Programs
Arts in Education (AIE) Program
The Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership is one of 14 organizations across the state that formally partners with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts to administer an Arts in Education (AIE) program. As a partner, we leverage funds provided by the Commonwealth to support in-depth arts experiences for youth and adults within five counties of southeastern Pennsylvania, including: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia. The purpose of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts’ AIE division is to champion the arts as a tool for both personal and community development for all Pennsylvanians by supporting quality programs in schools and community settings.
PAEP designs, implements, manages, and provides financial support for arts residencies in schools and community sites throughout southeastern Pennsylvania. PAEP trains artists who teach 10-60 visual and performing arts-making sessions per residency with students in Pre-K-12 classrooms and community sites and brokers relationships between artists and schools. PAEP facilitates the process of selecting artists for inclusion in the Directory of Pennsylvania Artists in Education, publishes the directory, and sponsors arts residencies in school and community sites in which teaching artists integrate the arts with academic curricula and promote the development of career and workforce readiness skills.
Interested in becoming a Teaching Artist?
As a regional partner, PAEP is expected to manage and grow a diverse roster of qualified teaching artists; representing a variety of arts disciplines. The artists that comprise our roster are eligible to participate in PCA funded AIE residencies. Artists become rostered through an application and vetting process, and are included in the PAEP/PCA Directory of Pennsylvania Artists in Education.
PAEP/PCA Artist/Art Organization Application
Interested in Hosting a Residency?
Residencies can be placed in Pre-K-12 schools and community sites serving a diverse population for learners of all ages. Interested host sites can select a Teaching Artist representing a wide variety of visual and performing arts from the PAEP/PCA Directory of Pennsylvania Artists in Education.
PAEP/PCA Arts Residency Application Handbook
PAEP/PCA Directory of Pennsylvania Artists in Education
After-School and Summer Programs
Enroll in the STEAM Summer Program Here!
Enroll in the STEAM After-School Program Here!
PAEP designs and implements after-school and summer STEAM Programs in the visual and performing arts for students in grades 5-8. Taught by professional Teaching Artists, these programs are located in School District of Philadelphia and Archdiocese of Philadelphia Schools funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers program.
After School Arts Diversion Program
Our arts-based program serves as an alternative means for low-risk juvenile offenders between the ages of 10-17 to avoid justice system involvement. We provide youth the opportunity to learn music, dance, theater and visual arts skills from master teaching artists. Through hands-on engagement with the arts, youth can strengthen existing gifts and talents, develop critical thinking skills, learn to solve problems, and meet challenges in creative and flexible ways, while learning how to collaborate, and develop acceptance, compassion, and empathy for others.
InstaARTS
InstaARTS is our new LIVE online classes with Pennsylvania Council on the Arts rostered teaching artists. Students in grades 3 – 12 are invited to discover their inner artist through a survey of art mediums including visual art, poetry, movement, music, and theater.
The Fall Term will run October 12 to November 18, 2022!
Learn More and Enroll in the 2022 InstaARTS Program
InstaARTS was supported in part by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
Veterans Arts Residency Resource Guide
The Veterans Arts Residency Resource Guide reports on lessons learned and successes from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) and Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) pilot projects. It is PAEP’s hope that this publication will provide guidance for working with the veteran population as well as encourage other organizations and teaching artists to share their talents with those who have served our country well. This project was supported by a Creative Catalyst grant through the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
Veterans Arts Residency Resource Guide
SmART Readers
PAEP trains teen leaders, parents, and caregivers to build early literacy skill acquisition through the arts for Pre-K-5 children and produces arts residencies in library branches throughout the City of Philadelphia.
This program is sponsored by the Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership in cooperation with the Free Library of Philadelphia.
Poetry Out Loud
Poetry Out Loud (POL) is a national poetry recitation contest for high school students sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. PAEP produces the regional competition on behalf of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. The winner of the regional competition advances to the Pennsylvania State Competition in Harrisburg, the winner of the state competition competes in the National competition in Washington, D.C. For teacher guides and program information contact PAEP.
Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
PAEP is the regional partner with the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers in the production of the national competition for middle school and high school students. PAEP works in collaboration with the Philadelphia Writing Project to adjudicate student work and produce the regional award ceremony for gold key awardees. For teacher guides and program information contact PAEP.
Teaching Artist Certificate Program
PAEP conceived and formed the Nation’s first Teaching Artist Certificate program. Through PAEP’s curricula, this certification provides artists with the professional teaching skills and knowledge of educational methods necessary to work as a Teaching Artist in Pre-K-12 classrooms. For more information contact PAEP.
Professional Development
PAEP offers classes in designing arts integration units and lessons, student assessment, program management, teacher pedagogy, K-12 common core curriculum, arts and humanity standards, classroom management, collaboration, and working with special needs and culturally diverse populations. Act 48 Credits may be granted through these Professional Development programs. PAEP also provides Act 48 Credits for teachers attending participating partners’ classes.
Explore the Arts©
This program is a unique opportunity for southeastern PA teachers to attend cultural events and be granted Act 48 credit. Interested in attending the Explore the Arts program?
Research and Assessment
A hallmark of PAEP’s organizational culture is its commitment to on-going learning through program assessment. Rigorous assessment and analysis are tied to the design and shape of all PAEP activity, and this impact assessment informs program improvements. PAEP continues to refine and in some cases to shift the focus of specific program assessments to uncover new or hidden program attributes.
PAEP’s research has examined the impact of its arts residency programs and professional development activities on its participants including teachers, teaching artists, and participating arts institutions. All data is collected, analyzed, and interpreted through independent evaluation assistance. PAEP has deepened this investigation and focused a portion of its assessment on student learning linked to project outcomes for all school residencies. PAEP designed student learning outcome rubrics and assisted project teams in creating pre and post content area tests based on PA Arts and Humanities Standards and Common Core Standards. PAEP continues this research and program evaluation, disseminating results to the field that serve as powerful arts education advocacy tools.
Arts Link and Arts Bridges
Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership is one of 22 organizations and school districts that have designed experimental research programs to test how the arts integrated with grade level mathematics, science, and English language arts curricula enhance both teacher pedagogy and student academic achievement for elementary school students grades 2-6. These competitive national programs are funded by the United States Department of Education Office of Innovation and Improvement, Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination Program and the Assistance for Arts Education Development and Dissemination Grant Program. Arts Bridges: Building Literacy through an Integrated Arts Collaborative Model, 2006-2010, and Arts Link: Building Mathematics and Science Competencies through an Arts Integration Model, 2010-2014 worked with School District of Philadelphia students and teachers. A current iteration of the program, Arts Link: Advancing the Arts Integration Model, 2018-2022, is situated within the Hazleton Area School District in northeastern, PA and is reframing the model’s infrastructure design to support a more affordable arts integration program, primed for replicability and wide dissemination to schools and districts across the county.
