AERO+ Project Leaders:

General oversight: Stephanie Soper, former AERO Project Director

Music team: Scott Shuler, Arts Consultant, Connecticut State Department of Education

Visual Arts team: Dede Tisone-Bartels, former Director, California Arts Project, San Jose State University; National Board Certified teacher

World Languages team: Christine L. Brown, Assistant Superintendent, Glastonbury (CT) Public Schools

AERO+ is the second phase of the AERO standards, adding three subjects essential to a strong liberal arts education: music, visual arts, and world languages. The three sets of standards and benchmarks were created to serve teachers and students in American and international schools around the world. As with development of the original AERO standards, this project was led by the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools and supported by a grant from the U.S. State Department’s Office of Overseas Schools. AERO+ teams, composed of teachers and administrators from 17 schools, met from Fall 2005 to Fall 2006 to debate and collaborate about what is most essential that students know and be able to do in these three content areas. The aim was to craft benchmarks that left flexibility for local curriculum while maintaining clear, high and common expectations for student learning and skill. Conversations were held in schools and on-line, so full content-area faculties could participate in the discussions. We are grateful to our colleagues for their support and guidance in this project.

AERO + Standards:

Faculty and administration from the following schools developed the AERO+ standards: