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Three schools in Queens have received School Arts Partnership matching grants to fund partnerships between teachers and artists or cultural organizations that will help students reach New York State Learning Standards.

Through the partnerships, educators and teaching artists collaboratively plan and implement Standards-based curricula that teach arts and non-arts subjects as part of an integrated unit.

Syracuse-based Partners for Arts Education administers the SAP grant, which is funded by the New York State Council on the Arts. This is the fourth year Partners for Arts Education has distributed funds for the grant.

“With their excellent strategies for meeting school curricula and challenging students to exceed standards, these projects give educators valuable tools to increase student achievement,” said Partners for Arts Education Executive Director Laura Reeder. “The high caliber competition for these grants increases each year. Our goal is to be able to provide support for all of the schools and cultural partners that demonstrate ability to transform learning this way.”

A total of 17 schools around New York State have received matching grants for the 2006-07 school year to fund partnerships. 44 schools applied for SAP grants this year.

The Queens schools that received grants include:

PS 99 The Kew Gardens School, partnering with The Friends of Maple Grove Cemetery, Inc. and teaching artist Karen Fitzgerald for “Playing Around.” Sixth-grade students and teachers create playground and board games that are inspired by ancient civilizations, using technology as a research and design tool to improve the outdoor play yard.

The Renaissance Charter School in Jackson Heights, partnering with Young Playwrights, received a grant for “Write A Play! The Next Step.” Students in grades 6-9 increase the sophistication of their writing, critical thinking, and problem solving, linking historical and contemporary life issues through monologue and dialogue writing and character and scene development, and using peer review to refine dramatic impact.

Scholars Academy in Far Rockaway, partnering with Magic Box Productions, received a grant for “Discovery Through Demonstration in Science.” Sixth-grade students work together to create original video documentaries of key scientific concepts, experiments, and brief biographies of important scientists selected from the middle-school science curriculum.