For years, the Education Department at LeMay – America's Car Museum (ACM) dreamed of forming a partnership with Tacoma Public Schools, in which every student had the opportunity to visit the Museum on a field trip and participate in a fun, standards-aligned, hands-on experience. In 2022, this dream became a reality with generous funding through a local grant, allowing every third grader in the district to visit for free.
This session will explore how shared goals, strategic planning, and external funding are combined to create meaningful, curriculum-aligned learning experiences for these students while advancing ACM’s educational mission.
The presentation will begin by outlining the context that led to the partnership. Faced with a desire to expand access to hands-on, experiential learning—particularly in STEAM-related subjects—the museum and school district identified overlapping needs and opportunities. Kelsey and Rebecca will discuss how early conversations shaped the partnership, including aligning museum resources with district curriculum standards, identifying priority student populations, and defining clear outcomes for both institutions.
The session will then examine the role of grant funding in launching and sustaining the collaboration. Attendees will learn how the partners identified appropriate funding sources, developed a compelling grant narrative, and structured a project plan that balanced educational impact with feasibility. The case study will highlight how grant support enabled program components such as transportation, educator training, hands-on workshops, digital resources, and evaluation tools that might otherwise have been inaccessible.
Next, the presentation will focus on program implementation and outcomes. The ACM Education Team will share insights into how the partnership functioned in practice, including communication strategies, scheduling logistics, and adjustments made in response to classroom realities. The case study will also address assessment methods used to measure student engagement, learning outcomes, and teacher satisfaction, offering data-driven reflections on what works and what requires revision (it will always be an ongoing process!).
Finally, the session will address challenges and lessons learned. Attendees will leave with practical takeaways on building effective cross-sector partnerships, leveraging grant funding strategically, and using museums as dynamic extensions of the classroom.
Learning Outcomes: • Understand key components of a successful museum–school district partnership • Gain insight into using grant funding to support educational collaboration • Identify strategies for implementation, evaluation, and sustainability
