The Pennsylvania State Standards for Arts and Humanities dictates that all PA "students in grades K-12 must be provided with instruction in all four arts disciplines: dance, music, theater and the visual arts."
Currently, dance educators can be certified via an alternative route through Health, Physical Education, Communications or Vocational Education. These paths do not necessitate obtaining expertise, or even introduction to the National Dance Standards or current pedagogical theory and practice in dance education. These are clearly essential components of highly qualified teaching.
If Pennsylvania is to maintain its teaching standards as mandated by the "Every Student Succeeds Act," and its own K-12 framework based on the National Dance Standards, a path to direct dance teacher certification is a necessary replacement for the current process.
