Susan Riley | May 2013

Why You Need a Little Flicker

The spring is here and this is the time when most school districts ask people to close out their budgets and use whatever money they have left.  I know that when I was in the classroom, I would always hear from my administrator in about March or April with the urgent nudge to finish using everything in my music budget so that we didn’t “lose” any money or have it taken away.  With this in mind, we’ve created Flicker Notes for our Free Friday resource today.

This 8-page notebook has our top picks for resources in each arts area, must-haves for the Art Cart (a necessity for any Arts Integration initiative) and even a page exclusively for parents who want to know what to do with their kids this summer.  This guide is perfect for the arts teacher, the classroom teacher and any parent who wants to support the arts at home.  We hope you find this guide useful and look forward to creating the next one for the Fall/Winter edition!

About the Author

Susan Riley is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM. This is the world’s largest online resource for educators interested in integrating the arts. She has presented at events and authored articles for many educational organizations including The US Department of Education, Palmetto State Arts Education, Edutopia, Education Week, Americans for the Arts, ASCD, and NPR. She regularly presents at national and international events each year. She is the author of three books and is a sought-after collaborator for innovative educational projects around the globe. Susan brings creativity, practicality, dedication and passion to the education landscape. She is well-respected for her pioneering work in the fields of Arts Integration and STEAM education with a standards-based approach. As an educator who taught for 10 years in public schools, as well as served in central office leadership, she understands the fast-paced change, challenges and promise of 21st century schools. As an entrepreneur, she has successfully taken what was once a simple education blog and developed it into a rapidly-growing and highly-respected educational institution. Her team of 15+ teachers, leaders and coaches support over over 500,000 educators each month worldwide. Susan holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from the prestigious Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ and a Master of Science in Education Administration from McDaniel College in Westminster, MD. She lives in Westminster, MD with her husband and daughter. Email Susan