Professional Development
Teaching artists for REACH are recruited from partner arts organizations and will have expertise in dance, theater, music, visual arts, media arts and literary arts. They participate in, and in some cases lead, professional development offerings for teachers in both the Saturday workshops and the Summer Institute.
Primary objective
Consistent with these research findings, this national project in components under its second objective provides intensive and sustained professional development activities on the arts and their connections to academic content and digital tools, over the five years of the project, with quarterly Saturday intensives, on-going coaching from teaching artists, and participation in the immersive summer institute, as well as on-going, on-line sharing across school districts nationally and in-person convenings when all of the LEA laboratories meet to share and explore the quality work they have been undertaking.
Saturday Professional Development
Saturday professional development sessions are offered both local and remote and improve Teacher and Arts Educator Professional Arts Knowledge and Skills and their ability to Integrate the Arts into the Teaching of Other Core Subject Areas through the Lens of Equity. These sessions provide an opportunity for teachers to engage in meaningful learning experiences, collaborate with peers, and gain valuable insights into effective teaching strategies. They enable educators to develop a deep understanding of how to address local, state, and national arts standards, including the Consortium of National Arts Education Association standards, in their classrooms. By doing so, teachers can effectively integrate arts education into their curriculum and help students develop critical skills such as creativity and critical thinking.