ABSTRACT
Arts education is so important for engaging all of our children in learning. The importance of arts education in reaching and teaching the diversity of our students has been made personal for Wayne Au through his son, Makoto. Sixty-eight percent of John Muir's students qualify for free and reduced lunch, 33% are state-designated as transition bilingual, almost 50% are African American—with many from recent East African immigrant families, 10% are Latinx, 11% are Asian American, and 11% identify as multiracial. Ms. Julie Trout knows that one of the best ways to make education meaningful for the students at John Muir Elementary is that it needs to connect to their lives and experiences as immigrants, as bilingual students, as students of color, and as working-class students. The arts education program at Muir so strongly represents the power of bringing together art, the politics of social justice, and the education of a diverse, multilingual group of students.
