Higher Order Thinking (HOT) Schools is a program of the Connecticut State Department of Economic & Community Development, Office of the Arts. ©2026 HOT Schools™
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Core Components
A SYNTHESIS OF 3 CORE COMPONENTS
Education in, about, and through the arts in a student centered environment helps students develop critical thinking abilities, independent judgment and creative problem solving skills. The HOT APPROACH shares a commitment to student achievement through three Core Components.
Strong Arts
HOT Schools supports standards based arts education. The arts, as rigorous academic subjects, each with their own sequential comprehensive curricula, convey knowledge not learned through studying other academic disciplines and provide stimulating vehicles for children to communicate their ideas.
Arts Integration
HOT Schools nurtures sequential arts learning experiences that weave ideas and/or concepts between and among arts and non-arts disciplines, effectively advancing knowledge and/or skills in an arts discipline while concurrently advancing knowledge and/or skills in other disciplines.
Democratic Practice
HOT Schools cultivate a school culture in which purposeful activities support choice, participation, connection, contribution and responsibility, to celebrate the unique voice of each member of the school community.
