The Assistance for Arts Education program is authorized under Title IV, Part F, Subpart 4 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). It is intended to enrich the academic experiences by promoting arts education for students, including disadvantaged students and students who are children with disabilities. The Professional Development for Arts Educators grant (PDAE) specifically supports the implementation of high quality model professional development programs for arts educators and other instructional staff in the areas of music, dance, drama, media arts, and visual arts, including folk arts, for students in kindergarten through grade 12 (K–12) in which 50 percent or more of the students are from low-income families.
This program supports professional development programs for K-12 arts educators and other instructional staff that use innovative instructional methods and current knowledge from education research and focus on--(1) The development, enhancement, or expansion of standards-based arts education programs; or (2) The integration of standards-based arts instruction with other core academic area content.
Competitive Priority:
- Leveraging Technology to Support Instructional Practice and Professional Development Projects (up to 5 points). Projects that are designed to leverage technology through one or more of the following:
- (a) Using high-speed Internet access and devices to increase students' and educators' access to high-quality accessible digital tools, assessments, and materials, particularly open educational resources.
- (b) Implementing high-quality, accessible online courses, online learning communities, or online simulations, such as those for which educators could earn professional development credit or continuing education units through digital credentials based on demonstrated mastery of competencies and performance-based outcomes, instead of traditional time-based metrics.