Flamenco Dancer Graciela Perrone performed for teachers at a 2015 Arts Integration Academy in Murray. These academies, which are offered at rotating sites throughout the Commonwealth, a are active, process based, practical, standards-aligned, and are led by faculty that includes professional artists. Submitted photo courtesy of the The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts

Flamenco Dancer Graciela Perrone performed for teachers at a 2015 Arts Integration Academy in Murray. These academies, which are offered at rotating sites throughout the Commonwealth, are active, process based, practical, standards-aligned, and are led by faculty that includes professional artists.
Submitted photo courtesy of the The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts

There are not many opportunities for teachers to attend professional learning seminars or workshops in the arts. That is why the Kentucky Department of Education partnered with The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts in 2000 to pilot the first Arts Academy in Prestonsburg.

That partnership continues today with the Arts Integration Academies, which are offered at rotating sites throughout the Commonwealth. These professional learning academies are active, process based, practical, standards-aligned, and are led by faculty that includes professional artists.

This summer, five academies are being offered:

  • Arts Leadership Academy in Louisville, June 12-16, which includes attendance at a statewide Arts Summit in Louisville on June 14-15 and will explore how arts processes can inform school-based leadership. In addition to teachers, school administrators (principals, assistant principals, superintendents and assistant superintendents) are eligible to apply for this academy.
  • Arts-Literacy Integration in Danville, June 19-22. Designed for high school teachers of music and of English/language arts, this academy will focus on strong connections through form and rhythm in music and literacy.
  • Arts Academy – Assessing Student Creative Work in Hopkinsville, July 17-21. This academy explores how to include artistic criteria in the assessment of student performances and artistic creations in music, dance, drama, visual arts and new media.
  • Arts, World Language and Cultural Studies Academies in Ashland, July 24-25, and Hazard, July 27-28. These academies are designed for districts that have limited or no world language program at the elementary school level. Pairs of teachers from the same district – which must include a high school Spanish teacher and an elementary school arts teacher of any art form – are being recruited for the session.

Eligible teachers receive a stipend of $100 per day for attending the academies.

Applications to attend the sessions are due by March 30. For more information and to find the application, click here.