COVID-19 Resources 

Resources for Arts Education Leaders and Learners Navigating COVID-19

Introduction

In response to the growing need for resources to help arts and education leaders navigate the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, AEP has been compiling relevant content to support the arts education field. We’ve engaged our partners in sharing resources that they’ve created and compiled in order to help others as we navigate these new ways of working.

We are doing our best to vet resources to ensure they are specific to arts education; from a reliable, well-known source; and nonpartisan in nature. Additionally, we’re sharing resources that are useful to or developed for specific arts education stakeholder groups (as opposed to general information). We are focused on content from nonprofit or government entities as opposed to for-profit companies. Our goal is to help arts education leaders navigate this changing environment, and selected resources are not intended as an advertisement for a company or product. While we are keeping these priorities in mind, we compile and publish items quickly to respond to the immediate need. We will continue to add resources as we receive them and to remove outdated content periodically.

State Policy Responses and Other Executive Actions to the Coronavirus in Public Schools

Our colleagues at Education Commission of the States are also tracking information pertaining to the coronavirus pandemic and its effects on education. ECS is outlining State Policy Responses and Other Executive Actions to the Coronavirus in Public Schools via this  information request, originally published on March 12, 2020.

Education Commission of the States tracks education legislation across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Because of the influx of legislation addressing the COVID-19 pandemic impacts on education, Education Commission of the States now tracks the topic in both its 2020 State Education Policy Watch List and State Education Policy Tracking tool. As more information becomes available, Education Commission of the States will add to this page with relevant education policy information. 

Reopening Guidelines and Documents

Reopening Guidance From Arts Education Organizations

Reopening Guidance From National Arts Education Organizations

Reopening Guidance From State and Local Arts Education Organizations

Resources

Federal Guidance and Resources

 

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

U.S. Department of Education

National Endowment for the Arts

Funding Resources
  • href=”https://www.artsactionfund.org/sites/artsactionfund.org/files/Cares%20Act%20Table%20of%20Loan%20Grant%20and%20Compensation%20Opportunities%20for%20the%20Arts.pdf”>Table of Federal Arts Funding Opportunities for Nonprofit and Commercial Arts Organizations and Individuals.
  • COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and Arts Funding (Grantmakers in the Arts)
  • COVID-19 Community Response Fund, which will award $1 million in $25,000 and $50,000 grants to youth-serving music programs to support their responsive and adaptive efforts during COVID-19.
  • Arts Administrators of Color Network Emergency Fund to support of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) artists AND administrators (consultants, facilitators, box office staff, seasonal/temporary employees, etc.) who have been financially impacted due to COVID-19
  • The Artist Relief website for artists and teaching artists.
  • ArtBridge COVID-19 Artist Relief Fund: ArtBridge started a fund where we will be rewarding grants from $250 to $500 on a weekly basis to NYC-based emerging visual artists via an ongoing fundraiser.
  • Emergency Funds – All Art Forms (WomenArts)
  • Joan Mitchell Foundation (emergency grants)
  • Art Is Essential – Philadelphia Public Art Grant Program
  • The application portal for the Dancers Above Water Relief Fund — an emergency response fund for NYC-based dance artists suffering covid-related losses — reopens on September 28th.
Virtual Professional Development and Community Building Opportunities

For Educators

Digital and Distance Learning Resources
https://education.musicforall.org/gap/

  • DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative’s Distance Learning Resources Database: The DC Collaborative’s Distance Learning Resource Database is a compilation of online and printable arts and humanities learning resources for students, teachers, and families. It is our hope that that materials on this database will be used to enhance arts and humanities education, equitably, inside or outside of the classroom. The database will be continuously updated with curricular guides, virtual field trips, and other educational activities to enhance students’ at-home learning experiences as well as Professional Development for educators.
  • SEADAE Arts Instructional Resources page for arts educators and families. This page provides links to multiple sites that focus on arts-related instruction and activities in dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts. The page can be explored by educators and families who are seeking learning ideas for our young dancers, artists, actors, musicians, and artistic technicians. (State Education Agencies Directors of Arts Education) SEADAE will continue to add more links provided by members, partners, and public submissions through our online form each quarter.
  • Resources for arts educators as they transition to online teaching (Arts Ed Collaborative)
  • Free online curriculum available for students in grades K-5 (ArtsEd Washington – Washington Alliance for Arts Education)
  • Distance Learning and Teaching Resources: curated by Perpich Center Arts Specialists (Perpich Center for Arts Education)
  • How to Create the Perfect Study Environment for Online Learning (Purdue University Global)
  • Distance Learning Resources: At Education Through Music (ETM), every child, at every school, deserves access to high-quality music education. For many students, classroom learning has moved into their homes, but music education should be a part of everyone’s school day. Check out free distance learning resources created by incredible educators. The site will be updated regularly with new great lessons and games. These activities can be done in almost any home and only require a few everyday household items, two hands for clapping, and a big smile. (Education Through Music)
  • Fresh Film Video Challenges: Fresh Films Video Challenges were created to allow educators to meet students where they want to be: on the screen. Every 2 weeks, middle and high school students respond to a challenge topic with a 2-minute video. With step-by-step project guides and video lessons as well as self-reflective and social justice themes, teachers can use challenges as Social Studies, SEL, Science or Media Arts assignments in their digital classrooms. (Fresh Film)
  • Remote Learning – Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Remote Education (NYU Metro Center)
  • Learning in the Time of COVID-19 (Learning Policy Institute)
  • Free online conferencing and video platforms for teachers include:
  • Microsoft and Google Video Conferencing
  • Google Hangouts (free access through July 1 to advanced Hangouts Meet video-conferencing capabilities to all G-Suite & G-Suite for Education customers)
  • Free Webex Personal Account (Unlimited Usage, 100 Participants)
  • This Google blog, “With school closures, teachers can keep their lessons going remotely,” provides advice on keeping students engaged in distance learning using Google Classroom tools such as Google Docs, Google Forms (Compiled by the Learning Policy Institute)
  • Content coordinators from the San Diego County Office of Education curated this subject-specific list of resources to support distance learning.
  • These websites have lessons that can be accessed by educators or parents for content instruction: CommonLit, Illustrative Mathematics, Khan Academy, Zearn
  • American Federation of Teachers’ Share My Lesson offers a helpful roundup of lesson plans and other resources for teaching students about coronavirus and a Checklist for Distance Learning to help prepare for remote learning.
  • The Smithsonian launched a central portal highlighting an array of distance learning resources, from STEM webcasts to American history podcasts and comprehensive lesson plans. Offerings range from low- or no-tech (interviewing family members for oral history projects) to high-tech (diving into an interactive exploration module).
  • The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization has created a comprehensive list of educational applications and platforms to help parents, teachers, schools and school systems facilitate student learning and provide social caring and interaction during periods of school closure. (Compiled by the Learning Policy Institute)
  • List of Virtual Teaching Resources in response to COVID-19: list of resources, technologies and instructional tools to support our arts educators and teaching artist who are now impacted by these rapidly changing events. (Arts Ed NJ)
  • eLearning Toolkit for Schools: This is a free digital toolkit of over 40 items to help keep students (and teachers!) creative at home. (The Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM)
  • This arts integration activity is for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. It reinforces math and visual arts standards and includes an optional read-aloud via YouTube. There is also a HOUSE PROJECT Part Two on the Engaging Creative Minds website with additional arts integration activities.
  • artlook® Virtual Learning Library: This resource is an outgrowth of Ingenuity’s artlook® work in several participating communities around the country and captures all the virtual programs that arts partners are offering to their schools in these communities. The website updates in real time, so as new programs are listed and new artlook® communities come online, new opportunities will automatically be shared.
  • Supporting Students With Exceptional Needs: 
  • Creative Action Online Learning Hub: Here, you’ll find projects created by our staff to help youth stay creative with multiple opportunities to exercise their 4C (creativity, courage, critical thinking, and confidence) abilities. Each week, there will be fresh content—including how-to videos, virtual student interviews, arts and crafts tutorials, sing-a-longs, and movement lessons—for anyone to access, all for free.
Music Education Resources
Theatre Education Resources
Visual Arts Education Resources
Multidisciplinary Arts Education Resources
  • Series of FREE project-based STEAM lessons educators can give students including free (The Salvadori Center):
    • Lesson plans with teacher guides
    • Student instructions and worksheets
    • Lists of common materials often found at home to complete projects
    • And a design challenge to apply new concepts
Museum Education Resources
Higher Education Resources
Other Education Resources
  • COVID-19 Resources for Educators and Learners (Arts Ed Collaborative)
  • RSVP to participate in a weekly drop-in discussion with other educators
  • Kennedy Center Education: Classroom Resources: Articles, how-tos, lessons, activities, resource collections, media, and interactives for arts educators and others looking to infuse the arts into learning.
  • Knowledge on the Go: Free Resources: Three-quarters of our more than 800 employees are or have been teachers, so we understand the pressure teachers are under at this time to keep students on track. We are here to support them with free resources including our Eureka Math®/Engage NY Math curriculum that is a free, open education resource available to anyone, anywhere. And starting Wednesday, March 18, we are going to share—free to anyone—recorded daily lessons in Grades K–12 of Eureka Math®, K–8 of Wit & Wisdom®, and 3–5 of PhD Science®. These lessons will be delivered by our own teachers and will be viewable on any device so that teachers and their students may use them. (Great Minds)
  • Arts in Education lesson plans (Crayon Collection)
  • eLearning Toolkit for Schools: Free digital toolkit of over 40 items to help keep students (and teachers!) creative at home. (The Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM)
  • FREE weekly STEAM lessons: Students can learn through a project-based approach. They learn a lesson and apply new knowledge to a real-world design challenge.  And using your school’s remote learning resources, they share ideas, thoughts, and discuss their solutions with the entire class. (The Salvadori Center)
For School-Based Education Administrators

For Parents and Caregivers

At-Home Arts Education Activities
  • The Barbara Bush Foundation for Literacy Educational Toolkit for At-Home Learning offers free online resources that can help children continue to build critical literacy skills while schools are closed.
  • Storyline Online is produced by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television’s SAG-AFTRA Foundation as part of its children’s literacy program. The site streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations. Readers include Viola Davis, Chris Pine, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening, James Earl Jones, Betty White and others.
  • Young Audiences of Houston’s Arts for Learning Creativity Pops! Each online video is created to inspire learning at home. Young Audiences of Houston Teaching Artists are invaluable contributors to Houston’s arts ecosystem and each commissioned creativity pops video provides financial support to our teaching artists. Stay tuned as we post new videos each week, and enjoy a pop of creativity each day.
  • The New York City Department of Education offers suggested activities and strategies for families to support Diverse Learning at Home for Special Populations. Resources include links for assistive technology support, as well as specific occupational, physical, and speech therapy activities for students as young as preschool.
  • Outsider Art Coloring Pages (For Kids and Adults!): Project Onward, nonprofit benefiting adult artists with disabilities, has made two pages from James Hall’s Coloring Book “Hory Crowns of Glory” available for use by art teachers and parents looking for something to do with their kids, or just to relax themselves! Email  ali.harwood@projectonward.org  to receive the pages in the format you would like (Project Onward) 
  • Visual Arts Zoom classes: Art historian shares vast knowledge on Vermeer, Rembrandt and Van Gogh via live classes on Zoom. This website also offers digital entry into art museums.
  • Projects to help youth stay creative with multiple opportunities to exercise their 4C (creativity, courage, critical thinking, and confidence) abilities. Each week, fresh content will be added including how-to videos, virtual student interviews, arts and crafts tutorials, sing-a-longs, and movement lessons—for anyone to access, all for free. (Creative Action)
  • White House Historical Association’s virtual educational resources: During this difficult time, the Rubenstein Center for White House History offers a wide variety of educational resources for learners of all ages. Content includes classroom resource packets, reading lists, virtual tours of the White House, short educational videos, historical essays, and a digital library of White House and presidential images.
  • Open Studio From Home: Families are invited to join Whitney Educators for free weekly online art classes this fall. Participants will experiment, create and learn together with at-home art materials. (Whitney Museum of Education)
Supporting English Learners

 

Other Resources

 

For Artists and Teaching Artists:  

Resources
    • Webinars & Podcasts
    • Questions to Ask Your Employer re: Compensation
    • Labor Laws / Sick Leave (by State)
 

Additional Resources:

Resources from AEP Partners

Americans for the Arts

Afterschool Alliance

American Alliance of Museums

Arts & Science Council of Charlotte-Mecklenburg

California Institute of the Arts

Chorus America

Ford Foundation

Grantmakers in the Arts

International Child Art Foundation

League of American Orchestras shared the following resources:

      • Coronavirus resources: information and tools to help navigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
      • As leaders of the Cultural Advocacy Group, the League also supported creating this Google doc, where national arts service organizations are listing their COVID resource pages.

Lincoln Center Education

Malashock Dance

The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM)

National Dance Education Organization

National Assembly of State Arts Agencies

National Dance Institute New Mexico

National Guild for Community Arts Education

      • National Guild covid19 response resources: A landing page for Guild content, events and resources
      • The Guild is beginning to organize a series of roundtable discussions, facilitated by practitioners in the field, the schedule is available on the Events Calendar. These roundtables are open to the public.
      • Tips for gathering virtually as effectively as possible including tips on Zoom, Google Hangouts, and livestreaming. Access it here.

OPERA America

Resources focused on COVID-19 effect on events with niche videos, external resources to understand the virus, short term implications and concerns, insurance policies, and ways to work around the coronavirus with having to work with people in person (meetings, events, etc.).

Puget Sound Educational Service District: Arts Impact

South Arts

Southeast Center for Arts Integration

The Heinz Endowments

Young Audiences Arts for Learning

South Arts

Southeast Center for Arts Integration

The Heinz Endowments

Young Audiences Arts for Learning

Event Cancelations and Closing Updates
Blogs and Other Reading Materials
Resources from AEP Affiliates and Other Arts Education Stakeholders
      • Resource page: focuses on independent and community organizing sources

Arts Administrators of Color Network

Canva

Creative Generation

New York Foundation for the Arts

The International Association of Blacks in Dance, Inc.

Artist-Specific Resources and Information

The New Victory Theater

To add to this list, please submit resources at this link, or email AEP Engagement Specialist Erika Hawthorne with any questions or concerns.

History

The Arts Education Partnership (AEP) was established in 1995 through a unique interagency agreement between the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Department of Education, an agreement that has continued unabated since that year. The founding organizations continue to provide support and promote AEP as the nation’s hub for individuals and organizations committed to making high-quality arts education accessible to all U.S. students.

In 2015, the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Department of Education selected Education Commission of the States to serve as the new host organization for AEP.

Click here to see a history of AEP milestones.