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IMPACT & RESULTS
The arts integration model and projects, showcased at the CEI MERIDIAN 2025 conference, are all part of CEI MERIDIAN, a five-year, professional learning program for teachers nationally to show them how to utilize music and visual art as effective instructional strategies to directly teach literacy and math.
CEI MERIDIAN is also a research study as CEI partners with external evaluator Metis Associates, who continues to evaluate the program's impact on students and teachers. To date, Metis Associates has found very promising outcomes for teachers and statistically significant student results.
Metis’s evaluation design includes both formative and summative measures to monitor the grant’s progress toward meeting its performance measures and to inform ongoing feedback for program improvement. Evaluation activities aim to capture outcomes for participating classroom teachers and their students through pre/post teacher surveys, pre/post teacher-completed assessments of their students, observations of trainings and classroom instruction, and the collection and analysis of student academic achievement data.
The section below provides the goals for the project as well as the key findings to date.
GOAL 1
Provide high quality, sustained, and intensive professional learning workshops (PLWs) to NYC D75 grade K-2 classroom teachers in utilizing differentiated visual art- and music-based strategies that are informed by art and music therapy to teach ELA and math skills to students with special needs.
GOAL 2
Replicate the program with national cohorts of teachers of grades K-5 students with special needs in order to more broadly strengthen teacher and student outcomes and ensure that the resources are applicable in different national contexts and settings.
GOAL 3
Improve the academic performance and social-emotional skills of special needs students through the integration of arts-based instruction in visual art and music, informed by arts therapy) into ELA and math curricula.
GOAL 4
To develop a cohort of teacher leaders (TLs) in order to further their training in arts-based instruction, supporting them in taking on a leadership role with their peers within and outside of their school communities while building school capacity and promoting project sustainability.
GOAL 5
Disseminate materials, tools, and resources for implementing art therapy-informed, arts-based instruction in ELA and math to self-contained, special needs teachers nationally.
TEACHER OUTCOMES
To assess outcomes for participating classroom teachers related to their knowledge and use of arts-based strategies to teach Literacy and Math skills, teachers complete pre- (prior to program) and post- (end-of-year) surveys.
NATIONAL SITES
Teachers of Students with IEPs from
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Baltimore City Public Schools (MD)
Rochester City School District (NY)
Bridgeport Public Schools (CT)
San Juan Educational Region (PR)
NEW YORK CITY SITE
Teachers of Students with IEPs from
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NYC School District 75
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Year 1 (2021-2022)
NATIONAL SITES
Takeaway: Across the four measures above where teachers assessed their performance, before and after completion of the Meridian instructional training, 81% or greater reported increased knowledge, confidence, and plans to use arts-based strategies at post-assessment, meeting the 80% target on all four measures.
Note: Year one participants only included classroom teachers from national sites. New York City’s District 75 joined the program.
Year 2 (2022-2023)
NATIONAL SITES
Takeaway: In Year 2, over 70% of participating teachers in national sites reported increased knowledge, confidence, and plans to use arts-based strategies at post-assessment, meeting the 80% target on one of the four measures.
Year 2 (2022-2023)
NEW YORK CITY SITE
Takeaway: In Year 2, 74% or greater of participating teachers in NYC’s District 75 reported increased knowledge, confidence, and plans to use arts-based strategies at post-assessment, meeting the 80% target on two of the four measures.
TEACHER TESTIMONIALS
"I loved the way I can implement both areas in my classroom. My students' behavior improves when they are doing these projects."
"Students are able to express themselves and try out collaboration and turn-taking."
"The students really enjoyed having something to look forward to and something to share with their family."
"It helped my students feel more secure in their learning."
"These lessons always gave them a sense of happiness and pride."
"Students listened to their friends, said the parts they liked, clapped, and patiently waited for their turn to present. They gained confidence in showcasing their work."
STUDENT OUTCOMES
To assess outcomes for participating students, their classroom teachers rated their skills on a pre (prior to program) and post (following program) basis. The locally developed assessments include questions regarding students' visual arts and music skills.
NATIONAL SITES
Teachers of Students with IEPs from
______________________________
Baltimore City Public Schools (MD)
Rochester City School District (NY)
Bridgeport Public Schools (CT)
San Juan Educational Region (PR)
NEW YORK CITY SITE
Teachers of Students with IEPs from
______________________________
NYC School District 75
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Year 1: 2021-2022
ALL SITES COMBINED
Takeaway: Overall, students demonstrated statistically significant gains on their teacher-completed student assessments in all three performance measure areas: Visual Arts, Music, and SEL Skills from the pre- to post-assessment in Year 1.
Year 2: 2022-2023
ALL SITES COMBINED
Takeaway: Overall, students demonstrated statistically significant gains on their teacher-completed student assessments in all three performance measure areas: Visual Arts, Music, and SEL Skills from the pre- to post-assessment in Year 2.
Year 3: 2023-2024
ALL SITES COMBINED
Takeaway: Again in Year 3, students of participating teachers across all sites (both National and NYC D75) demonstrated statistically significant growth from pre to post on their assessment in the domains (Visual Arts and Music skills), showing that the positive effects on student outcomes has been consistent across the first three project years.
Metis Associates, a national applied research and consulting firm with over 45 years of expertise in research and evaluation, including extensive experience in the evaluation of arts-education programs. It is headquartered in New York City and also served as the external evaluator for CEI's Education through Art, which was a precursor to its Meridian program.
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