By Howard Pousner

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Woodruff Arts Center, which has increased its role in education in recent years, received a major boost in that effort Tuesday with the announcement of a $12 million grant from the Goizueta Foundation.

The funding will allow the Midtown arts center to expand the educational programs, resources and services it provides to more than 1 million pre-K through 12th grade students throughout Georgia, as well as support new initiatives.

The grant “catapults the Woodruff Arts Center’s future development and our ability to serve the children of Georgia,” Woodruff president and CEO Joseph R. Bankoff said in a statement. The gift “will help us address increasing demand for arts education programs that help improve academic achievement across all disciplines.”

The Woodruff’s strategic plan, approved by its board in May 2008, calls for the center to play a greater role in education in coming decades, building upon programs of its divisions: the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, High Museum of Art and Young Audiences.

In June, the Woodruff unveiled a 25-year master plan guiding development of its campus, prominently calling for new facilities for educational programming.

Among initiatives the $12 million grant will support are the Georgia Center for Professional Learning in the Arts, which trains artists to partner with classroom teachers in using the arts as a tool to stimulate core curriculum learning.

The Goizueta funding will also better link the center’s educational offerings with Georgia Department of Education K-12 Performance Standards through school assembly programs, classroom residencies, in-school concerts and performances. Also getting a boost: after-school and online programs for middle and high school students; and community-access and family programs.