The Kennedy Center's Partners in Education

Sunset Cultural Center and North Monterey County Unified School District are members of the Partners in Education program of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Selected in 2016 because of our demonstrated commitment to the improvement of education in and through the arts, the partnership team participates in collaborative efforts to make the arts integral to education. This program is designed to assist arts organizations throughout the nation to develop or expand educational partnerships with their local school systems. The primary purpose of these partnerships is to provide professional learning in the arts for teachers. In 1992, this program was awarded the Association of Performing Arts Presenters' Dawson Award, which recognizes innovative and successful projects.

The Partners in Education program is based on the belief that teachers' professional learning is an essential component of any effort designed to increase the artistic literacy of young people. The Kennedy Center's extensive experience with its local professional learning program, established in 1976, provides the basis for this national program.