April 22, 2025 Edition

Hi ,

April is Autism Acceptance Month—a time to celebrate the many ways neurodivergent students enrich our classrooms. 

Did you know that arts-based strategies can open up flexible, creative ways to support different sensory preferences, communication styles, and learning pathways?

This month, we’re sharing how to use those strategies—alongside thoughtful differentiation—to build inclusive environments where every student feels seen, supported, and celebrated for exactly who they are.

FREE RESOURCE

Differentiated Instruction Strategies

Differentiated instruction means personalizing instruction to meet the needs of each individual learner. This free comprehensive guide shares strategies that can help you make this a reality for your students.

Plus...check out the Autism and the Arts Differentiation Sampler below. 👇

This is a short, 5-page excerpt from our full 24-page guide found exclusively in The Accelerator. (Members...check your resource library for the full version!)

PODCAST EPISODES

🎧 New on the Podcast

This month has been all about implementation. From helpful strategies to connect literacy and STEM with the arts, to reframing the actual process of implementation, these are 3 episodes that are both practical and tactical.

Tune into these new episodes (click or tap on any image to listen/watch/read):

IN ACTION

👏  Arts Integration or STEAM Awards Now Open! Nominate an Educator by May 15.

Do you know an educator or leader who exemplifies arts integration or STEAM excellence? Someone whose passion for these approaches ignites a love of learning in their students and inspires their staff?

Now is your chance to celebrate their hard work and dedication by nominating them for one of five awards being provided at this year's National Conference in Baltimore on July 8-9, 2025.

🏆 Nominate a friend, colleague, or organization that is leading the way - get all the details and nomination form here.

NEWS AND UPDATES

🎨  From the Field

Check out these resources and tools for arts integration and STEAM from educators and education organizations.

1. Four Resources for Connecting Poetry and the Arts

April is also National Poetry Month. This specific type of writing can be extremely challenging for students. Thankfully, there are many ways to connect poetry with music, visual art, dance, and theater which can deepen and enhance the writing process. This collection features podcasts, strategies, and examples of different poetic forms, including sonnets, ekphrastic, and more.

2. Five Practical Strategies to Secure Transformational Funding

Whether you're looking for a grant to support arts-focused programming, or you're leading a current effort, Angela Meleca's short brief is filled with specific strategies that work in the funding field right now. You can't afford not to use these - especially her tip for combining data with stories. **Bonus....Angela is speaking at this summer's conference on data visualization as well. Come meet her in person!**

3. Resource:  Is Your School Ready for Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial Intelligence isn't going away. How can you use it effectively and ethically? aiEDU’s AI Readiness Framework is designed to help students, educators, and school leaders understand and build AI readiness. The framework offers practical guidance on how to assess and improve AI literacy across different levels.

4. ArtScan is Now Live - Compare Arts Policies in All 50 States

ArtScan is a clearinghouse of the latest state policies supporting arts education from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity. You can use this to find out specific arts policy data for your state, or compare it to others around the nation.

5. One-Pagers: Evidence-Informed Summaries For Busy Educational Professionals

Have you seen Jamie Clark's 1-Pagers yet? If not, hurry up and snag the free ones he has available. These are one-page guides on everything from Scaffolding Learning to Retrieval Practice. Often, education best-practices get muddled, but Jamie synthesizes the key information and puts them into a single page document that educators can reference whenever necessary.

PD FOR EDUCATORS

👉  Summer PD Options Through The Institute

Summer is right around the corner and for many educators, that means time to catch up on required PD hours. 

If you're looking for a way to make those hours meaningful to your practice (and not just take another "course" that you won't actually use), check out all of the ways we can support you:

2025 National Arts Integration and STEAM Conference - In-person event on July 8-9, 2025. Provides 30 PD hours and 3 CEUs. ($499-625)

Arts Integration Certification - Fully online and flexible start dates. Provides 520 PD hours and 20 CEUs. Grad credit also available. ($2150)

The Accelerator - Online platform that provides access to hundreds of PD hours and CEUs through online courses, workshops, event recordings, and microcredentials. ($37/mo or $375/year)

In-Person Keynotes or PD - Interested in bringing one of our team members to your school for a customized, in-person PD? We love working hands-on with schools and teachers. Book as soon as possible as summer times fill up quickly. 

👉 Coming Up in May...

Our annual Top 25 Books for Summer (Teacher Edition) will be in our next issue, along with ways to maximize these last days of the school year.

In the meantime, be on the lookout for your another Strategy of the Week next Tuesday.

Found this issue useful? Please help us spread these ideas by forwarding this newsletter to your colleagues.

Have a wonderful month ahead,

Susan

If you need ideas for bringing creativity into your classroom or school this year, here are 3 ways we can help:

•  The Accelerator is our professional learning suite. Inside are all of our lessons, resources, and PD opportunities in one spot. Available as a monthly or yearly license. School group discounts also available.
• The National Arts Integration and STEAM Conference is being held in-person July 7-9, 2025 in Baltimore, MD. Secure your early-bird registration now to connect with hundreds of other educators next summer.
• Looking for a more personal, regular connection with me? Sign up for my free, Friday email, Backstage Pass.