Steve Seidel
Steve has been working as a teacher, administrator, advisor, and researcher in alternative and public schools and higher education since 1971. With a background in theater and over 35 years at Project Zero, he continues to pursue his passion for exploring the myriad intersections of art and learning.
PZ Work
In 1986, Steve started at Project Zero as a research assistant on projects related to arts learning and assessment in schools. In time, he became a principal investigator for projects that have studied the use of reflective practices in schools, the close examination of student work, arts learning in and out of schools, and the documentation of individual and group learning. A former PZ director (2000-2008), in 2009, he led The Qualities of Quality: Understanding Excellence in Arts Education, a study of what constitutes quality in arts learning and teaching.
His current research includes Talking with Artists who Teach, a study of working artists’ ideas and insights into the nature of artistic development and learning. In addition, he continues to facilitate ROUNDS, a monthly meeting of educators committed to reflective practice in community and close study of student work.
Beyond PZ
Before becoming a researcher, Steve taught high-school theater and language arts in the Boston area for 17 years. He also worked as a professional actor and stage director. He is the Patricia Bauman and John Landrum Bryant Senior Lecturer on Arts in Education, Emeritus at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the former faculty director of the Arts in Education program (2004-2022).
Steve's Projects and Publications
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