School of Education Professor, Sulentic Dowell, named to State-wide Arts Integration Board

12/07/17

Baton Rouge, LA - School of Education Professor, Margaret-Mary Sulentic Dowell, PhD, was recently named to the Louisiana A+ Schools Board of Directors. Under the auspices of the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts which advocates for the importance of the arts in the development of youth, encourages the use of art within all curriculums, and supports a variety of art educational programs in the state, the Louisiana A+ Schools created a statewide Board of Directors to provide leadership in arts integration as they move forward with their mission and vision. 

Dr. Neil Mathews, director of the School of Education commented, “We’re proud to have Professor Margaret-Mary Sulentic Dowell on the Louisiana A+ Schools Board of Directors. Her expertise in arts integration coupled with her passion for preparing educators will provide strong leadership for this board, directly helping them achieve their goal to transform education by nurturing creativity.”

Sulentic Dowell, professor of Literacy and Urban Education, researches the efficacy of arts integration as a pedagogical tool. In 2013, Sulentic Dowell was part of a team of LSU faculty and staff from the George Rodrigue Foundation who traveled to Oklahoma City to tour Oklahoma A+ schools. Since that time, she was awarded a fall 2014 sabbatical and a SEC travel grant to investigate the A+ Arts Integration Network in North Carolina and Arkansas. She was also a recipient of a Louisiana Department of Education 2015 Believe and Prepare Grant, partnering with the City of Baker elementary schools, exploring the effectiveness of arts integration and returning to North Carolina to observe A+ schools with a team of local teachers and School of Education colleagues, Drs. Sassy Wheeler and Erin Casey. Director of the LSU Writing Program and Coordinator of the Grades 1-5 Teacher Education Program in the School of Education, Sulentic Dowel is guest editing a special 2018 issue of Pedagogies: An International Journal on arts integration with fellow SEC colleague, Dr. Chris Goering, from the University of Arkansas. Her research agenda focuses on literacy in urban settings, with a strand that investigates providing access to literature, writing, and the arts.  

 

About SOE
The LSU School of Education (SOE) offers graduate and undergraduate programs in Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Leadership and Research, and Counseling, including two completely online master’s programs. SOE offers a range of professional and academic degree programs that focus on preparing students for careers in education, research, policy formation and implementation, as well as program oversight. The School’s mission is to prepare P-12 educational professionals to be leaders, practitioners, and scholars knowledgeable in contemporary educational issues. SOE is part of the College of Human Sciences & Education.  

Visit the School of Education at lsu.edu/chse/education.

 

About CHSE
The College of Human Sciences & Education (CHSE) is a nationally accredited division of Louisiana State University. The college is comprised of the School of Education, the School of Kinesiology, the School of Leadership & Human Resource Development, the School of Library & Information Science, the School of Social Work, and the University Laboratory School. These combined schools offer 8 undergraduate degree programs, 18 graduate programs, and 7 online graduate degree and/or certificate programs, enrolling more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,120 graduate students. The College is committed to achieving the highest standards in teaching, research, and service and is committed to improving quality of life across the lifespan.

Visit the College of Human Sciences & Education at lsu.edu/chse.