CONNECTED ARTS NETWORKS (CAN)

Connected Arts Networks (CAN) was a multi-year grant initiative to create nationwide virtual Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) with educators in visual and media arts, music, theater, and dance. The National Art Education Association, in partnership with the Educational Theater Association, the National Association for Music Education, the National Dance Education Organization, and the NYC Public Schools’ Arts Office launched CAN in December 2021 through a grant from the US Department of Education’s Assistance for Arts Education Program.

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Overview Partner Organizations About the Project Toolbox by Art Form Toolbox by Theme
Mission
Values
Goals

The purpose of CAN is to support a sustainable model of professional learning for arts educators to strengthen their pedagogy, instruction, and leadership skills in order to better serve K-12 students.

Values

We Believe...

We believe in the transformative power of the arts to connect, heal, and empower. We know every learner is inherently creative, and that equity should be a daily practice woven into our pedagogy, relationships, and cultur

We Are...

We are a collaborative, evolving network of educators, artists, and advocates who lead with care, listen with courage, and grow together through empathy, joy, and justice

We Build...

We build inclusive spaces where all students are seen, celebrated, and free to create. We support educators as researchers and creative leaders, driving transformation through reflection and action.

We Imagine...

We imagine a world where arts educators are valued, connected, and empowered, where the arts are the canvas for collective healing, growth, and a more vibrant and compassionate future.

Goals

Students

Reach and serve all students by developing highly effective arts educators through sustained, intensive professional learning.

Teachers

Support a local and national cadre of arts educators, building their content knowledge and leadership skills in order to expand the impact of arts learning for students and school communities.

Resources

Design arts-based instructional materials, strategies, and toolkits to disseminate to arts educators nationwide, such as the CAN Action Research Model, which teachers will use to evaluate and improve their teaching practice.

Partnerships

Create a model for developing, deepening, and maintaining effective partnerships among school communities and national arts education associations.

Explore Resources by Art Form

Resources created by CAN Teacher Leaders across all four art forms: visual art, music, theatre, and dance.

Toolbox by Art Form

Browse Resources by Theme

Tip sheets and podcasts created to support teacher development in 12 different theme areas.

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IMPACT BY NUMBERS

Learn more about the Project

176

TEACHER LEADERS

813

TEACHER PARTICIPANTS

48

STATES REPRESENTED

The CAN initiative highlights critical takeaways for developing effective PLCs: the importance of connecting arts disciplines nationally, the insights from national thought leaders, the value of cross-state collaboration, and the essential role of facilitation and communication skills for teacher leaders. These elements provide a framework for maximizing the productivity and impact of arts-focused PLCs.

LaSaundra Belcher and Angela Keedy, NAfME CAN Content Managers

This work is powerful not because of the lesson plans, units, or curriculum. It is powerful for what it has done for arts educators. It has brought them out of isolation into a community where they can share best practices, celebrate the wins, and create deeper, more meaningful learning experiences for themselves which translates to their students.

Nicole S. Robinson, NDEO CAN Content Manager

Through a commitment to culturally responsive pedagogy and teaching that extends beyond artistic skill development, CAN educators are cultivating learning environments where young people connect with their personal stories, their communities, and the broader world they are empowered to reimagine.

Amy Appleton, CAN Project Director

The contents of these resources were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Assistance for Arts Education Program. However, the contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. 

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About the Project
Partner Organizations
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