The term “Professional Learning Community” (PLC) has been used to refer to any number of teacher meetings; however, at CAN, there is power in a well-facilitated PLC that combats isolation by connecting arts educators to deepen and improve their practice through action research. In Dufor et. al. (2016)’s Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work, a PLC is described as “an ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve (p. 10).”

Most CAN teachers serve in communities where access to high-quality professional development is limited or nonexistent. CAN PLCs provide hundreds of arts educators with critical opportunities for collaborative planning, instructional leadership, and sustained professional growth. CAN teachers enroll in multiyear learning communities where they learn with peers and conduct individual action research projects guided by a Teacher Leader. They develop an inquiry question for the year and meet monthly in consistent groups after school hours to workshop their “wondering,” creating lessons with their peers that meet the needs of their students. CAN teachers are lifelong learners committed to their personal and professional growth, and they show their dedication by carving out time in their busy schedules to be in community with arts educators, to build each other up, and to step outside their comfort zone for their students.

The goals of CAN are universally beneficial: improve teacher practice, increase student achievement through the arts, and access to quality arts instruction. Our values serve as a throughline in all our work. We believe students benefit from curricula that reflect their culture and heritage, which means an emphasis on inspirational art by diverse artists. However, in the current political climate, this may pose challenges. The program  supports  the creation of  arts curricula relevant to all students by encouraging teachers to connect with learners by listening to ,their stories, celebrating their strengths, and learning what they are passionate about.. Through CAN,  community building is used as a method to develop a “brave space” where students  feel safe and more connected to their classroom community. When this happens, students create powerful and inspiring art. .

The three original content areas of CAN— eocial–emotional learning (SEL); equity, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I), and teacher leadership— encapsulated the overall goals of the program. Over the years,  the connection of SEL and ED&I practices created  Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Education, which is also terminology used in NYCPS. The tangible work of CAN teachers is action research in arts-based professional learning communities. This  vision for equitable and inclusive classrooms transforms action research from teaching artistic skills to, instead, teaching the whole student. For more information about the  frameworks, please view the  Toolbox section.

Common language to further understand this work:

• Social–emotional learning (SEL) is an integral part of education and human development. SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. SEL advances educational equity and excellence through authentic school, family, and community partnerships to establish learning environments and experiences that feature trusting and collaborative relationships, rigorous and meaningful curriculum and instruction, and ongoing evaluation. (adapted from CASEL [add link])
• Equity refers to conditions that support fairness and justice based on individual needs and circumstances, where all members have opportunities to thrive and realize their best within the community.
• Diversity describes both observable and nonobservable individual differences (life experiences, work context, learning and working styles, and personality types, among others) and/or groupsocial differences (race, gender identity and expression, age, social class, country of origin, ability, beliefs, and intellectual and cultural perspectives, among others) contributing to organizational vibrancy and a dynamic professional community.
• Inclusion describes proactive, intentional, and thoughtful engagement with diversity to the extent that all have the ability to contribute fully and effectively throughout the community and feel a sense of welcoming and belonging.
• Teacher leadership is often found in arts education classrooms because arts educators possess unique skills such asdeveloping plans to meet objectives, adapting to meet current needs, recognizing potential and coaching peers, using resources responsibly, utilizing creative processes to identify opportunities, and solving complex challenges. A leader sees how something can be improved and inspires confidence in others to move them to action. A great leader connects with people as a guide or mentor, and engages or motivates others to be visionaries. (Adapted from NAEA’s School for Arts Leaders, insert link):

As one CAN Teacher Leader aptly stated, “If changes are going to be made in the work of SEL and DEI, it begins with me, my classroom, and my interactions with people. If I am going to care for others, I must take care of myself—mentally, physically, and emotionally.”

As part of the CAN project, quarterly workshops were held each academic year on diverse topics. Each virtual workshop was led by prominent leaders in the arts; social–emotional learning (SEL); equity, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I); and teacher leadership, who guide teachers to apply theory to practice. After each workshop, Teacher Leaders created tip sheets and podcast episodes to demonstrate the uptake of these ideas in practice. These resources can be found in the Toolbox by Theme.

The CAN Summer Institute served as the official launch of national PLCs in 2022 and was held each summer with national and NYC Teacher Leaders. It was a time to meet virtually across disciplines and connect the national and local CAN projects in a shared mission. For the initial Summer Institute, “appetizer-sized portions” of the target content areas (SEL, ED&I, and teacher leadership) were provided along with time for NYC Teacher Leaders to share unit plans created within their own PLCs. In later years, educators gained inspiration from content experts, participated in breakout groups, built relationships, and planned their facilitation of PLCs during the coming academic year. Summer Institutes marked the closing of the school year and provided an opportunities to reflect on what was accomplished, while simultaneously  kicking off the next school year to adapt learnings in real time to student and educator needs.

Metis Associates served as the CAN Grant Evaluator for both the national PLCs and NYC PLCs. The NYC Connected Arts Network (singular) has been meeting in PLCs for 10 years, growing  to 83 Teacher Leaders directing  their own PLCs. Recently (the 2021–2022 program year), NYC PLCs began focusing on SEL and ED&I, like the national PLCs. National Teacher Leaders followed the same evaluation processes as NYC PLCs using tools developed by Metis:

• Teacher Leader Self-Assessment Survey: Designed to determine changes in facilitators’ perceived self-efficacy for implementing culturally responsive instruction and SEL practicesto implement ED&I and SEL principles in arts-based instruction distributed on a pre/post basis.
• Panorama Student Survey: A validated assessment, on a pre/post basis, to  sample students of participating arts educators to measure the development of students’ self-esteem, self-awareness, emotional resilience, social awareness, and conflict-resolution skills.

The Connected Arts Networks are  both a bold experiment and a powerful proof of concept in demonstrating  how educators grow in skill,leadership, advocacy, and community when arts disciplines work together. Through this collaboration, work conducted  across five national arts education organizations helped build powerful connections while elevating the collective voice of arts educators. The teachers who participated amplified the power of their voices as advocates for students, for their art form, and for the role of the arts in education. Together, the involved organizations created and championed  an arts mindset that values creativity, collaboration, and humanity in every classroom.