The Met Professional Learning Community

Build community, develop your professional capacity, and impact student learning!

Need some new inspiration? Interested in learning from innovative educators and thinkers about social justice and arts education? Want to improve your teaching practice and advance your students' critical thinking and global awareness?

If you are an active New York City teacher working in a Title I, or District 75, or transfer public school, apply to join the 2024–25 cohort of The Met Professional Learning Community (MetPLC). We'll select an exemplary group of teachers to participate in this immersive, socially engaged learning experience. Be part of this cohort of teachers, who will transform their teaching practice using works of art as the catalyst for deeper student engagement.

APPLY NOW.

What will you do and produce?

• Learn from experts and participate in social justice and arts education training during a Summer Institute, as well as ongoing professional-development and peer-group coaching sessions throughout the school year.

• Collaborate with peers, Met staff, and teaching artists to generate lessons for a curriculum-aligned, shared unit of study that engages students in topics that affect their lives.

• Utilize The Met as an extension of your classroom. Lead one class of students in explorations of The Met’s galleries three to four times during the school year, and collaborate with Met teaching artists to use works of art as primary sources in your classroom.

See the calendar for a full list of program dates.

What will you and your school gain from this experience?

• An honorarium of $1,750 upon completion of the program and Museum membership and mentorship for you, as well as resources for your school
• Three to four self-guided visits to The Met and up to four previsit sessions cotaught with a Met teaching artist in your classroom
• Skills for teaching from works of art and engaging students in meaningful learning
• Inspiration, support, and resources to address the challenges of teaching in a high-need school

Here’s what several teachers have said about The Met Professional Learning Community:

I developed a vocabulary for art that I've never possessed, I’m much more comfortable leading my students through an art-making process, and I’ve found ways to distill broad social justice topics into meaningful lessons and activities for my students.

—Member of the 2020–21 cohort

I have seen how our students were able to give close observations, generate inferences, and ask questions. At the beginning of this program, our students needed me to lead the discussions but by the third tour they were initiating deep discussions and responding to each other with little prompting…Also, I learned how to incorporate drawing, movement, and activities into museum tours so that these tours are engaging for a variety of learners and are memorable. I feel very confident in my abilities to lead tours at art museums for students that are succinct and impactful. Our students became confident and comfortable at The Met: as we were leaving our last tour they begged me to stay and we talked about getting jobs at The Met when they grow up.

—Member of the 2022–23 cohort

The networking piece was essential. It was incredibly gratifying to meet with educators from across disciplines and across the city over the course of an entire academic year.

—Member of the 2019–20 cohort

While [part of] the MetPLC, I practiced and strengthened my ability to facilitate a discussion that builds on students’ own observations, experiences, and inferences while still rigorously requiring evidence and rationale. The overlaps between close reading and close looking have helped my students access otherwise abstract concepts around style, point of view, and organization in language.

—Member of the 2019–20 cohort

My students are super enthusiastic and comfortable now talking about artwork...They’ve really matured and expanded their views of the world, the city, The Met, and art.

—Member of the 2021–22 cohort

I really think that the museum visits and previsits have played a role in my students learning to get along better, behave respectfully toward one another, listen to the ideas their classmates, and express their own ideas more confidently. I see them taking ownership of their observations and interpretations. They apply previous knowledge in interpreting the artworks, and are making connections with the artworks and the community.

—Member of the 2022–23 cohort

Application Instructions

• Application deadline: Monday, April 22, 2024. Complete the online application and attach the required supplemental materials, including the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by your principal (see instructions in the application form).

Virtual information sessions will be held on Monday, March 25, at 3:30 pm and Wednesday, April 10, at 4 pm. Teachers, principals, and other school administrators are welcome to join either session to learn more about The MetPLC and ask questions. Please email metplc@metmuseum.org to register for a session and receive the event link.

Teachers of all K–12 subject areas and grade levels may apply. We encourage multiple teachers from the same school to apply. To request an access accommodation for the application process, please email metplc@metmuseum.org.

If you have questions about the program or the application process, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions. For questions not covered in the FAQ, please email metplc@metmuseum.org.