University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee arts teaching program now official state resource
The Partnership for Arts-Integrated Teaching center at University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee is continuing to expand its mission as the official state resource for arts-integrated instruction.
The center, abbreviated PAInT by the university, took on a new name July 1 reflective of the expanded statewide mission. The new formal name, approved by Florida lawmakers and Gov. Rick Scott is The Florida Center for the Partnership for Arts-Integrated Teaching at USF Sarasota-Manatee.
Officials want to partner with colleges and other institutions to learn more about arts-integrated teaching or implement training programs. A search is underway for an executive director to lead the center. Once that person is selected, more partnerships will be announced and a platform of new training programs will be introduced to support teachers statewide, according to officials.
The center already partners with the State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota and the Ringling College of Art & Design. Now, it will look to partner with educational institutions across Florida.
Arts-integrated instruction is a teaching method in which the arts are woven into academic lessons to help students understand and retain academic material. Studies show student comprehension improves significantly when classroom lessons are combined with the arts, according to officials.
USF Sarasota-Manatee launched the center in 2012.
“This new recognition is a huge step for this program and for USF Sarasota-Manatee,” Terry Osborn, regional vice chancellor for academic and student affairs at USFSM said in a statement. “Five years ago, we became a separately accredited campus within the USF System and now we are launching a statewide center for this specialized form of instruction. That is a significant step.”
This story was originally published July 21, 2016 at 8:42 AM with the headline "University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee arts teaching program now official state resource."