Arts for Learning Connecticut is excited to have re-launched Higher Order Thinking (HOT) Schools, a program designed and developed by the CT Office of the Arts, a division of the Department of Economic and Community Development. 

HOT Schools is a whole-school, deep impact, teaching and learning program designed to enrich school culture, expand teacher practice, and improve student engagement through a variety of arts learning strategies. Grounded in Social and Emotional Learning, Culturally Responsive Teaching, and Multiple Intelligence Theory, this program utilizes a skilled roster of teaching artists to provide professional development, arts-integrated residences, workshops, and performances in K-12 schools across the state. 

“As we navigate a path through this paradigm shift in education, arts-infused teaching

and learning remains critical to our resilience. Higher Order Thinking Schools cultivate

creative and collaborative thinking to help steer our way.”
                                                     —Christopher Eaves, Director, HOT Schools

Arts in education, sometimes referred to as “arts learning,” is an approach to teaching and learning that utilizes creativity, imagination, and artistic exploration to support student outcomes. Arts Learning falls into 4 categories:

Performances: Artistic presentations, often in an assembly or large-group setting.

Art Workshops: Individual creative classes or experiences with significant teaching artist – student interaction, often in smaller-group settings.

Residencies: Extended arts learning series in which the same students work with the same teaching artist(s) over multiple sessions.

Professional Development: Trainings for teachers in arts learning strategies.