Institutional Overview & History
A Tradition of Distinction
At the heart of our mission is a simple, enduring conviction: the performing arts forge human character. Long before a young artist steps onto a college campus or enters the professional world, years spent in the studio cultivate deep internal strength—unwavering self-discipline, resilience under scrutiny, collaborative empathy, and poise under live pressure.
Founded over 25 years ago, the Council of Educators, Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) central registry established to recognize, honor, and preserve that growth. Co-founded by Matthew Straub and Mark Jacob, the Council emerged from a shared institutional vision: ensuring that the profound character developed inside the studio is formally documented, independently verified, and permanently valued by higher education and society.
— Carrie Straub Jacob, PhD, Board Chair
Today, the Council fulfills this purpose across two complementary pillars: serving as an independent auditing registry for student credentials while providing director-led, non-competitive artistic showcases across iconic national and international platforms.
Institutional Architecture
To maintain strict academic objectivity while delivering world-class performance environments, the Council operates through two complementary divisions:
1. The Central Registry
Council of Educators
Serves as the neutral third-party legal custodian of official student achievement records. The Council audits independent, multi-year milestone evaluations verified directly by certified studio faculty, providing higher education admissions readers with uncompromised, verified transcript data.
Explore the Accomplished Performer Credential (APC) →2. Production & Performance Division
Performing Arts Educators (PAE)
Our programmatic division providing over 25 years of privileged, non-competitive stage access. PAE coordinates venue logistics, technical management, and director-led showcases at premier global venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and international platforms.
Visit Performing Arts Educators (PAE) →Academic Governance & Studio Sovereignty
The Council preserves institutional trust by maintaining strict operational firewalls that separate external academic auditing from internal studio instruction:
- Curricular Freedom: The Council does not dictate daily studio syllabi, choreography, or teaching methods. Participating academies retain absolute authority over their artistic programming and classroom instruction.
- Objective Faculty Auditing: Milestone evaluations are logged exclusively by certified faculty who observe student progress during standard rehearsals and live performances. To maintain rigorous institutional standards, student/parent self-reporting and outside video submissions are strictly prohibited.
- Lifelong Registry Access: Student transcript records are preserved in perpetuity within our third-party database, allowing graduates to submit official verification requests to universities, registrars, and employers at any time.
Governance & Operational Leadership
The Council of Educators and Performing Arts Educators are guided by a unified leadership structure separating legal/educational board governance from specialized production operations:
Higher education admissions offices, scholarship committees, and registrar auditors may request official third-party transcript verifications directly at registry@councilofeducators.org. Verifications are provided at zero cost to receiving institutions.