Bringing National Best Practices Home to Western New York Classrooms

Arts for Learning WNY is committed to supporting our staff and Teaching Artists through ongoing professional development, ensuring our programs continue to reflect the highest standards in arts integration.

This September, our Director of Programs, Allison Rabent, traveled to Denver, CO to attend the annual Arts Education Partnership (AEP) conference. She joined colleagues from across the country, including representatives from nine Young Audiences affiliate offices, for three days of learning, collaboration, and idea sharing.

Conference sessions explored innovative, data-driven strategies to strengthen arts integration across all core academic subjects. From creative approaches to literacy and math to arts-based methods that build social-emotional learning, the sessions highlighted how the arts can meaningfully deepen student engagement and achievement.

Allison is bringing these valuable insights back to Western New York, where they will help shape and evolve our school programs in the year ahead. With the added strength of our Young Audiences National Network, we are excited to further explore these practices and translate them into trainings and resources designed specifically for our Teaching Artists. This continued investment in professional growth directly benefits the thousands of students we serve each year, ensuring that every program is fresh, relevant, and impactful.

About AEP

The Arts Education Partnership (AEP) is a national network of more than 200 organizations dedicated to advancing arts education. AEP has been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Department of Education since 1995 and is administered by the Education Commission of the States.

AEP is the nation’s hub for arts and education leaders, building their leadership capacity to support students, educators, and learning environments. Through research, reports, convening, and counsel, leaders gain knowledge and insights to ensure that all learners receive an excellent arts education.