Arts Education: Sink or Swim

Professional Development in the Arts:
A Lifeboat for Educators?

Monday, October 13, 1:45 pm – 3:15 pm
Juniper, M2/International Ballroom Level

Organized by Moy Eng, performing arts program director, and Julie Fry, program officer, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Facilitated by Angie Kim, program officer, The Getty Foundation. Presented by Moy Eng; Julie Fry; Mark Slavkin, vice president for education, Music Center: Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County; Warren Simmons, executive director, Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University; and Stan Hutton, senior program officer, Clarence E. Heller Foundation.

According to the most recent SRI report commissioned by the Hewlett Foundation, An Unfinished Canvas: Teacher Preparation, Instructional Delivery, and Professional Development in the Arts, few elementary teachers participate in arts-related professional development, particularly if they are in low-performing schools. Only 12% of elementary classroom teachers received professional development in connecting standards-aligned arts learning with other subject areas. The barriers are numerous, including lack of time, lack of support from school leadership, and lack of appropriate and affordable training opportunities. Does professional development in the arts matter in providing quality education? How do non-arts teachers, principals, district superintendents and administrators become engaged enough to want to spend the money, time and effort in workshops and conferences? Are there more effective ways of providing arts professional development, such as web-based resources? This session will look at both sides of professional development delivery in the arts.