Note: It is recommended to print the following documents in color.
Dance (PreK-12)
Media Arts (PreK-12)
Music (PreK-12)
Theatre (PreK-12)
Visual Arts (PreK-12)
The Mississippi Department of Education has developed Recommendations for PreK-12th Grade Arts Education guidance for maintaining access to safe and meaningful arts experiences, arts educators will continue to support the artistic, academic, and social-emotional development of students, schools, and communities across Mississippi.
Training Resources
Technology Resources
Artistic Literacy
To be literate in the arts, students need specific knowledge and skills in a particular arts discipline to a degree that allows for fluency and deep understanding. In all the arts this means discovering the expressive elements and knowing the terminology that is used to comprehend an art form. Students should also have a clear sense of embodying that art form and be able to reflect, critique, and connect personal experience to the arts.
Arts Integration
The Mississippi Department of Education values arts integration which is an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form in all subject areas. According to the Kennedy Center, Arts Integration promotes student engagement in a creative process in subjects outside the arts. This integration connects an art form and another subject area and meets evolving objectives in both.
Professional Development Opportunities
Mississippi Whole Schools is a comprehensive statewide arts education program that uses arts as a vehicle for promoting high-quality instruction and learning for students in all disciplines. The Mississippi Whole Schools program provides statewide support to teachers on integrating the arts to provide learning opportunities to improve students’ academic achievement through the integration of the arts into the core curriculum.
The MDE sends important announcements to Mississippi public school teachers and administrators every Tuesday afternoon via the MDE EdUpdate Newsletter. If you are not receiving the EdUpdate, you may subscribe to be added to MDE’s EdUpdate email list.