2. Questions
• What is the history of arts education in the
United States?
• What are the benefits of art education?
• What is the state of art education in Chicago?
• How is visual art taught in schools?
• How are elementary school teachers
accommodating after recent changes in art
education?
• What roles do museums and community
organizations in Chicago play in art education?
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3. How I conducted my inquiry
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• I observed art classes at South Loop Elementary
with two art teachers
• I will observe art classes at an arts magnet school
in Chicago
• I researched the history of art education, benefits
of art education, and museums/community
organizations through internet websites, books,
news articles, and publications from local and
national organizations
4. History of Art Education in the US
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1960’s and 1970’s: The “arts in education” movement believes that art is an “experience” that can be achieved through process participation
and rejects art that is regimented. Federal and state funding for arts education increased and enrolment in high school art classes peaked.
1947: The National Art Education Association was founded. This is the leading professional membership organization exclusively for visual arts teachers, and
its mission is to advance visual arts education to fulfill human potential and promote global understanding ("National art education" )
1912: Alfred Stiegliz puts children’s artwork on display in his New York gallery, recognizing them as artists (Greenough, 2000)
1903:Binney and Smith introduced the first Crayola crayons in a box of eight colors after noticing a need for safe, high quality, and affordable wax crayons
(“Crayola”)
Early 20th Century: John Dewey experimented with a new approach called “Progressive Education.” He believed that art education was a foundational part
of curriculum because it developed creativity, self-expression, and an appreciation of the expression of others (Heilig, Cole & Angelica, 2010)
1883: The National Educational Association creates an art department that gives teachers ideas and guidelines to teach art in the classroom.
By the late 19th century, students learned to appreciate the arts through “Picture Study” and practiced hand-eye coordination through
drafting and drawing (Smith, 1996)
Art education in the United States has had both advancements and setbacks from the
Late 19th Century to the present
5. History of Art Education in the US, continued
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2002: Congress passed No Child Left Behind which holds states accountable for English and math. Art is listed as part of the core curriculum,
but states are not required to report on instruction time or assessment data (Pederson, 2007)
1994: Congress passed the “Goals 2000: Educate America Act,” the first federal legislation to identify arts as part of the core curriculum (Goals
2000: Educate America Act, 1994)
1994: The National Endowment for the Arts and the Department of Education created the National Voluntary K-12 Standards for the Arts, the
first policy project of national scope (Heilig, Cole & Angelica, 2010)
1983: “A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform” is released by the Reagan administration and focused on science and math
curriculum to make American students as competitive as their international counterparts (Smith, 1996)
1982: The Getty Center for Education in the Arts created Discipline Based Art Education (DBAE), which focused on a
systematic and sequential program for studying art history, art criticism, aesthetics and art production. (Smith, 1996)
6. National Standards for Visual Arts
Education
• 1. Understanding and applying media, techniques, and
processes
• 2. Using knowledge of structures and functions
• 3. Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter,
symbols, and ideas
• 4. Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and
cultures
• 5. Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and
merits of their work and the work of others
• 6. Making connections between visual arts and other
disciplines
• These goals are expanded upon for each grade level
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7. Illinois State Goals for Visual Arts Education
• 25. Know the language of the arts.
• 26. Through creating and performing,
understand how works of art are produced.
• 27. Understand the role of the arts in
civilizations past and present.
• These goals are expanded upon for each grade
level
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8. Lessons the Arts teach
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• The arts teach children to make good judgments about qualitative relationships.
Unlike much of the curriculum in which correct answers and rules prevail, in the
arts, it is judgment rather than rules that prevail.
• The arts teach children that problems can have more than one solution and that
questions can have more than one answer.
• The arts celebrate multiple perspectives, teaching students that there are many
ways to see the world.
• The arts teach children complex forms of problem solving and require the ability
to surrender to the unanticipated possibilities of the work as it unfolds
• The arts teach children that words and numbers do not define the limits of our
cognition
• The arts help children learn to say what cannot be said through emotional feelings
• The arts position in the school curriculum symbolizes to the young what adults
believe is important
From Ten Lessons the Arts Teach By Elliot Eisner (2002)
9. Benefits of Art Education to At-Risk
Youth
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• “The Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth”
study by the National Endowment for the Arts
found:
– Socially and economically disadvantaged children and
teenagers who have high levels of arts engagement or
arts learning show morepositive outcomes in a variety
of areas (grades, test scores, high school graduation,
college enrollment and achievement)than their low-
arts-engaged peers
– At-risk teenagers or young adults with a history of
intensive arts experiences show achievement levels
closer to, and in some cases exceeding, the levels
shown by the general population studied.
10. The state of art education in Chicago
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The art teachers I
spoke with said that
not all principals value
art education highly.
11. CPS Art Education Plan
• Recent news “CPS gets $1 million for Arts Education Plan”
– Strategies for increased art education to begin 2013-2014
– Goal: Dedicated weekly arts instructional time of 120 minutes
for elementary students and increased art credit options for
high school students
– Goal: Significant increase in professional development and
training for teachers, principals, and arts partners
– Goal: Increased community partnerships for schools
– Goal: Increased funding assistance and strategies to ensure arts
instruction in every school, including diversifying the types of
arts offerings in schools and increasing dedicated supplies and
resources
– More info on the CPS Arts Education Plan can be found HERE
• CPS published the Chicago Guide for Teaching and Learning
in the Arts as a resource to teachers to enhance their
curriculum
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12. Art and No Child Left Behind
• No Child Left Behind (NCLB) holds states accountable for English and
math. Art is listed as part of the core curriculum, but states are not
required to report on instruction time or assessment data
• In “What is Measured is Treasured: The Impact of NCLB on Non-assessed
Subjects,” Patricia Pederson found a reduction in resources and time for
non-tested subject areas (like the arts)
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From the No Child
Left Behind Act
13. Art and No Child Left Behind
• In “Public School Teachers Describe a Narrowing Curriculum” the
FarkasDuffett Research Group found:
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14. Art and No Child Left Behind
• In “Public School Teachers Describe a Narrowing Curriculum” the
FarkasDuffett Research Group found:
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15. How is art taught? DBAE
• Discipline-Based Art Education (DBAE) is a comprehensive
art education approach that has four components:
– Production: Creating works of art
– History: Encountering the historical and cultural background of
works of art
– Aesthetics: Discovering the nature and philosophy of art
– Criticism: making informed judgments about art
• A goal of DBAE is to integrate the arts into other subjects
and to create a standardized evaluation process
• DBAE attempts to develop student’s ability to understand
and appreciate art using knowledge of theories and
contexts of art, and to respond to and create art
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16. How is art taught? TAB
• Teaching for Artistic Behaviors (TAB) is a choice-based art
education approach
• Students are given a variety of materials and ample time
and space to respond to their own ideas and interests
through their artwork
– TAB art teachers often create “Centers” in the classroom for
different types of art. Ex. painting, drawing, printmaking, etc.
– TAB teachers usually instruct students in each of the types of
materials so they have basic knowledge of how to use them. In
TAB, teachers act as guides to student’s education
• TAB regards students as artists and encourages
independent thinking
• Students are assessed on their perseverance, planning,
experimenting, studio habits, and progress
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17. How is art taught? TAB
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One of three “centers” in Ms.
C’s art class at South Loop
Elementary. Students could
choose between painting,
drawing, and weaving.
A 2nd grade student’s
WOW piece. Ms. C had
students choose two
pieces per quarter that
they were proud of. They
were required to describe
their artwork, how they
made it , and where they
got the idea
18. Today, some Chicago school’s art
programs are flourishing
• * I will be visiting an art magnet school next week
to observe art classes. More information to
come…
• Art teachers administer a standardized art
performance test (REACH) to evaluate student
growth and teacher effectiveness. A middle
school level test requires students to “create a
sketch that promotes safety with images and text
and utilize 1 element and 1 principal of art.” They
must also explain their idea and sketch.
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19. How are schools accommodating?
• Many schools in Chicago have limited art
programs. Teachers have lost classrooms and
have been cut to part-time.
• Some art teachers bring their materials to
student’s general education classrooms on a cart.
• A few negative aspects of “Art on a Cart” that I
observed:
– Students were sitting at their usual desks and were often
distracted by the things around them
– Teachers must be highly organized and must prepare
materials on the cart for their classes for the entire day
– General education classes often do not have sinks. One
teacher avoided using paint and other messy art materials
in her classes.
– There is very little space to store art supplies when not in
use
– Students do not have the resources or space to work in
every medium. For example, ceramics and types of
printmaking
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South Loop Elementary has 1
full time art teacher and 1
part- time art teacher. Both
teach “Art on a Cart” and
operate out of the library
storage room.
20. How are schools accommodating?
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A makeshift place for
students to turn in their
art assignments, since
there is no art classroom
at South Loop Elementary
The art storage room and
office for art teachers at
South Loop Elementary.
Space for additional
supplies is limited.
21. How are general education teachers
accommodating?
• 8% of Chicago schools do not receive funded positions
for music or arts teachers
• General education teachers integrate art lessons into
math, science, social studies, and language arts lessons
• The Kennedy Center’s “Education Through the Arts”
program offers resources for general education
teachers to integrate arts education into their everyday
lessons
– Free lesson plans to integrate the arts into other subjects
are available on their website
– Students construct and demonstrate understanding of a
subject through an art form
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22. Art Integration
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This poster integrates
the arts into a
Language Arts lesson.
Each picture
represents a type of
figurative language.
Often art teachers are expected to
integrate other subjects (math,
language arts, science) into their
lessons to reinforce the core subjects.
I believe that teaching other subjects
through the arts gets students more
excited about learning. But, we need
to be careful not to downplay the
importance of the arts in and of
themselves.
23. Museums and Community Organizations
• There are many museums and community
organizations in the Chicago area that work to
supplement the lack of art education in some
schools
• These organizations provide resources to
teachers, school, and families
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24. Museum: Art Institute of Chicago
• Student tours of the museum (Docent-led
and teacher-led)
• Professional development programs for
teachers
– Annual Curriculum Fair
– Workshops and Seminars
• Online educator resources
– Database of museum collection with
information on each piece
– Multimedia- Audio and video of lectures,
panel discussions, behind the scenes at the
museum, etc.
– Artwork resource packets, teacher manuals,
and interactive websites
• Hosts 2,000 school groups from Chicago
and Illinois, with ¼ from CPS
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This teaching guide from
the Art Institute
includes a lesson on art
vocabulary and multiple
projects for students
that relate to artwork in
the museum
25. Museum: Chicago Children’s Museum
• Founded in 1982 in response to program cutbacks in CPS
• Mission: to improve children’s lives by creating a
community where play an learning connect
• Field trips available for a fee
• Kraft Artabounds Studio is the museum’s arts and crafts
studio that offers a variety of workshops throughout the
week for pre-K and elementary school children
• Online Educator Resources:
– Home and classroom activity guides
– Lesson plans for educators
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Kraft Artabounds Studio offers
around 44 workshops per
week. One example: “Examine
the many properties of natural
materials as you build a
sculpture with twigs, rocks, and
shells
26. Museums
• Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art
– Artist-led workshops for teachers to help integrate
contemporary art in their classrooms
– Field trips: free tours for Illinois schools, grades 1-12. Hands-on
art making workshops and in-gallery writing/ drawing exercises
are also available
– Free lesson plans
– Online database of museum collection
• Museums across the country, and even the world, offer
resources for teaching visual art on their websites. Most
have databases of their collections and many offer free
lesson plans and activities
• Check out the Lourve’s educational site HERE
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27. Community Programs
• Programs throughout Chicago offer after-school, weekend, and summer learning
opportunities in the arts. Some learning opportunities are free and some are for a
fee
• CPS has partnered with over 300 arts organizations and teaching artists to enhance
art education in schools
• Chicago Arts Partnership in Education (CAPE)
– Mission: To bring artists and educators together to provide art education in an integrated
curriculum
• Urban Gateways
– Mission: To deliver high quality arts programs led by trained and experienced professional
artists. Programs include touring performances, family and community workshops, and
professional development for educators
• Community Art Centers (Hyde Park, Beverley, South Chicago, etc)
– The South Chicago Art Center’s mission is to provide youth with an accessible, safe place to
participate in quality visual arts programs.
– Provides in-school programs for local public schools through artist residencies
– Provides after-school programs at the art center and in libraries/ community centers in other
under-served neighborhoods. These include both structured classes and open studio time
– Provides adult workshops as a way for parents to learn visual arts techniques that can be
shared with their children
– Teacher Professional Development Workshops to help teachers incorporate art into their
academic curriculum
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28. Websites
• Teaching for Artistic Behaviors Website
• Discipline-Based Art Education Website
• Chicago Public Schools Arts Education Plan 2012
• Illinois Goals for Visual Arts
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Publications
• The Schools Chicago's Students Deserve by the Chicago Teachers Union
• Critical Evidence: How the Arts Benefit Student Achievement by NASAA
• The Chicago Guide for Teaching and Learning in the Arts
• Arts Education Navigator: Facts and Figures by Americans for the Arts
• National Standards for Visual Arts Education
• The Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth by the National Endowment for the
Arts
• Public School Teachers Describe a Narrowing Curriculum
29. Next
Crayola. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.crayola.com/about-us/crayon-chronology.aspx
Eisner, E. (2002). The Arts and the Creation of Mind, In Chapter 4, What the Arts Teach and How It Shows. (pp. 70-
92). Yale University Press.
Goals 2000: Educate America Act.1994. P.L. 103-227. Retrieved from
http://www2.ed.gov/legislation/GOALS2000/TheAct/sec102.html
Greenough, S. (2000). Modern art and america: Alfred stieglitz and his new york galleries. Washington, DC:
National Gallery of Art.
Heilig, J. V., Cole, H., & Angelica, A. (2010). From dewey to no child left behind: The evolution and devolution of
public arts education. Arts Education Policy Review, 111, 136-145.
National art education association. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.arteducators.org/about-us
Pederson, P. V. (2007). What is measured is treasured the impact of the no child left behind act on nonassessed
subjects. The Clearing House, 80(6), 287-291.
Smith, P. (1996). The history of American art education. Westport, Connecticut : Greenwood Press.
References for Timeline
30. Further Questions
• How are the arts taught in Chicago’s art magnet schools?
– I will be observing art classes in a fine artamagnet elementary
school next week to compare its program with others in
Chicago.
– Does the art teacher use the TAB or DBAE approach?
• What are the perceptions of the value of art education at the
school level?
• How do teachers feel about the importance of art
education?
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