Drama integration across subjects, grades, and learners: insights from new teachers as inquiring reflective practitioners

Promoting equitable access to the arts may depend on structures that support teachers in integrating into core curricula. We describe an arts-integration design spotlights attention within and beyond one teacher credential program field–drama–engaging 24 new non-arts across grades subjects who participated a drama academy. Our project shines light contributions of early-career generating conceptions derived from immersion inquiry classroom practice. focus teachers’ developing repertoires drama-based pedagogy (DBP) practices for use among wwdiverse learners, engagements ongoing reflective cycles. Drawing upon reflections projects multiyear experience, we mapped three interactive tiers: foundational, core, critical literacies. illustrate themes with reports practice, including vignette Mexican-American/Chicana children ages 9–10, number them native-Spanish speaking emergent bilinguals. The study informs efforts diverse classrooms integrate sustain drama. insights results, offer policy implications recommendations others wishing learn innovative integration efforts.