Community of Learners for Arts Education

 
by Jamie Kasper
Associate Director, AECDid you know that school and district administrators are required to keep their certificates current just as teachers are? And did you know that in 2007, the Pennsylvania legislature passed Act 45, which requires administrators to get their hours from programs specially designed for them? The Arts Education Collaborative is proud to announce that on May 26, 2011, we were the first arts-focused organization to be approved as an Act 45 PIL (Pennsylvania Inspired Leadership) provider.

The Arts Education Collaborative's Leadership Academy for educators has been highly successful. 114 educators have now been through the year-long professional development program. With the program's success has come a question from administrators: where is a program for them? We are pleased to announce that in October, we will begin to offer an Act 45-approved program for administrators, called Community of Learners for Arts Education (CLAE).

The CLAE program is designed to immerse school and district administrators in research, arts experiences, and collegial dialogue about effective practices in arts education. Participants will read research, blog about their readings, create an action plan to strengthen arts education in their schools or districts, implement the plan, and document the results. They will receive 35 hours of Act 45 PIL credit upon successful completion of the program. Participants will showcase their documentation on the final program day, May 9, 2012.

Interest in the program has been high; to date, fine arts supervisors, principals, curriculum coordinators, assistant superintendents, directors of special education, and superintendents have applied to be a part of this first cohort of learners. To learn more, visit http://artsedcollaborative.org/pages/clae.