Kennedy Center selects Convocations, Lafayette schools for institute
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue Convocations and Lafayette School Corp. have been selected by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as one of 14 teams of arts organizations and school systems from across the nation to participate in the Partners in Education Institute from May 9-12.The institute, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the National Committee for the Performing Arts, the Kennedy Center Corporate Fund and the Bank of America Foundation, promotes partnerships between arts organizations and local schools in communities across the nation, focusing on the development of educational programs for teachers.
"The arts must be at the heart of every student's learning experience," said Darrell M. Ayers, vice president of education at the Kennedy Center. "The education of teachers is an essential component of any effort designed to affect the artistic literacy of America's young people. The Kennedy Center Partners in Education program lends opportunities to reach this goal."
Lafayette School Corp. and Purdue Convocations began a partnership two years ago to offer more opportunity to students to have contact with faculty, staff and visiting artists at Purdue, and the Kennedy Center partnership offers many new opportunities to work toward more training in the arts for teachers.
"Lafayette School Corporation looks forward to partnering with Purdue Convocations to enhance arts programming in our schools," said Linda Thompson, associate superintendent. "The Kennedy Center Partners in Education Institute will enable us to realize our mission: to inspire and empower children to learn, hope, dream, contribute, excel, create and appreciate."
The institute also will serve as another chance for Purdue Convocations to continue its work with younger students, said Laura Clavio, assistant director of Purdue Convocations.
"This partnership opens a window of opportunity for training and support for our educational outreach," said Clavio, who serves as Convocations' coordinator of preschool-through-grade 12 arts education outreach. "We look forward to learning about new ways to help teachers incorporate the arts into teaching core curriculum."
In addition to Purdue Convocations, 13 other new partnership teams were also announced, including Stanford Lively Arts at Stanford University and the Wharton Center for the Performing Arts at Michigan State University. The newly selected teams met the criteria for selection by effectively demonstrating the potential for the arts organization and the school system to initiate or expand programs for teachers and the stated commitment by both partners to collaborate on developing programs.
These new teams will join the 92 teams from 42 states and the District of Columbia already participating in the Partners in Education program, now in its 16th year. Two other teams are from Indiana — Clowes Memorial Hall at Butler University, which has partnered with the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township Schools, and Jasper Community Arts Commission, which has partnered with Greater Jasper Consolidated Schools.
At the Partners in Education Institute, participants will examine the variety of educational offerings for teachers developed and refined at the Kennedy Center since 1976. Institute participants will see events in action, examine how they are planned, implemented and evaluated, and have the opportunity to explore program designs.
Since its establishment in 1972, the Kennedy Center's Education Department believes the inclusion of the performing arts in a broad-based curriculum improves the quality of a child's educational experience. The Kennedy Center's Education Department is committed to its leadership role in promoting higher standards of national performing arts education programs and policy.
For information about the participating teams and the Partners in Education program, call (202) 416-8806 or visit https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/partners
Source: Laura Clavio, Purdue Convocations assistant director, (765) 496-2913, lzclavio@purdue.edu
Rae Bazzarre, Kennedy Center senior press representative, (202) 416-8441, rbazzarre@kennedy-center.org
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
Related Web site:
Purdue Convocations: https://www.convocations.org
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