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NewsFeb 21, 2020

State ed leader to keynote Institute on Arts Leadership in Education

March 13-14 gathering’s arts-integration sessions help teachers implement the state’s new frameworks; Professional Development Points offered

Buildings on a busy city street with blue sky and clouds

Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Jeffrey C. Riley and Washington, D.C.-based Arts Education Partnership Director Jamie Kasper will speak the weekend of March 13 and 14 at an institute to help educators implement the arts as an integral part of school curriculum.

The Institute on Arts Leadership in Education, presented by our Center for Advanced Professional Studies(CAPS), is March 13 and 14 in University Hall. Friday’s sessions run from 4 to 8 p.m., with Commissioner Riley’s keynote address, “The Importance of Art in the Direction of Massachusetts Schools” at 4 p.m. Saturday’s sessions run 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and kick off with Kasper’s keynote address. She will speak about the role of the arts in the wellbeing of all children. She will also highlight recent work of arts integration in social justice and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) education.

Teacher at the front of the classroom teaching a dance/movement step to students
A March 13-14 institute will help teachers, art specialists and others implement the new state standards that call for schools to implement the arts into the general curriculum.

The new Massachusetts Arts Frameworks ask that we connect “the arts to the self, society, history, culture, and other disciplines and bodies of knowledge,” according to Dr. Martha Barry McKenna, director of CAPS, as well as Lesley University’s Creativity Commons. “The intention is that the schools become arts-infused, with classroom teachers working directly with arts specialists on curriculum, rather than keeping the arts as an afterthought, separate from classroom instruction. 

“At Lesley, we have four decades of doing this work, so we’re delighted that the new standards in the commonwealth include this focus on arts integration.”

In addition to the keynote addresses, the institute includes sessions by teachers, arts specialists, teaching artists, administrators, and other arts and education leaders at the school and state level. Participants can also earn Professional Development Points (PDPs) as they stay apprised of the latest educational standards.

Massachusetts Cultural Council, DESE and Arts/Learning are collaborative partners with Lesley University in offering this institute.

For more information or to register, see http://lesley.edu/caps