Professional Development Reports

2010 AEC Professional Development Report

In the spring of 2010, the AEC designed and distributed the fifth biennial professional development survey to educators and leaders in the field of arts education within southwestern Pennsylvania. The goal of the survey was to assess the needs and interests of arts educators in the region and use that data to guide the AEC in planning professional development opportunities. This report includes results, conclusions, and recommendations (to download a copy of the 2010 Professional Development Report click here).

Methodology

Number of Responses by Intermediate Unit
(Click on chart for larger view)

Utilizing an online service, Survey Monkey, data was collected from March 31, 2010 through April 30, 2010. The link to the survey was provided to 1,200 arts educators in Intermediate Unit 1 (Washington, Greene, and Fayette), Intermediate Unit 2 (Pittsburgh Public Schools and the Diocese of Pittsburgh), Intermediate Unit 3 (Allegheny), and Intermediate Unit 27 (Beaver) of southwestern Pennsylvania. Four hundred and seven responses were collected in response to the 2010 survey, a 37% return rate. Data from the 28 questions was analyzed and is displayed in this report in aggregate form and separated out by Intermediate Unit (IU).

Key Findings

Key findings or themes that emerged from the survey data include:

Technology in education is a recurring need.
Curriculum development and assessment are hot topics.
Focused attention on PA Standards for Arts & Humanities continues to be important.
Professional development opportunities specific to art forms are critical.

Recommendations

From the data gathered, the following eleven recommendations were made regarding future practices and opportunities to serve the arts education community in this geographic region. It is important to note that most recommendations cross reference multiple survey questions.

Incorporate technology as a part of every professional development experience. Specifically, data indicates that educators are interested in utilizing free online resources and gaining a better understanding of how to imbed technology resources into their planning and instruction.
Provide tools and support to facilitate ongoing curriculum development. Utilize resources such as AEC’s Music and Visual Art Frameworks and Self-Assessment Process to expand educators’ skills in developing sequential K-12 curriculum.
Provide professional development opportunities to enhance educators’ skills in designing and implementing formative and summative assessment.
Focus on deep content that ensures a rigorous understanding of historical and cultural context.
Continue to engage educators in professional development opportunities that enhance their understanding of aesthetic and critical response.
Provide professional development opportunities specific to arts disciplines. Continue to identify collaborative partners to develop and deliver high quality professional development opportunities.
Identify opportunities to collaborate with institutions of higher learning to address teacher identified gaps in teacher preparation. Specifically, the areas of curriculum development, assessment, and differentiated instruction should be addressed.
Continue to be aware of the barriers that arts educators face in attending off-site professional development opportunities. Share this information with arts & cultural organizations who also serve arts educators.
Engage educators in rigorous professional development opportunities that explore the power of integrated thinking and learning.
Encourage arts educators to develop a personal professional development plan and understand the value of doing so.
Continue to utilize an online survey format and distribution channels. Build upon marketing tactics to ensure a broad level of participation and increase market awareness with stakeholder groups.

Download AEC's Professional Development Reports

As part of its mission to strengthen education by making the arts central to learning through collaboration, research, and advocacy, AEC collects, studies, and presents data for Professional Development Reports on arts education in southwestern Pennsylvania. These reports assess the needs and interests of arts educators in each county and AEC uses this information to plan future professional development opportunities. (note: all professional development reports are in Adobe PDF format. To be able to read the reports you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. To download Adobe Reader for free, go to: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat.readstep2.html.