Sarasota County is one of the leading arts communities in the country, and we believe in integrating arts education into our schools through dynamic partnerships with leading organizations such as the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. and Sarasota’s Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall to foster creativity and learning.  

Studies show that students’ involvement in the visual and performing arts impacts their achievements in core academic subjects.

At Sarasota County Schools, the arts are integrated with subjects such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics to improve outcomes for all students.

EdExploreSRQ.com, a website developed with the school district’s community partners, including the Patterson Foundation and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, connects classroom learning to rich experiences in arts, science, and history in Sarasota County, offered both in schools and out in the community.      

Sarasota County Schools is the sixth school district in the U.S. to partner with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Any Given Child, a program that works with schools to develop a long-range arts education plan for students. The Kennedy Center and the National School Boards Association have recognized the district for outstanding arts education. 

Independent Advisory Committee to the Superintendent of Sarasota County Schools Since 1996

The Community/Schools Partnership for the Arts (C/SPA), a unique partnership between the Arts & Cultural Alliance and the Sarasota Public School District, is comprised of school and district administrators, teachers, parents, students, education directors from many of the local arts venues, and other community arts education advocates.  In 2002, C/SPA was recognized at a national symposium of the Arts Education Partnership (AEP) in Washington, DC, for its outstanding collaborative relationship between the arts community and the school district. This volunteer organization continues to serve all of Sarasota County's K-12 public school students.

C/SPA's long-term goals are to advance the knowledge of arts education and its strategies, to encourage
continuous learning and to promote dialogue about arts education in our schools and in our community.

The C/SPA represents exemplary cooperation between leaders in the school district and leaders in the fine arts community to support and improve arts education in Sarasota County.