A Fast-Track to Get Artists Teaching in City Classrooms
New York City now has a record number of full-time, certified arts teachers in public schools. But many schools lag behind and a new program at Lincoln Center is trying to address the gap by providing a way for working artists to become state-certified teachers.
One of those artists is Shola Roberts. A dancer based in Brooklyn, she thought about getting certified to teach in public schools, but between rehearsals and dance classes, pursuing an advanced degree just didn't make sense for her schedule or for her wallet.
That's when she found out about Lincoln Center Scholars, a program funded by the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, which covers the costs of tuition, exam fees and books at Hunter College. Scholars who complete the two-year program will graduate with a Master's in Education. And during their studies, the artists also get hired and paid as full-time arts teachers in public schools.
Lincoln Center Education first started thinking about a fast-track program to get artists into classrooms back in 2014 when the city's Comptroller released a report that found nearly a third of city schools didn't have a single, full-time certified arts teacher.
Russell Granet, the executive director of Lincoln Center Education, said that study flipped a switch for him. He started thinking about how the performing arts center could work with the state and city and Hunter College to find and place arts teachers in classrooms immediately. Granet said it was also important to fill that need with high quality educators who are still actively involved in their specific arts discipline, whether it's music, dance, visual arts or theater.
"We want the scholars to remain artists," he said. "We don’t want that part of their lives to go away. There’s something very special about a young person who’s learning an art form from a professional, who’s also pursing that in their own life.”
Roberts was accepted to the program in 2015 and is now wrapping up her second year teaching dance to middle school students at the School of Integrated Learning in Crown Heights. She'll graduate with her Master's degree and state certification in May.
Outside of the classroom, Roberts stays active rehearsing and performing. She also volunteers with Dance Caribbean COLLECTIVE and leads workshops in fitness and Caribbean dance. This year, she received the the Caribbean-American Heritage Celebration Economic Development Award given to her by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.
Roberts brings her knowledge of Caribbean and African dance to her classroom. Thanks to additional funds provided to each Lincoln Center Scholar, she's been able to hire a drummer to come to her classroom twice a week and play the jembe, a traditional West African instrument.
The Crown Heights school where Roberts teaches now offers three arts disciplines: music, theater and dance. Monique Campbell, the school's principal, hopes to hire a visual arts teacher soon. As of last year, over 60% of New York public schools offered all four arts.
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