support the five TSEL competencies—self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making—reinforcing the shared value among educators of integrating social-emotional learning through the arts. Available to teachers, after-school providers, homeschool educators, and summer program leaders, the lessons highlight the natural connection between creativity and social-emotional learning. 

Developed by Arts for Learning Northwest in collaboration with Oregon Department of Education, arts partners, and teaching artists across Oregon, these lessons serve three key purposes: (1) To increase understanding and fluency with artistic approaches and practices; (2) To deepen learning in the arts content area needed for authentic Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) learning; and (3) To provide high-quality social-emotional learning opportunities to students through the arts.

This initiative is part of the Oregon Department of Education’s Well-Rounded Access Program, funded by a five-year, $9.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant started in 2020, and ends in September 2025. The online resource library created by the grant will continue to be available for students for years to come.

As Briana Linden, a Portland area Arts Education Consultant and project lead, stated:

“When sharing this work with the arts education field across the country, the response has been incredible. Oregon is leading the way in creating artist-led, social-emotionally integrated arts learning that ignites students’ curiosity and allows them to explore what’s important to them—their sense of belonging, their identity, and their communities.”

Shannon Johnson, Arts Education Specialist at the Oregon Department of Education notes: “These lessons are built to be accessible for any educator, no matter their background or experience with the arts – and will be offered in both English and Spanish. We hope this will make accessible opportunities for joy, connection, and creative thinking within Oregon classrooms, for students and teachers alike.”

The ACC lessons are designed to be flexible, requiring no specialized materials while allowing educators to co-teach with virtual teaching artists. The lessons are currently available online, with additional lessons added throughout 2025. 

Educators are encouraged to explore the ACC lessons and share their feedback. Participants who provide feedback can receive classroom supplies to support their implementation. Additionally, the Well-Rounded Access Program Team is seeking teachers for focus groups to discuss experiences in arts education. Interested educators will receive a stipend for their time and contributions to the project.

For more information, access to lessons, or to join the ACC mailing list, visit the Arts for Learning NW website.

Educators interested in participating in focus groups or scheduling a site visit can contact [email protected].

Arts for Learning Northwest Arts for Learning Northwest connects young people with diverse arts and creative experiences, making the arts abundantly accessible in schools and communities. Through partnerships with schools and community spaces, the organization provides residencies, workshops, performances, and career connections, serving over 50,000 students annually across 27 school districts in Portland Metro, SW Washington, and Central Oregon.

In October 2020, Oregon received a five-year, $9.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to expand access to well-rounded education courses. 

In January 2022, ODE published a Needs Assessment that highlighted the importance of and current inequitable access to high-quality, well-rounded STEAM courses.  This Needs Assessment, along with a year-long engagement process, was the basis for ODE’s decision to expand access to these courses, allotting almost $1 Million (approximately 10% of the total funding) for these efforts. This partnership is projected to continue through June 30, 2025. 

More information about this program and to learn about other projects sponsored by this program, visit ODE’s Expanding Access to Well-Rounded Education webpage.

The content of this curriculum and professional development does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education, and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. government.