For more than 30 years, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) have supported professional development programming for state arts agency arts education managers. The annual Professional Development Institute (PDI) provides meaningful leadership development and technical assistance for this diverse field. As a result, arts education managers are knowledgeable leaders in their field through a peer network that new and seasoned managers alike find invaluable.
Through a cooperative agreement with the National Endowment for the Arts, NASAA is able to offer a $500 travel stipend to each state to assist its state arts agency arts education manager’s travel costs for the PDI. States are strongly encouraged to make every effort to support full participation by their arts education managers.
The purpose of the Professional Development Institute is to equip participants with skills necessary to succeed in their roles as state arts agency arts education managers. PDI attendees gain job-specific tools and knowledge that are relevant across a wide array of state needs and circumstances.
This year, PDI programming focused on strategies to ensure all learners, especially those in underserved communities, have access to high-quality arts education. Discussion encompassed impactful approaches to grant funding, services, research and partnerships.
Guiding Question & Outcomes
The 2023 PDI agenda responds to the following guiding question:
How can state arts agency arts education leaders use the tools uniquely available to them to meet the multiple challenges of the postpandemic moment?
- Learning Outcome 1: PDI participants will build their capacity to “lead from the middle” as a member of a state arts agency team.
- Learning Outcome 2: PDI participants will increase their knowledge about how arts education supports well-being in a postpandemic environment.
- Learning Outcome 3: PDI participants will learn skills to communicate the benefits of arts education in a dynamic policy landscape.
Photo
Header image: The Salt Lake City skyline glimmers with the Wasatch Mountains in the background. Photo © 2010 by Steve Greenwood, courtesy of Visit Utah
The opinions expressed in materials on this website are those of the author(s) and do not represent the views of the National Endowment for the Arts. The NEA does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information included in these materials and is not responsible for any consequences of their use. This online website is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.