Connected Arts Networks (CAN) Call for Applications

Leveraging Arts Learning Communities for Teacher Leadership and Student Achievement

We invite educators in visual/media arts, music, theater, and dance to apply to be part of a Connected Arts Networks (CAN) Professional Learning Community (PLC)! These PLCs will meet virtually each month of the school year starting in January 2024 through June 2026. Gain access to a creative community of peers, leadership opportunities, professional learning and certificates, and more focusing on the areas of equity, diversity, and inclusion; social emotional learning; and teacher leadership through standards-based arts instruction!

Please note: The extended application deadline closed on Monday, November 13, 2023.

Connect with colleagues nationwide through online Professional Learning Communities. Together through the arts, we CAN make a difference in student learning!

See the full list of benefits below and program details below.

Project Description

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 Dept. of Education’s Arts Office launched Connected Arts Networks (CAN).

CAN is a multi-year grant initiative to create nationwide virtual Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) with educators in visual/media arts, music, theater, and dance. The purpose of CAN is to build a sustainable model of professional learning for arts educators in public schools and public charters to strengthen their pedagogy, instruction, and leadership skills in order to better serve students.

In Fall 2023, we are recruiting up to 600 arts educators (150 per art form) to serve as PLC participants! These PLCs will meet virtually each month of the school year starting in January 2024 through June 2026 and will focus on professional learning in the areas of equity, diversity and inclusion; social emotional learning; and teacher leadership through standards-based arts instruction.

Key Content Areas for Professional Learning

  • Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I)
  • Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
  • Teacher leadership in standards-based arts instruction
  • Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)

Overall Goals of the Project

Students: To develop highly effective arts educators, building their capacity to serve every student by incorporating ED&I and SEL practices in their standards-based arts instruction through sustained, intensive, and job-embedded blended professional learning.
Teachers: To develop a local and national cadre of Teacher Leaders in the arts by building their content knowledge and leadership skills in order to expand the impact of arts learning for students and their communities.
Resources: To develop accessible arts-based instructional materials, strategies, and toolkits to disseminate to arts educators nationwide, including synchronous and asynchronous professional development programs and digital resources. Partnerships: To create a model for developing, deepening, and maintaining effective partnerships among school communities, Local Education Agencies (LEAs), and national arts education associations.

Qualifications

  • Be a current art educator at a PreK-12 public / public charter school and have support from your supervisor/principal. Please note: If you are teaching in NYC DOE public schools, please click here as you’re requested to join the local CAN project instead of the national CAN project.
  • Interest in & commitment to participating in a multi-year, monthly 1.5 hour PLC Meeting (Jan. 2024-June 2026)
  • Availability to attend evening and/or weekend meetings
  • Ability to work and meet remotely
  • Interest in growing your knowledge of Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion
  • Interest in growing your knowledge of how to embed Social-Emotional Learning in the classroom
  • Demonstrated skills in standards-based arts education instruction (ideally familiarity with the National Core Arts Standards)
  • Strong collaboration skills
  • A desire to participate in a shared space for arts educators of all disciplines to learn from each other

Benefits

In addition to building skills and gaining tools in standards-based arts instruction and curriculum development paired with ED&I and SEL practices and teacher leadership, CAN Teacher Participants will receive:

Upon acceptance:

  • Participant letter of acceptance and commitment for arts educator to sign
  • Supervisor letter of acceptance and support for principal/supervisor to sign
  • Virtual arts-based PLC access
  • Professional learning opportunities
  • Workshops with national content experts
  • Opportunities to meet and network with educators around the country

Upon completion of annual project goals:

  • Record of hours completed towards professional advancement
  • Certificate from art form association recognizing achievements in SEL, ED&I and teacher leadership

Upon completion of all three years of the project:

  • Virtual badges to be utilized in email signature, CV, grant awards
  • Completion letter for principal/supervisor
  • National recognition of completion of SEL and ED&I professional learning

Throughout their time in the project:

  • Opportunities to present at conferences
  • Opportunities to contribute to CAN handouts, articles, or other digital resources
  • Opportunities to be a leader of a PLC

Timeline and Commitment

  • September 1, 2023: Applications go live
  • November 13, 2023: Extended application submission deadline
  • Early December: CAN Teacher Participants are selected
  • January 2024: CAN Orientation for new arts educators
  • Between February and June 2024: Learning
    • Monthly 90 minute PLC Meetings, dates and times will be set in PLCs
    • Up to an hour of assignments/tasks between monthly meetings
    • Two Quarterly Workshops led by content specialists (optional)
  • September 2024-June 2025: Action Research
    • Monthly 90 minute PLC Meetings, dates and times will be set in PLCs
    • Up to an hour of assignments/tasks between monthly meetings, focusing on inquiry-based action research in the classroom
    • Four Quarterly Workshops led by content specialists (optional)
  • September 2025-June 2026: Unit Plan Development
    • Monthly 90 minute PLC Meetings, dates and times will be set in PLCs
    • Up to an hour of assignments/tasks between monthly meetings, focusing on unit plan development for how to embed ED&I and SEL in the classroom
    • Four Quarterly Workshops led by content specialists (optional)

How to Apply

The extended application deadline closed on Monday, November 13, 2023.

Did you know there is a local CAN project in New York City? If you are a NYC Department of Education arts educator, and you’re interested in participating in a CAN Professional Learning Community, please click here for more information on how to apply. Applications open on September 15th and close October 3rd, 2023. Please note: NYC DOE arts educators are not eligible for a national CAN PLC placement and are encouraged to participate locally.

Interested in finding out more?

Watch the recording of the September 26 Town Hall where you can hear directly from current CAN Teacher Leaders about their experience and what’s to come.

Download the slide presentation here.

View CAN Recruitment FAQ here.

Check out what CAN Teacher Leaders have been learning in Quarterly Workshops! On this page you can download “Tip Sheets” and listen to the CAN Podcast Series through K12 Art Chat.

Access episodes 11 and 12 of Arts ARE Education’s “Talk It Up” podcast series, as host Jim Palmarini talks to Connected Arts Networks (CAN) leaders:

  • CAN Part 1
    • Josh Streeter, Asst. Professor of Theatre Education at Emerson College and CAN’s PLC Leader for theatre
    • Amy Appleton, CAN Project Director and CAN’s PLC Leader for visual and media arts
  • CAN Part 2
    • Nicole S. Robinson, Fontana Unified School District dance educator, consultant and CAN’s PLC Leader for dance
    • LaSaundra Booth, Ed.D., National Board Certified Teaching Artist, arts administrator, and CAN’s PLC Leader for music

Questions?

U.S. Department of Education

Program activities for this project are fully funded through the U.S. Department of Education’s Assistance for Arts Education Program for a total of five years.