The role of supervising art education must include leadership and advocacy as well as supervision. If art education is to be an important part of education, art educators must understand the political process which allocates support to educational programs and develops the leadership necessary for effective political action. (IS)

Studio art education is being affected by dramatic changes in the art world, including the development of a postmodern aesthetic, the use of video cameras as artistic tools, the availability of better and cheaper computers for generating graphic images, and the development of alternative galleries. (IS)

Traditional skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic may not be adequate for preparing students to enter today's highly technological and visual society. The role of the art educator is crucial in developing the visual skills which are increasingly necessary in a world of visual communication. (IS)

Lowenfeld enjoined teachers never to permit children to copy art works because children's art was such a crucial part of the self. Yet by rejecting all copying, one can place too great a value on novelty and miss the essence of Lowenfeld's emphasis on the individual child's experience. (IS)

Suggestions for reforming K-12 art education are made. The arts must be seen as basic, not as extracurricular activities. Arts in the general education curriculum should teach content, concepts, and critical appreciation skills. An interdisciplinary approach to the arts should be used. (RM)

An art class for future elementary teachers was asked to select art activities for classroom demonstration. Eighty percent selected how-to-do-it, single shot, fun-therapy, manipulations with short-term success orientations. This emphasis on the superficial and frivolous aspects of art shows the need for reexamining elementary art education…

A review of reports, a survey, and national assessments of art education shows that visual art students are not learning art knowledge and skills because art teachers do not teach art appreciation, art history, or design and drawing skills. Priorities concerning art education content and teaching methods must be changed. (RM)

The College Board's report "Academic Preparation for College" (APC) claims that study and performance in the arts are essential for success in college. Discussed are the APC report and its development, the APC arts statement and its evolution, and problems and prospects for implementation of the arts competencies. (RM)

Discussed is whether or not folk art and children's art are really art. Child and folk art are two rich sources of imagery that can lead to a re-examination of the connections between the ethical and aesthetic in other more traditionally accepted forms of art. (Author/RM)

To learn what visual arts education training early childhood and elementary teachers are receiving, questionnaires were mailed to 50 state departments of education. Results showed that children below the age of six are being taught by teachers with little training in the visual arts. Teacher education is needed. (RM)

The visual arts can play an important role in the adolescent's struggle to link the inner world of thoughts and feelings with the outer world of expressive form. The Summer Visual Arts Institute, organized by Boston University for adolescents, is described. (RM)

Since designers and artists use stochastic processes in making aesthetic decisions, computers operating in a random generate-and-test mode may be useful to simulate and enhance human creative endeavor. (RM)

Art educators can use computers as an instructional aid, as a managerial aid, and as a tool for creating new art forms. To encourage the greater use of computers in art education, teachers should form art computer committees. The role of this committee is discussed. (RM)

Art educators often have difficulty communicating because of assumptions people hold about art. Six metaphors identified in discussions about the Treasures of Tutankhamen exhibit--dealing with the themes of art as entertainment, wealth, volume, antiquity, superlative, and technique--are discussed in hopes that teachers will consider carefully each…

The questions that teachers ask students are often not the best types of questions for initiating an art dialog. Classroom discussions require an open atmosphere and properly constructed questions. Examples of effective and ineffective types of questions and appropriate and inappropriate teacher responses are provided. (IS)