The State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE) and Creative Generation are pleased to announce their new collaboration to conduct an organizational reflection process to document and aggregate the strong practices in virtual arts learning uncovered throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this project, the two organizations will produce a reflection to aggregate learnings from members of SEADAE; synthesize ideas to guide members and respective stakeholders when designing virtual arts learning opportunities, considering technology and virtual integration in the standards review process, and developing standards-based assessments; and identify future inquiries.
Through multiple research inputs - including a systematic review of documented knowledge, a survey to SEADAE members, and in-depth interviews with selected members - this inquiry will seek to understand how virtual learning and other technology/digital resources has integrated into arts learning; how technology and virtual learning in the arts existed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, changed as a matter of necessity through the pandemic, and what stayed in place; and which practices might/should continue to develop and be implemented beyond the pandemic.
This collaboration will result in a report as part of SEADAE’s “Leading and Learning in Virtual Arts Education” project. This endeavor is partially funded by a National Endowment for the Arts grant to support professional development for a network of arts education directors in state departments of education across the United States. SEADAE members are managers of arts education at state education agencies and are responsible for overseeing arts education policy within their jurisdiction for dance, music, theater, visual arts, and media arts.
“We know, from previous research, that the field of practice in arts and cultural education has rapidly changed due to the multitude of pandemics commencing in 2020,” said Jeff M. Poulin, managing director of Creative Generation. “We, at Creative Generation, are excited to again work with SEADAE to explore what opportunities have emerged for the future of arts learning.”
Creative Generation was founded in April 2019 as a research initiative and has grown its work throughout the United States and around the world. Through pioneering research in the arts and cultural education field – and the relentless support of arts and cultural educators in their work to cultivate the creative capabilities of young people – the organization regularly conducts research and documentation efforts to identify strong practices to advance the field.
“By virtue of their unique leadership roles within state education agencies across the nation, our members have the opportunity to observe and influence arts education policy and practice,” said Todd Shipley, President of SEADAE. “We believe there are many key takeaways and strong practices resulting from the pandemic that may positively impact arts instruction and help reduce barriers so that all students may have access to quality, sequential, standards-based arts learning experiences. We are excited to collaborate with Creative Generation to reflect on our learning and synthesize ideas into promising practices for the arts education field.”
About Creative Generation
Creative Generation believes that youth create change. We are a values-driven global collective that collaborates with young creatives and those who cultivate their creativity to take local actions towards global changes in pursuit of a more just world. Founded in 2019, Creative Generation operates five signature programs: The Campaign for a Creative Generation, the Institute for Creative Social Transformation, The Academy for Creative Leadership, the Incubator for Creative Impact, and the Foundation for a Creative Generation. www.Creative-Generation.org
About SEADAE
State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE) consists of those persons at state education agencies whose responsibility is education in the arts. SEADAE was incorporated in 2005 to develop a nationwide infrastructure of arts education peers in state departments of education. Their mission is to support the professional effectiveness of individual members and provide a collective voice for leadership on issues affecting arts education. SEADAE’s recent projects include “Leading and Learning in Virtual Arts Education,” “The Arts and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL),” and “STEAM and the role of the Arts in STEM.” The organization frequently serves as a consultant and collaborator on projects for a variety of organizations, including state-specific standards reviews, the National Coalition for Arts Standards, and the Arts Education Data Project.