[083] MTSU Joins Arts-Education Partnership, Will Host First Annual Creative Academy

Sept. 13, 2010
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919
Kim Leavitt, 615-532-5934
Dr. Lana Seivers, 615-898-2874

MTSU JOINS ARTS-EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP, WILL HOST FIRST ANNUAL CREATIVE ACADEMY

MURFREESBORO—The College of Education at Middle Tennessee State University will partner with the Tennessee Arts Commission and the State Department of Education to develop the first Creativity in Education Academy, which will take place at MTSU in July of next year.
Create2011, a program jointly sponsored by the arts commission and TDOE, was designed to foster creativity and innovation in Tennessee Schools. The academy, an outcome of Create2011, was designed as a professional-development opportunity for educators to strengthen the practice of teaching, improve student achievement and impact school performance.
“Create2011 emerged out of the arts commission’s highly successful Value Plus Schools initiative, an art-integration model funded by a $906,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education,” said Rich Boyd, the commission’s executive director. “We are thrilled to be a partner in this statewide opportunity.”
Kim Leavitt, director of arts education for the commission and creator of Value Plus, piloted the program with six schools and saw firsthand the impact of the arts on student performance.
“The six pilot schools made greater academic gains than the control schools, despite having larger numbers of economically disadvantaged students,” Leavitt noted. The results countered the research contending that high-poverty schools typically perform lower on standardized tests.
This will be the first academy of its kind in Tennessee, and MTSU with its roots as a teacher-training institution will be the ideal setting for the weeklong event. The academy will offer sessions for K-12 teachers, arts specialists, special education and resource teachers, as well as for principals and superintendents.
“Middle Tennessee State University is pleased to partner with the Tennessee State Department of Education and the Tennessee Arts Commission and play host to the first annual Creativity in Education Academy next summer,” MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee stated. “MTSU is committed to developing well-rounded individuals who will become productive citizens in their communities.”
“The College of Education welcomes the opportunity to work with our partners to provide professional development for educators from across the state,” Dr. Lana Seivers, MTSU education dean and former education commissioner, added. “It is only fitting that this partnership between higher education and K-12 will be the first event hosted in our new building. We’re extremely pleased to be a part of this effort.”
MTSU’s new 87,000-square-foot education building will be completed in the spring of 2011 and ready for use in time for the July 10-14 academy.
Boyd also acknowledged another grant of more than $1 million from the DOE for an arts-integration program for Knox County Schools called Arts 360⁰.
“Neither Value Plus nor Arts 360⁰ would be possible without the leadership of Governor Bredesen and continued support from the Tennessee General Assembly,” he said.