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# SMARTS in Schools program wins $150,000 in arts education grants
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/051702-story-20020517/
- Published: 2002-05-17T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T00:17:19.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Education, Malibu, #archive-import

A program that uses visual arts, writing, theater and dance to teach children history, math, English and science recently received more than $150,000 in grants that will continue and expand the project.

Called Santa Monica Arts, or SMARTS, in Schools, the program was awarded $139,000 from the California Arts Council, and $20,000 from the Grammy Foundation, an arm of the Santa Monica-based National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

The project was “devised as a blueprint to test the assertion that arts education in the school curriculum enhances academic achievement,” according to a press release. To that end, professional Santa Monica-based artists are partnered with classroom teachers who together devise ways students can learn core curriculum using the arts.

For instance, during the SMARTS in Schools Spring term, which began April 8 and runs through June 21, kindergarten through fifth graders in some Santa Monica- Malibu Unified School District schools learned social studies, math, history and marine biology through the visual arts.

In addition, they were presented history and social skills through theater, earth science and English through dance and English and writing through poetry.

The 18th Street Arts Complex, Santa Monica Playhouse, the Santa Monica Museum of Art, Dancessence and KidPower are some the organizations involved with the project.

Many of the results of these efforts will be on display at Saturday’s Santa Monica Festival 2002 at Clover Park.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 17, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/051702.pdf?ref=smdp.com)