Case Study: Jefferson Elementary School District
Building Confidence & Expanding Creativity
How Jefferson ESD Strengthened Arts Education with Art in Action
Overview
Jefferson Elementary School District partnered with Art in Action to bring comprehensive, high-quality visual arts education to its students. With the addition of new art classes and trained art teachers, the district has seen remarkable growth in both student confidence and engagement.
By providing structure, curriculum resources, and flexibility, Art in Action helped Jefferson ESD build a sustainable, district-wide foundation for arts education—one that reflects the creativity, diversity, and resilience of its community.
The Challenge
Jefferson ESD wanted to establish a consistent and sustainable art program that could:
Boost student confidence and creativity across grade levels
Support teachers with ready-to-use, engaging curriculum resources
Reflect the cultural diversity of the district’s student population
Strengthen fine motor skills in younger grades while giving older students access to diverse art materials and techniques
Prior to partnering with Art in Action, art instruction was inconsistent across schools, often depending on teacher availability or volunteer capacity. The district sought a solution that could bring quality, equity, and continuity to art education ensuring every student, at every grade level, had the opportunity to express themselves creatively.
The Solution
Through its partnership with Art in Action, Jefferson ESD implemented a comprehensive visual arts program that provided:
🎨 Grade-Specific Lesson Plans
Step-by-step project guides designed for each grade level, from kindergarten through 8th grade, ensuring progression in artistic skills and creative thinking.
📚 Robust Teacher Resources
A resource-rich online platform offering lesson overviews, classroom management tips, and visual examples to help educators feel confident leading art instruction even those without prior art training.
🖌️ Hands-On Artmaking
Lessons that explore a wide variety of art media and techniques, including painting, printmaking, collage, and sculpture.
🌎 Culturally Relevant Curriculum
Projects that highlight diverse artists from around the world such as Faith Ringgold, Ruth Asawa, Nellie Mae Rowe, Jacob Lawrence, and Frida Kahlo. Allowing students to see themselves reflected in the art they create.
Together, these resources provided teachers with the flexibility to connect lessons to contemporary artists and themes relevant to their community, while maintaining a consistent framework across the district.
The Results
The partnership between Jefferson ESD and Art in Action led to measurable and meaningful outcomes across classrooms:
✅ Increased Student Confidence
Students became more comfortable using art supplies and could recall techniques, vocabulary, and mediums from prior years demonstrating growth and retention.
✂️ Skill Development in Younger Grades
Younger students showed stronger fine motor skills through hands-on projects that required scissor work, painting, and detailed brush techniques.
🎉 Excitement and Engagement
Older students expressed enthusiasm for art classes, particularly when experimenting with diverse materials beyond the basic supplies typically available in core classrooms.
👩🏽🏫 Empowered Teachers
Educators appreciated the clear, adaptable lesson structure that supported creative instruction while giving them space to personalize and integrate art with other subjects.
🌟 Equity in Representation
By learning about artists from a range of cultures, time periods, and backgrounds, students saw themselves reflected in the curriculum; deepening engagement and a sense of belonging.
Voices from Jefferson ESD
“Now that we have art classes, students are feeling more confident in their ability to use different art mediums. The younger students’ fine motor skills have grown, and the older students love using a variety of materials they don’t normally get in class. What we value most is that Art in Action gave us a strong starting point—its lesson plans and resources made it possible to build our program district-wide, while still leaving room to connect with contemporary and culturally relevant artists our students identify with.”
— Jefferson Elementary School District Educators
Looking Ahead
Jefferson ESD continues to expand its visual arts programming through Art in Action, with ongoing teacher training and curriculum support. By embedding creativity across grade levels, the district is not only teaching art. It’s nurturing the next generation of innovators, problem solvers, and cultural thinkers.
Art in Action remains committed to supporting Jefferson ESD in its mission to make arts education accessible, equitable, and inspiring for all students.
About Art in Action
Art in Action is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering students through visual arts education. Our standards-aligned curriculum supports K–8 teachers with easy-to-use lesson plans, art history connections, and hands-on projects designed to foster creativity, confidence, and critical thinking.
Learn more about how Art in Action can support your school or district at https://artinaction.org/program-overview
