In this episode of #DreamItBuildIt, we meet Dr. Jessica Rosa Espinosa, a visionary educator and the founder of Partner Learning—an organization dedicated to transforming teaching through the arts.

Dr. Espinosa believes that arts integration is most powerful when collaboration is at its core. Through Partner Learning, she is redefining professional development by equipping educators with the tools to infuse creativity, critical thinking, and student engagement into their classrooms. Research shows that professional learning is just the beginning—true impact happens in the ongoing process of implementation and reflection. That’s why Partner Learning provides educators with a trusted creative thought partner, ensuring that their ideas move from theory to practice with confidence and support.

By fostering partnerships with teacher leaders, arts organizations, and schools, Dr. Espinosa is building a movement where educators feel empowered to embrace the Creative Process at every stage of their teaching journey. Whether developing lessons, programs, or projects, Partner Learning ensures that the arts become a vital part of how students learn and engage with the world.

Join us as we dive into Dr. Espinosa’s inspiring journey, the mission behind Partner Learning, and how she is helping educators unlock the transformative power of the arts in the classroom.  #ArtsIntegration #STEAM #CreativeEducation #DreamItBuildIt

About Journey & Vision

1. What inspired you to start Partner Learning, and what gap did you see in arts education that needed to be filled?

Partner Learning was born out of a simple but frustrating reality: arts integration is powerful, but too often, it’s treated as an add-on rather than a core teaching strategy. I kept seeing passionate educators who wanted to use the arts in their classrooms but felt unprepared, unsupported, or stuck in outdated PD models that didn’t offer real-world, hands-on application. The gap wasn’t just in training; it was in sustained support—helping teachers go beyond a one-time workshop and actually implement arts-based strategies in ways that felt authentic to their teaching and their students. 

1. How did your own experiences as an educator shape your approach to arts integration and professional learning?

Like so many educators, I didn’t start out as an arts integration expert—I was figuring it out in real-time, experimenting, failing, and learning from my students when I was in the classroom. In my education career, I started out teaching high school and then moved into teaching in a first grade general ed classroom in East Harlem, New York. I saw firsthand how the arts made learning more sticky and meaningful, but I also experienced the struggle of trying to make it work within rigid curriculum structures. That’s why Partner Learning doesn’t just teach the what of arts integration; we focus on the how—providing practical, adaptable strategies that educators can use right away, no matter their comfort level with the arts. 

1. Can you share a moment when you saw the power of arts integration transform a classroom or a teacher’s approach?

One moment that always sticks with me happened in an elementary classroom where a teacher was hesitant about using movement in her literacy lessons. She was convinced that she would lose control of her already challenging class and chaos would ensue. I offered to come into her classroom and teach a lesson. Without knowing their names, I tried using a drama strategy called tableau ( these are frozen scenes) to explore character emotions in a novel. The result? Not only did students deeply connect with the text, but even her quietest kids—students who rarely raised their hands—were physically engaged, expressing ideas in ways they never had before. After that, she was hooked and she began sprinkling the arts-based strategies she learned from me across her curriculum. She kept experimenting with movement, and by the end of the semester, she told me she couldn’t imagine teaching literacy any other way. Moments like that remind me why this work matters. I always think to myself "If every teacher I teach can be inspired to try something new, that is 25 more children who will benefit". This work is important, it brings the learning to life.  

About Partner Learning & Its Impact

4. Partner Learning focuses on collaborative partnerships—why is this such a critical part of making arts integration successful?

Partnering with other arts and cultural organizations, institutions, and artists we know and love makes a huge difference in providing quality arts integration experiences for teachers. Teachers don’t just learn about arts integration in theory—they experience it firsthand in collaboration with the artists, museums, and institutions that already shape our cultural landscape. For example, we partnered with Emory's Carlos Museum which is world history and we provided visual literacy training onsite. Teachers not only take our workshop but then they practice the visual thinking strategies with the docents when exploring the museum's exhibits. Or imagine going to the Center of Puppetry Arts and exploring how shadow puppetry can be used in your classroom and also seeing a puppet show with shadow puppets all in the same day? Similarly, we partner with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to provide music integration workshops with teachers where they can then immediately see the symphony play following the training and take a backstage tour. These partnerships elevate our mission which is "art at the core of learning". 

4. Many professional development programs stop at training. What makes Partner Learning’s ongoing feedback loop model different?

Workshops are great, but they’re just the starting point. Our model is designed to go beyond training and into real classroom implementation. After professional learning sessions, we stick around—through coaching, classroom visits, and collaborative planning. We don’t just hand over strategies; we help teachers tweak, refine, and make it their own. That ongoing support is what actually builds confidence and long-term success. My dissertation research was all centered around growing teacher efficacy, or confidence. The key to building confidence is having that "thought partner" who can help you on your pedagogical journey. 

4. How do you work with teacher leaders, arts organizations, and schools to make arts integration more accessible and sustainable?

Sustainability is all about building capacity—not just dropping in with an idea and leaving. We help schools create structures where teachers become arts integration leaders, mentoring their peers. Our partnerships with schools are meaningful and long-term, in fact we require that every contract span over at least one school year and not just “one-and-done” performances. We help educators embed the arts into their everyday practice, making it a natural part of their teaching rather than an extra burden. 

About Creativity & the Classroom

7. What are some of the biggest challenges educators face when trying to integrate the arts into their teaching?

Time. Confidence. And the misconception that you have to be an artist to do it “right.” Teachers often feel pressured to stick to rigid curriculum pacing, leaving little room for creative approaches. There’s also a fear factor—many educators worry they aren’t qualified to bring the arts into their classroom. But the truth is, arts integration isn’t about creating masterpieces; arts integration is not concerned with the product but rather engaging students in the creative process. That is where the learning and assessment occurs. Teachers who are open to new ideas and looking for engaging ways to reach all of their learners gravitate toward this teaching approach.

7. For teachers who feel like they aren’t "creative" enough, what advice would you give them to start using arts integration confidently?

Start small. I tell teachers to "edge it in" when you are starting out. You don’t need to choreograph a full dance routine or paint a mural to bring arts integration into your classroom. Try using a simple sketching activity to help students visualize a science concept. Use music to explore character emotions in a novel. Have students create tableaus to represent key moments in history. The more you experiment, the more confident you’ll become—and soon, arts integration won’t feel like a “thing you do,” it’ll just feel like good teaching. 

Looking Ahead

10. What’s next for Partner Learning? Are there any exciting projects, collaborations, or big dreams on the horizon?

Partner Learning is gearing up for an exciting new chapter with the launch of online workshops in the coming school year, making arts integration training more accessible, flexible, and scalable for educators everywhere. Our goal is to build a comprehensive library of training topics that explore various art forms and how they can be used in the classroom, allowing schools to subscribe and access high-quality arts integration PD anytime, anywhere. But beyond just training, we envision creating a global community of like-minded educators who can connect, collaborate, and share ideas—breaking down geographic barriers to bring the arts into learning in new, innovative ways. Just as our partnerships with organizations based in the greater Atlanta area have provided immersive, hands-on experiences, we hope to expand these collaborations to even more arts and cultural institutions, ensuring teachers and students have access to authentic, high-quality arts experiences that inspire creativity and deeper learning. This next phase is all about scaling impact, fostering connections, and keeping the arts at the core of education—no matter where a teacher is in the world.

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