Amanda Koonlaba, Ed.S. Email & Phone Number

Established visionary and innovative thought leadership in visual arts education and arts integrated curriculum. Provided arts integration and Visual Art lessons to creative teachers in 75+ countries on 6 continents and in all 50 US states. Crafted 500+ standards-based lessons seamlessly integrating Visual Arts into Math, Science, Social Studies, and English Language Arts, amplifying engagement, rigor, and skill retention. Launched an online community of 19,000+ educators. Delivered professional development to thousands of teachers across 50+ school districts, championing a mission to make arts integration the standard in education across the globe. Offered 300+ resources in an online store and published 100+ articles on the Party in the Art Room website. Pioneered Artful Literacy Centers™, empowering elementary educators to elevate literacy skills through innovative arts integration, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving across subjects and grade levels.

Collaborated with Mississippi Whole Schools, an initiative of the Mississippi Arts Commission, to identify the critical need for teaching artists to have access to high-quality professional development that supports the arts integration efforts of schools in the state. Designed and executed a comprehensive, year-long program to equip teaching artists with standards-based arts integration methodologies encompassing assessment, lesson planning, differentiation, and classroom management. Maintained reporting measures and oversight of multiple teaching artist residencies across the state. Built and implemented multiple systems around this work including application and acceptance processes for participants, learning management systems for synchronous and asynchronous learning, and evaluation tools. Led the development of Competencies and Standards for Teaching Artists as well as aligned Objectives for the program. Organized, wrote, developed programmatic content at all levels for internal and external facing documents describing and documenting all aspects of the work. Developed a team overtime to implement and carry the work forward.

Provided on site professional development to Los Angeles Unified School District and Henrico County Public Schools. Developed Arts Integration Kits to support STEM learning through engaging art activities. Developed and delivered a comprehensive online course in Classroom Management and contributed over 15 articles on educational methodologies. Presented workshops at multiple conferences, sharing insights and expertise on effective arts integration practices. Guided educators in mastering standards-based arts integration, enabling them to certify as Arts Integration Specialists. Trained certification candidates in how to use standards-based arts integration for lesson planning and assessments. Coached candidates in connecting arts integration to other state, district, and school level educational initiatives and leading change efforts around the arts.

Implemented and developed a cohesive arts curriculum for grades 2-5 as a Visual Arts Teacher and Arts Integration Project Director. Directed the school's arts integration initiative and cultivated a partnership with Mississippi Whole Schools. Led professional learning communities for arts integration with grade level and subject area teachers. Conducted professional development workshops for teachers within the school and district, extending guidance to district administration. Served on the district arts leadership team and advised the superintendent on arts integration strategies. Orchestrated a school-wide arts festival to promote integration efforts, overseeing budgets and fundraising. Successfully secured over $20,000 in grant funding for the school's arts programming through grant writing efforts. Utilized data to drive differentiation strategies for both remediation and enrichment in student learning. Crafted comprehensive data reports, incorporating student assessment and behavioral data, provided to principals and the superintendent to inform decision-making. Served on the Teacher and Student Support Team for Response to Intervention and held the role of Positive Behavior Support System Lead. Completed a District Leachership program with the Director of Federal Programs. Honored as Teacher of the Year at my school and named Elementary Arts Educator of the Year for Mississippi. Recognized with the Arts Integration Service Award from Mississippi Whole Schools, acknowledged as a CREATE Teacher of Distinction, and received the Thad Cochran Distinguished Arts Educator Award.

Integrated visual arts, music, drama, and movement into core subjects, fostering engagement and holistic learning experiences for students. Led grant writing efforts to fund arts programming. Developed arts programs including a creative writing and visual art school wide program. Developed and Wrote math and science curriculum. Served on school-wide arts committee and district-wide textbook adoption committees. Attended 9 arts integration conferences with Mississippi Whole Schools.

Ed. S., Educational Leadership/Principalship, 4.0

Master’S Degree, Curriculum, Instruction, And Assessment

Bachelor’S Degree, Elementary Education

Associate’S Degree, Liberal Arts And Sciences/Liberal Studies

Master Of Education - Med, Curriculum, Instruction, And Assessment