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Partners in Education

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Application Partners in Education Institute : Spring 2010

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

The following application procedure will help identify arts organizations that demonstrate an interest, ability, and commitment to initiate or expand professional development opportunities for teachers in collaboration with their local school system(s). While the Partners in Education program accommodates organizations with varying levels of experience providing professional development opportunities for teachers, the Institute is designed as basic-level training to assist those with little or no experience in conducting workshops for teachers.

Partners in Education is a training program, rather than a funding program. The Institute is the entry point for new teams, and is the beginning of the "Phase I" training stage for teams that includes attendance at one Institute and two Annual Meetings with partial underwriting provided by the Kennedy Center. Applicants should be aware that the time commitment for participation amounts to two years. Teams which have completed "Phase I" and wish to remain in the network of cultural organizations and schools may continue as "Phase II" teams at their own expense.

This application should be completed by the executive director/president of the arts organization or the superintendent of schools and should be sent, along with three additional copies, to: Director of National Partnerships, Partners in Education, The Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. 20566-0001. Applications must be postmarked no later than October 31, 2009.

Directions

The application is divided into two parts. Part I requests letters of commitment from both the arts organization and the school system(s). Part II requests information regarding identification of the Institute team members, programming at the arts organization, and profiles of the community and the school system(s). New applicants which are located in proximity to existing Partners in Education sites and may compete for funding or teacher resources with the existing team should contact the Kennedy Center (202) 416-8806 before completing an application.

Priority will be given to applications from arts organizations that:

  1. demonstrate a commitment to working in partnership with their neighboring school system(s); applications for partnerships with individual schools cannot be considered.
  2. include a statement of commitment from the arts organization to initiate or expand professional development opportunities for teachers;
  3. demonstrate the financial ability to initiate or expand professional development opportunities for teachers, and
  4. have a wide range of professional performing arts or visual arts resources presented year-round from which education programs can be developed.

Part I: Letters of Commitment

Arts Organization

The letter of commitment from the executive director/ president of the arts organization should describe:

*See Part II: "Questionnaire: Identification of Institute Team Members" below

School System(s)

The letter of commitment from the superintendent should describe:

*See Part II: "Questionnaire: Identification of Institute Team Members" below

Part II: Questionnaire

Identification of Institute Team Members

The team attending the Institute consists of one or two representatives from the arts organization and one representative from the school system.

The primary representative from the arts organization should be a full-time senior staff person responsible for education. In the case where there is not a senior staff person responsible for education, the executive director /president should be the primary representative. The primary representative from the presenting organization must fully attend all five days of the Institute. In the case where the primary representative from the presenting organization is not the executive director, the executive director is still required to attend the first day and a half of the Institute with his/her staff member.

The representative from the school system should be a senior staff member from the central administration who is able to assist the school system in designing and implementing new or expanded professional development programs for teachers (e.g., superintendent or assistant superintendent of schools, director of staff development, instruction, and/or curriculum, or an instructional supervisor). The school system representative must fully attend the five-day Institute.

  1. The Team Members
    Please include resumes (not job descriptions) for each team member
    1. Arts Organization Representative(s)
      • Executive Director/President
        • Name
        • Title
        • Organization
        • Address
        • Phone (day)
        • Phone (evening)
        • Fax
        • E-mail
      • Senior staff assigned to supervise education program (if applicable)
        • Name
        • Title
        • Organization
        • Address
        • Phone (day)
        • Phone (evening)
        • Fax
        • E-mail
      • School System Representative
        • Name
        • Title
        • Organization
        • Address
        • Phone (day)
        • Phone (evening)
        • Fax
        • E-mail
      Use additional pages to respond to sections B, C, D, and E below.
  2. Description of Performing Arts Programming at Arts Center/Presenting Organization
    Please include copies of your most recent season brochure and most recent annual report , including an audited balance sheet for the previous season .
    1. For each of the following categories, state the approximate number of different productions/performers presented during the organization's 2007-2008 season.
      • music
      • theater
      • dance
      • opera
      • other (please specify)
    2. Are there any months of the year in which your organization does not offer events? If yes, which ones?
    3. If your organization provides arts education programs for teachers, briefly describe the current budget, number and types of events, number of staff, number of volunteers, number of teachers served, and how long these programs have been offered.
    4. If your organization provides arts education programs for students (preK through grade 12), briefly describe the current budget, number and types of events, number of staff, number of volunteers, number of students served, and how long these programs have been offered.
  3. Description of Community
    1. Describe the community your organization serves (e.g., population; cultural demographics; local economy; urban, suburban, or rural setting; any historical perspective on the role of the arts in your community, etc.).
    2. What other arts resources/organizations serve your community (e.g., resident companies, other local presenting organizations, artists-in-education programs, arts councils, etc.)?
    3. Have you collaborated with any of these organizations? If yes, for what purpose(s)?
  4. Description of School System(s)
    1. Provide the following information for each school system with which you will be collaborating:
      Name of school:
      Number of Students Number of Teachers Number of Schools
      Elementary school      
      Middle/junior high school      
      High school      
      Total      
    2. How many teachers employed by local school systems (public and private) are within one hour's travel distance from the performing arts center/presenting organization?
    3. What professional development programs in the arts (type and number) are currently offered to teachers by the school system? Please include course descriptions/brochures.
  5. Additional Information
    1. What additional information might help us better evaluate your application?

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