Engaged
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Each student is actively engaged in learning and is connected to the school and broader community.
  • Fine Arts
  • Literacy & Media/ Library
  • Social Studies & Civics
  • STEM/STEAM
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Fine Arts
In Georgia, Fine Arts education includes the sequential study of dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual art in grades kindergarten through twelve. A wide variety of elective courses are offered in Georgia schools at the secondary level in dance, music, theatre, visual and media arts and are chosen by local systems and schools to benefit their students. 
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In addition to classroom instruction in arts education, many activities help students master Fine Arts content and skills such as local, regional, and national arts shows, performances, and contests. Community arts partnerships and arts integration into core curricular areas are also part of a student's Fine Arts education opportunities but do not substitute for sequential K-12 art and music education.

What is art integration?

Arts integration is an approach to teaching in which learning targets, instruction, and assessment are taught with fidelity in the arts and another subject, while meeting standards and objectives in both. Arts integration allows students to synthesize content and create new meaning.  ​

For more information, please visit GaDOE Fine Arts.
research & data
Research on Arts Education in Georgia   
Research on the Benefits of Arts Learning    
Research on Arts Learning Policies and Practice   
Research on Arts Integration    
Research on After School Arts Programs 
​​For additional information, please email Jessica Booth, Program Manager.
leveraging federal funds
​programs & initiatives
partners in the work
tools & resources
school/district best practices
professional development opportunities
Literacy & Media/Library
What is literacy and media?
The purpose of the English Language Arts & Literacy program is to help students gain, evaluate, and present increasingly complex information, ideas and evidence through listening and speaking as well as through media. Students must be able to use formal English in their writing and speaking, and they must also be able to make informed, skillful choices among the many ways to express themselves through language. The English Language Arts & Literacy program supports teachers in building students’ knowledge through content-rich nonfiction; providing reading, writing and speaking instruction that is grounded in evidence from the text, both literary and informational; and providing students with consistent practice with complex text and its academic language.

For more information, please visit GaDOE English Language Arts Program.
RESEARCH & DATA
LEVERAGING  fUNDS
Federal Funds:Other Funds:
  • Striving Readers Grant - The purpose of the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy (SRCL) discretionary grants is to create a comprehensive literacy program to advance literacy skills — including pre-literacy skills, reading, and writing — for students from birth through grade 12, including limited-English-proficient students and students with disabilities.

For additional information, please email Literacy4GA.
pROGRAMS & iNITIATIVES
  • Literacy for Learning, Living, and Leading – Georgia’s L4 Plan
  • Summer Literacy Mini-Grants – In February 2019, the English Language Arts & Literacy team partnered with the Georgia Foundation for Public Education (GFPE) to offer school media specialists the opportunity to apply for a mini-grant. The purpose of the mini-grant was to provide school media centers the chance to create innovative literacy initiatives/activities to engage students during the summer months.
  • The Georgia’s Systems of Continuous Improvement focuses on the systems and structures (the “what”) that must be in place for sustained improvement in student outcomes. It also utilizes a problem-solving model (the “how”) to provide a clear process for identifying improvement needs, planning for improvement, and implementing, monitoring, and evaluating the improvement efforts.

For additional information, please email Literacy4GA.
PARTNERS IN THE WORK

For additional information, please email Literacy4GA.
TOOLS & RESOURCES
SCHOOL/DISTRICT BEST PRACTICES
COMING SOON!
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
  • Winter Literacy Institutes
  • Summer Literacy Conference
  • Professional Learning
    • Narrative Writing
    • Evidence Based Practices
    • Dyslexia

For additional information, please email Literacy4GA.
Social Studies & Civics
What is social studies & civics?
Social Studies includes many subjects, however, the four main domains are: Economics, Geography, Civics/Government, and History.  In grades K-8 the Georgia Standards for Excellence in Social Studies include standards for each of these domains.  In high school, these courses are separated so that students get a deeper understanding of each course.  There are four (4) social studies course requirements for graduation that total three (3) credits.  They are: United States History, World History, ½ credit in Economics, and ½ credit in American Government Civics.  

For more information, please visit GaDOE Social Studies.
research & data
Social studies best practices include teaching with inquiry. The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies created by the National Council for the Social Studies is a powerful guide to help each state strengthen instruction in the social studies by establishing a clear process for instruction in civics, economics, geography, and history, kindergarten through high school. Click to read the C3 Frameworks.

For additional information please contact Joy Hatcher, Program Manager.
leveraging funds
Federal Funds:
  • Selecting Interventions: Allowable Federal Funding- Social Studies & Civics
  • Title I funds can be used for social studies, when you are using social studies to increase ELA scores. Grades 6-12 have embedded reading and writing standards and many K-5 teachers integrate ELA standards into social studies instruction. All GaDOE workshops include literacy instruction.
  • Title II funds can be used for staff development.
  • Title III funds can be used for social studies when it supports increase language acquisition for ESOL students.  All GaDOE Social Studies workshop embed differentiation for WIDA standards.
  • Title 4A definition of the Whole Child includes Civics/Social Studies education.
For additional information please contact Joy Hatcher, Program Manager.
programs & initiatives
  • The Civic Engagement Diploma Seal is the first seal in Georgia for the Social Studies. Criteria to earn the seal and program information can be found at the link above.
  • Constitution Day - Public Law 108-447 requires the designation of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day on September 17 of each year. The purpose of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day is to commemorate the formation and signing on September 17, 1787, of the Constitution and recognize all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become citizens. Information and resources can be located at the link above.
​​For additional information please contact Joy Hatcher, Program Manager.
partners in the work
tools & resources
Resources provided on GA Standards- Social Studies are developed by Georgia Educators for Georgia Educators and vetted by GaDOE staff​.
Content Resources:
  • Teacher Notes:
    • Explain and provide examples of materials for the standards and elements, for teachers, in terms of content and cognitive demand.
  • Teacher Content Tutorial Videos:
    • Screencasts that describe for teachers what students should know in terms of content and cognitive demand.
Instructional Resources:
  • Curriculum Map - sample organization structure for each course.
  • Sample Units - sample essential questions, instructional activities, and performance tasks for units in the curriculum map.
  • Instructional Activity Tutorial Videos - screencasts for teachers that describe inquiry based instructional strategies for the classroom.
  • Social Studies Labs - full inquiry lessons with a classroom ready PowerPoint.
  • Virtual Specialist Professional Learning Communities - virtual communities specific to each grade level and course led by specialists from throughout Georgia.
  • Resources for each grade level and course are found here. 
​For additional information please contact JoAnn Wood, Social Studies Program Manager or Jennifer Zoumberis, Social Studies & Special Education Content Integration Specialist.
school/district best practices
​ ​For additional information please contact Joy Hatcher, Program Manager.
professional development opportunities
  • GaDOE Social Studies offers a variety of virtual and face to face trainings by request at Georgia RESAs and districts throughout the state.  You can find available workshops at a RESA near you on the GaDOE Social Studies Page or you can request a workshop by emailing JoAnn Wood, Social Studies Program Manager. 
  • GaDOE Social Studies also provides real time support to educators and leaders across the state through our virtual learning communities.  We offer a FREE online professional learning community exclusively for Georgia educators in every grade level and course. Led by master teachers called Virtual Specialists educators from across the State can connect with each other to share experiences, resources, lesson plans, and instructional activities as well as attend a virtual training each month that is specific to their needs. For information on how to register for edweb.net or to sign up for monthly webinars, visit our site.
​For additional information please contact JoAnn Wood, Social Studies Program Manager. 

STEM/STEAM

andWhat is STEM? What is STEAM?
The Georgia Department of Education is dedicated to preparing students for 21st Century workplace careers by providing high quality educational opportunities in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics fields. In Georgia, STEM and STEAM education is an integrated curriculum that is driven by exploratory project-based learning and student-centered development of ideas and solutions.

​STEM/ STEAM is for ALL students!
  • Emphasis on the Arts: Georgia was the first state to offer school-level STEAM Certification. We believe arts are instrumental in teaching creative problem solving, innovation, and empathy. The arts provide hands-on avenues for students to engage with curriculum and prepare students for future careers in the growing creative economy.
  • 21st Century Thinking Skills: STEM and STEAM schools support student growth by promoting the 21st Century Thinking Skills: Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Collaboration. STEM and STEAM instruction prepares students for the workplace by embedding opportunities to practice these schools in the learning process.
  • Real World Problem Solving: STEM and STEAM adds relevance to learning. Career exposure through authentic problem-solving increases student interest and engagement in STEM and STEAM education.

For more information, please visit GaDOE STEM/STEAM  and GaDOE CTAE. 
RESEARCH & DATA
LEVERAGING FUNDS
PROGRAMS & INITIATIVES
  • STEM/STEAM Georgia
  • Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education
  • Georgia Mathematics Standards
  • Georgia Science Standards
  • Georgia Fine Arts Standards 

For additional information, please email Felicia Cullars, Program Specialist or Meghan McFerrin, Program Specialist. ​
PARTNERS IN THE WORK
TOOLS & RESOURCES
SCHOOL/DISTRICT BEST PRACTICES
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES