The Arts and Education Symposium – Thursday, October 13, 2011

Thursday, October 13, 2011
Registration, networking, and refreshments: 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Program: 9:00 a.m. – 4:45p.m.
The State Museum of Pennsylvania
300 North Street, Harrisburg, PA  17120

Symposium discussions are informing the work of EPLC’s Arts and Education Initiative (AEI), which is generating a report including actionable policy recommendations for legislators and other audiences to be released in February of 2012. 

Keynote speakers:
9:30 a.m. – Dr. Jonathan Katz, Chief Executive Officer, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies

1:00 p.m. – Dr. Mary Ann Stankiewicz, Professor of Art Education, the Pennsylvania State University

Concurrent Sessions – 10:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
The Arts In Communities
In order to nurture the arts in Pennsylvania communities, how should public policy acknowledge the role of all crucial stakeholder groups in the arts and education and strategically facilitate their communication and collaboration?
Panelists include Dr. Brooks Eldredge-Martin; André Kimo Stone Guess; Varissa McMickens; Jordan Crosby (moderator)

Academic Standards in the Arts
How can state policy best support the implementation of academic standards for the arts?
Panelists include Sandra Ruppert; Deb Hansen; Dennis Creedon; Scott Sheehan; Jamie Kasper (moderator)

Effective Arts Advocacy
What are the characteristics of effective arts and arts education advocacy pertaining to state policy?
Panelists include Narric Rome; Jenny Hershour; Mitch Swain; Joe Meade; Ronald Cowell (moderator)

Concurrent Sessions - 2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Experiential and Project-Based Learning
In a changing learning environment, what is the role of project-based learning in arts education, and how should state policy support project-based learning and the changing environment?
Panelists include Pearl Schaeffer; Sylvia Martinez; Anne Alsedek; Dayna Laur; Sandra Ruppert (moderator)

Effective Teachers and Arts Educators
What are the new roles and responsibilities for arts educators (considering brain research, 21^st-century learning, etc.) and their implications for state policy?
Panelists include Dr. JoAnna Moore; Scott Stoner; Barb Seifert; Jim Reinhard; Mary Elizabeth Meier; Beth Cornell (moderator)

The Arts and Agencies of State Government
How can state agencies most effectively support the arts and arts education?
Panelists include Philip Horn; David Deitz; Dan Hunter; Deb Hansen; Clyde McGeary (moderator)

Concurrent Sessions – 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
The Technology Imperative 
What opportunities are offered by new media and evolving technology to strengthen arts education, and what are the implications for state, school district, and institutional policy?
Panelists include Beth Cornell; Jamie Kasper; Barbara Bassett; Dr. Peggy Siegel (moderator)

Assessment and Testing
How should the effectiveness of arts education be measured and reported, and to what end?
Panelists include Cory Wilkerson; Mario Rossero; Daniel Long; Nick Gardner; Varissa McMickens (moderator)

Arts Research and Data
What systems can be harnessed or created in order to comprehend the state of arts education in schools and communities across Pennsylvania?
Panelists include Dr. Karen Knutson; Dr. Leslie Hoffer Gates; Christopher Caltagirone; Ron Cowell (moderator)

The Symposium was sponsored by The Education Policy and Leadership Center and:
Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators
Pennsylvania School Boards Association
Pennsylvania Federation of Museums and Historical Organizations
Pennsylvania Art Education Association
Pennsylvania Music Educators Association

 The Symposium was made possible with the generous support of The Heinz Endowments, the William Penn Foundation, and the Buhl Foundation.