In this article, I portray the status of visual art education in United States public elementary schools between 1997 and 2004. I report on trends in state policies and interpret data from a national survey of elementary principals, visual art specialists, and classroom teachers. I also provide information on public opinion about arts education, and the possible impact on art education of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Data from this period serve as a benchmark for tracking shifts in policy and practice as the nation's schools respond to NCLB mandates for improved scores in reading, mathematics, and science by 2014. My discussion highlights recurrent themes and contradictions in policy and practice. (Contains 3 footnotes and 4 figures.)