Summer Institutes in Lake Charles and Lafayette

Teachers at Lake Charles Charter Academy participated in dancing, drawing, theater, and printmaking workshops to learn how to infuse the arts into all subjects.

Louisiana A+ Schools (LAA+) held two concurrent Summer Institutes last week in Lafayette and Lake Charles, providing professional development in arts integration to over 170 teachers.

For Lake Charles Charter Academy's faculty, this was their first LAA+ Summer Institute. During a full week of professional development, they were introduced to the A+ Essentials and attended sessions that gave them the skills and resources to use the arts in the classroom.

See KPLCTV's coverage of the 2016 Lake Charles Summer Institute.

Teachers from J. Wallace James Elementary and Ridge Elementary increased their knowledge of arts integration methods at the Lafayette LAA+ Summer Institute.

Over 100 teachers from J. Wallace James Elementary and Ridge Elementary participated in a three-day Summer Institute in Lafayette. Both schools joined the LAA+ network in 2015 and are successfully using the arts in every subject in every classroom.


LAA+ Director Bethany France notes, "These schools have demonstrated their commitment to innovative learning and the importance of implementing the arts into every aspect of the classroom." She continues, "We've studied the benefits, and we're excited to finally see them come to life through these schools."

Read The Daily Advertiser's article and watch KATC's coverage of the Lafayette Summer Institute.

150 Teachers Train in Arts Integration

The key to the success of Louisiana A+ Schools is the intensive, high-quality professional development that we provide to every educator in our statewide network of 18 schools.

Last week at our Baton Rouge LAA+ Summer Institute, over 150 teachers from five schools joined our team for three full days of educational sessions, workshops, and special presentations where they developed the skills necessary to integrate the arts into all parts of the curriculum. We were especially excited to partner with Apple and have their "Creatives" team lead workshops in Garageband software! 

Teachers attended sessions on a variety of topics including strategic planning, the A+ Essentials, 

and more.

Professional development sessions were led by our Louisiana A+ Schools Fellows, who are experts in arts integration. These individuals bring a variety of talents and experiences to the Summer Institute, and their leadership makes the LAA+ program so successful.

"Teachers and Principals consistently tell us," explains LAA+ Deputy Director Kim Graham, "that the Summer Institute is the best training they have ever received. Our Fellows and LAA+ staff are among the best educators in Louisiana and are in touch with the challenges schools face. Our training focuses on real needs and empowering teachers to utilize the arts in meaningful ways to reach every learner in the classroom."

Our amazing LAA+ Fellows

Schools that participated in the Baton Rouge Summer Institute include:

St. Helena Arts & Technology Academy (Greensburg, LA)

Howell Park Elementary School (Baton Rouge, LA)

Park Elementary School (Baton Rouge, LA)

Rollins Place Elementary School (Zachary, LA)

Messiah Montessori School (Houma, LA)

See a map of all 18 Member Schools.

We would like to extend a big thank you to the Pennington Foundation for allowing us to host the Summer Institute on the beautiful campus of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge. In addition, we'd like to thank Apple for providing teachers with technology training at the Summer Institute.

Two New LAA+ Schools and Now Hiring

LAA+ Adds Two New Schools to Network

Last week in Lake Charles, Louisiana A+ Schools announced the addition of two new schools for the 2016/2017 academic year. With the addition of Lake Charles Charter Academy and Bains Lower Elementary School (in St. Francisville, LA) our statewide network of arts-integrated schools is now up to 18!

Click here to see all 18 Louisiana A+ Schools.

The students at Lake Charles Charter Academy welcomed the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts into their classrooms to see the Rodrigue-inspired artwork already adorning the halls. As one of our LAA+ Schools, the entire faculty will receive intensive professional development in arts integration, and all subjects will be infused with the arts. We are thrilled to expand our network into the Lake Charles and St. Francisville communities!

(Top) Principal Pamela Quebodeaux speaks during LAA+ announcement at Lake Charles Charter Academy. (Bottom left) A student shares his artwork. (Bottom right) GRFA Executive Director Jacques Rodrigue spent the morning with students, reading "Why Is Blue Dog Blue?" and leading an art activity.

WATCH NOW: KPLC-TV's Coverage of LAA+ Announcement

Now Hiring: Professional Development Coordinator

Louisiana A+ Schools is now accepting applications for the full-time position of Professional Development Coordinator.

This role supports the vision, motivation, coordination, and evaluation for all academic training activities across the Louisiana A+ Schools program. Working in close partnership with LAA+ Directors, this position ensures consistency of all professional development functions involving LAA+ teachers, administrators, Fellows, and teaching artists.

Click here to view the complete job description and apply.

Applications Due Friday to Join 2016 LAA+ Schools

Applications Due Friday to Join 2016 LAA+ Schools



Through Friday, the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts' Louisiana A+ Schools (LAA+) program is accepting applications for the 2016/2017 academic year. LAA+ is a network that provides teachers with the essentials to think more creatively about how students can apply learning to the real world, and how they can present curricula in ways that nurture the whole student. At the center of this program is the use of the arts in every subject, in every classroom.

Louisiana A+ Schools values the arts as essential to the learning process. 

Joining the A+ Network requires a significant time and resource commitment from a school's entire staff. We anticipate adding 3-10 schools for the 2016/2017 school year.

The deadline to submit a Letter of Interest is January 15, 2016.

LEARN MORE.

LAA+ Evaluation Released

During the 2014/2015 academic year, Dr. James Catterall of the Centers for Research on Creativity (CRoC) in Los Angeles, California, directed a research team to study three high poverty and failing first-year Louisiana A+ Schools.

During the year, Dr. Catterall's team conducted a total of 50 classroom observations in 20 classrooms across all three schools, led numerous teacher focus groups, interviewed principals, and surveyed LAA+ staff and trainers. Their study confirmed that with arts integration:

• School climate and student engagement improved
• Students were given opportunities to grow as critical thinkers and artists
• Parental involvement increased

Click here to see more exciting results from this study and to learn how arts integration is transforming schools in Louisiana.