Numerous Arkansas educators are on the Arkansas Tech University campus this week taking part in the annual College of Arts and Humanities K-12 Summer Institute. The institute runs through Friday at Rothwell Hall. The summer institute, which is part of the College of Arts and Humanities K-12 Initiative, is designed to offer Arkansas public school educators content-driven professional development. “The goal of the institute is to assist educators by providing access to meaningful content and help teachers improve their depth of knowledge in their content field,” said Dr. M. Diane Gleason, assistant professor of history at Arkansas Tech and K-12 Initiative liaison. The more than 200 teachers taking part in the 2013 institute will have access to professional development in several content areas. “The leadership team has worked to identify topic and content areas that would be beneficial to educators and help drive student learning in their classrooms,” said Gleason. “We are pleased with this year’s program and believe it will be of use to teachers. Some of the content areas covered during the institute include Shakespeare, American poets, Arkansas history, world art, world history and world music.” Dr. H. Micheal Tarver, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, created the initiative to serve as an outreach program that connected interested public school educators with the resources necessary to provide intensive content coverage. “The initiative represents a partnership between Arkansas Tech and public schools throughout the state, which offers positive outcomes for all those involved in fostering expanded opportunities for student learning,” said Tarver. Much of the success of the initiative, Gleason credited to the College of Arts and Humanities faculty and leadership. “Without the support of Dean Tarver and the rest of the College of Arts and Humanities faculty, we would not be able to provide this level of content to educators at no cost,” said Gleason. Learn more about the K-12 Initiative. Learn more about the Arkansas Tech University College of Arts and Humanities.