Artistic seminars for history education (ASHE)

Young Audiences of Louisiana, Inc. received a $2.55M Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education under the American History and Civics Education program (CFDA 84.422) awarded October 1, 2025, with a completion date of September 30, 2026. The award funds the Artistic Seminars for History Education (ASHE) initiative, which establishes Presidential Academies for teacher professional development in American history and civics education. The program integrates performing and visual arts instruction with history content to enhance student learning and is specifically designed to serve elementary and secondary students from low-income and underserved communities in the New Orleans area.

The ASHE project delivers professional development seminars and training to educators through the Presidential Academy model, enabling teachers to strengthen their instructional capacity in American history and civics. By combining artistic engagement with historical content, the initiative addresses the American History and Civics Education program's core objective of improving teaching quality and student learning outcomes in history and government instruction, with particular emphasis on reaching disadvantaged student populations.