ARTLC Communities of Practice with NHPS
In the Spring of 2025, the ARTLC organized 7 Communities of Practice centered on different tenets of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy for New Haven Public Schools. The program consisted of 7 different groups, with over a hundred teachers who represented almost every school in New Haven. Each educator met with an assigned cohort for multiple sessions where they engaged in conversation, research, and innovation for their own practice. All educators produced a reflective project which challenged them to use what they learned to create new or revised materials for their classroom and students.
The Seven Spring Communities of Practice are as follows:
1. Anti-Bias Play Based Learning, facilitated by Jade Green of GESELL program in early childhood.
2. Cultivating Genius and Unearthing Joy... in the Year of X, facilitated by Lauren Anderson, owner of Possible Futures Bookstore.
3. Ferocious Love with The Word, facilitated by Aaron Jafferis, founder of The Word Poetry.
4. Multilingual Learners Community of Practice, Part 2: Experimenting with New Strategies for Content and Language Learning, facilitated by Kristin Mendoza, lead teacher at Wilbur Cross High School International Academy.
5. Place Based Teaching: Prioritizing Local and Inclusive Voices, facilitated by Jennifer Heikkila Diaz, professional learning coordinator at Ct Council for the Social Studies and Joanna Steinberg. Director of Learning Engagement at the New Haven Museum
6. Organizing for the Schools and Communities Our Students Deserve, hosted by Leslie Blatteau, president of New Haven Federation of Teachers.
7. Using the Pedagogies of SEL to Promote Equity, facilitated by Dr. Almut Zieher, researcher at Yale School of Medicine.