The Museum's in-school educational program --- a partnership with two local Districts --- which has been developed to bring the expertise of practicing artists into classrooms where specialist art teachers are unavailable (at the elementary school level). Started in 1994 in cooperation with the City of Coos Bay and Coos Bay Schools (District 9) the Museum's in-school program sends practicing artists into elementary classrooms (grades 2 - 5) to assist classroom teachers in ensuring that their students have the tools necessary to meet Oregon benchmarks. Initial success with the program in Coos Bay lead to expansion to Hillcrest Elementary School, District 13 (North Bend), in 1997-98. Since 1999, when the program was adopted for all District 13 elementary schools, the Museum has partnered annually with both districts in a continuing, vibrant program. In the 2000/ 2001 school year five Coos Art Museum instructors gave 107 class sessions to 2328 students in the two local districts. Evaluations returned from the participating classroom teachers by April, 2001, rated the program at an average of 9.21 points out of a possible ten. Recent meetings with district administrators indicate a high level of satisfaction, and the program continues to serve children in both districts in the present school year.

The curriculum for the Coos Art Museum's in-school classes has been developed to speak directly to the specific areas where Oregon benchmarks are focused. Working in conjunction with an advisory committee of local educators, the Museum obtained the internship services of Andris Jaunzems (now M.A. Arts Administration) to create lesson plans leading to mastery of basic skills. The curriculum, which rotates through a four-year instructional cycle, includes the basic elements of design and the use of various media including watercolors, graphite, charcoal, and collage. An art history segment helps to acquaint students with the cultural and historical context in which art is viewed. The curriculum is dynamic, evolving in response to feedback from CAM instructors, classroom teachers and the districts.