FOCUS IN

Kendall Crabbe

Nearly twenty years ago, the Arts Office of the New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) correctly identified a need for arts-focused, networked K–12 Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in New York City. The Connected Arts Networks (CAN) recognized that this need for connected professional learning in the arts was not limited to NYC arts educators but was also shared by K–12 arts educators nationwide.

The Growth of PLCs
In 2021, for the first time, the four national organizations serving arts educators received a multi-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education to create nationwide virtual PLCs with educators in visual arts, music, theater, dance, and media arts. Based on NYCPS’s successful arts education professional learning model, CAN employed a train-the-trainer approach in which arts teacher leaders facilitate monthly virtual PLCs for their peers.

To date, 176 national teacher leaders have received intensive professional development in PLC facilitation practices, as well as strategies for integrating social-emotional learning (SEL) and equity, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I) principles into standards-based arts instruction. These national teacher leaders have put their learning into practice by facilitating fifty-five PLC groups for 813 national teacher participants across forty-eight states. We estimate that CAN has reached 1.2 million students across the United States.

CAN recognized that this need for connected professional learning in the arts was also shared by K–12 arts educators nationwide.

Our external evaluators, Metis Associates, reported statistically significant growth in ED&I, SEL, and leadership skills among CAN national teacher leaders across all art forms. On average, national teacher participants rated their teacher leaders’ facilitation skills at 9 out of 10. Importantly, on average, students of CAN teacher leaders self-reported improvements in SEL competencies across all domains, including engagement and belonging, as measured through pre- and post-surveys.

CANʼs Lasting Impact
One NAEA CAN teacher leader described the impact as follows:

CAN has provided me the opportunity to take a deeper dive into the culture of my classroom, my teaching practice, and how I advocate for my students at the local, state, and national levels. Throughout the past four years, I have learned to do what is best for students, and that oftentimes means leading with my heart. By doing so, I have become more confident in what my purpose is as an art educator, embracing my authenticity and voice. CAN made me realize that no matter where we teach, we face similar obstacles and challenges. Meeting virtually presents an opportunity to seek solutions and build a community of art leaders who prioritize their studentsʼ needs to do what is best for them.

The U.S. Department of Education discontinued funding for CAN as of December 31, 2025. This decision required each partner organization to determine whether it could continue funding the CAN initiative through its operating budget. Thankfully, NYCPS, NAEA, and EdTA are continuing CAN through June 2026.

If you want to learn more about CAN and access resources created during this initiative, please visit arteducators.org/community/connected-arts-networks-can.

Kendall Crabbe, PhD, is the NAEA Connected Arts Networks (CAN) content manager for visual and media arts. kcrabbe@arteducators.org