SEADAE White Paper Published: 'STEAM and the Role of the Arts in STEM'

August 01, 2020 | emily@ya.org

Congratulations to our partners at SEADAE (State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education) on the publication of their much-anticipated White Paper, STEAM and the Role of the Arts in STEM. 

The paper advocates for the inclusion of the arts with other STEM subjects as part of a well-rounded education, championing equitable access to arts instruction across the country.

SEADAE is a national nonprofit organization comprised of representatives from state education agencies whose responsibility is education in the arts. The organization was established to support the professional effectiveness of state arts education leaders, and to provide a collective voice for leadership on issues affecting arts education.

The White Paper is the product of an NEA-supported professional learning project intended to increase national understanding regarding the properties of STEAM. In the paper, SEADAE examines attributes of arts education (innovative thinking, creativity, critical thinking, collaboration) and the crossover into traditional STEM subjects to become STEAM. Areas of inquiry include policy issues, instructional practice in the arts, and arts integration as part of a well-rounded education.

The organization believes arts learning is critical to solving the ever-evolving needs facing our nation. Therefore, it chose to take on the effort for including the arts in STEM for its 2019 professional learning project. “Our goal through this White Paper is to empower learners with the opportunity to connect, engage in, and be prepared to address global challenges through innovative thinking and collaboration,” says SEADAE Past-President Joyce Huser, who oversaw development and writing of the paper. “By providing students with STEAM learning settings and a STEAM mindset for learning, teachers can better prepare them for our future.”

To learn more about SEADAE, please visit: https://www.seadae.org