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Partners in Education

Educators > National Partnerships > Partners in Education > Program Description

Program Description

[Partners in Education: Performing Arts Centers and Schools (fostering partnership among arts organization, schools and communities)]

The Partners in Education program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is designed to assist arts organizations throughout the nation to develop or expand educational partnerships with their local school systems. The primary purpose of these partnerships is to provide professional development in the arts for teachers. In 1992, this program was awarded the Association of Performing Arts Presenters' Dawson Award, which recognizes innovative and successful projects.

The Partners in Education program is based on the belief that the professional development of teachers is an essential component of any effort designed to increase the artistic literacy of young people. The Kennedy Center's extensive experience with its local professional development program, established in 1976, provides the basis for this national program.

As of 2007, 104 Partnership Teams in 46 States and the District of Columbia participate in the program. Each partnership team consists of at least two members: a representative of an arts organization and a representative of the upper administration of a neighboring school district.

The program includes:

The Institute

The entry point for new participants is the Institute. The purpose of the Institute is to foster new teams in the development of their partnerships and programs of professional development in the arts for teachers. At the Institute, participants examine a variety of professional development events for teachers developed at the Kennedy Center. Workshops focus on either teaching about the arts or teaching other subject areas through the arts. Teams participate in workshops alongside Washington, D.C. metropolitan area teachers and study how the workshops are designed, implemented, and evaluated.

During the Institute, each team develops a written plan that specifies how the partners will work together to establish or expand professional development programs in the arts for teachers in their communities. Teams receive a detailed planning guide to assist them in the development of their program. Participants also attend performances at the Kennedy Center, meet with guest artists, and hear from leaders in the field of arts education.

The next Institute will take place in May 2010. Applications will be available in August 2009.

[Image of a workshop in progress]
"This has been one of those benchmark experiences of my life personally. I am even more excited about what it will mean for our community. You have given us personal and professional models which will inspire and inform our work."
[Image of two teachers at the Institute]
"This has given us a total new format in planning. We hope our entire school system will benefit from this process when bringing in arts performances and/or arts activities."

Support and Consultation

The Kennedy Center Education Department seeks to enhance the programs of Partners in Education teams by offering financial support for research, professional development, and other arts education collaborative projects.

Education Department staff provides on-going consultation to teams that have completed the Institute. Consultation may be by phone, fax, mail, e-mail, or site visit. In addition, teams regularly receive a newsletter outlining current information on national legislation, research, and other information and publications on the arts and education.

Annual Meetings

Teams that initiate or expand programs for teachers as a result of their work at the Institute are invited to continue their association with the Kennedy Center through Annual Meetings of partnership members. Scheduled in February, these meetings allow team members to receive additional training related to program and partnership development, and to recast the terms of their written partnership agreement. Annual Meetings also provide the opportunity for teams to learn from each other's experiences, renewing professional associations with other partnership team members and Kennedy Center staff.

[Image of teachers at a workshop]
"This meeting has helped me immensely to extend my thinking in the partnership beyond single-year planning. I feel that we have more tools to extend the impact of what we will do (for) broader audiences for years to come."
[image of teachers in a workshop]
"It was such a motivating, exciting experience on so many levels--not the least of which was the area of personal growth and learning. While my job is full of challenges and interesting experiences, it's not often so mind-opening and challenging."
Annual Meeting attendees with actor, Mathew Broderick and 3 teachers

Mathew Broderick with Annual Meeting participants

Touring Programs and Resources

The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts Education Department through its Partnerships in Education Program provides a free, valuable online recourse for education directors, arts presenters, teachers and other arts educators. The Touring Programs and Resources site provides a listing of resources (some free of charge) that include professional development workshops for teachers, seminars for artist development, classroom materials for teachers and students, workshops for parents and community members and much more.

As part of the Partners in Education network, partnership teams have access to Kennedy Center resources.