Teacher evaluation policy is a poignant and high-stakes issue. Driven by research, stakeholders are forging ahead with the premise that quality teachers are a critical, if not the most important, resource. As a result, many states are reforming procedures in response to educational reforms. The change to evaluate teachers in a systematic way has…

This article reports on the perceptions and experiences of general elementary educators as they engage in a school reform process that requires them to learn and implement an arts infused curriculum intended to raise student achievement on standardized tests in non-arts subjects. This qualitative study reveals not only how one arts-based school…

Preparing dance specialist teachers to successfully educate an increasingly diverse student population highlights a number of challenges within an educational policy landscape characterized by technical production, methods-centric teacher preparation, teacher-proof curriculum, and standardization. The ramifications of these policies have…

School reform initiatives designed to improve school quality require strong leadership, strategic planning, data analysis, and systemized performance accountability. Utilizing school reforms includes rethinking curriculum and instruction to improve quality and promote equality, restructuring school operations with a focus on both the students and…

This article draws upon Rancière's concepts of the 'distribution of the sensible' and 'dissensus' in order to explore some of the tensions and processes at work in a multi-year school change project that sought to transform a school through the 'urban arts'. Building on student interest in extracurricular Hip-Hop and street art programming, the…

This longitudinal study (2001-09) of two Hong Kong secondary schools highlights six issues with an integrated arts curriculum: first, integration of knowledge and skills negatively precedes the integration of learners' construction of meaning; second, integration is perceived as challenging the profession's status; third, teachers are unaccustomed…

A myriad of issues affect PK-12 public school art educators' work lives, including how and by whom art is taught in schools. Chief among these issues are budgetary shortfalls, time constraints, and general misconceptions that anyone who enjoys the visual arts is capable of teaching the visual arts. Perpetuation of this myth impacts art education,…

In June 2007, the Arts Education Partnership (AEP) convened the directors of eight collaborative entities to discuss promising practices for integrating the arts into the lives and curricula of urban public schools as a means of fostering system-wide educational improvement. The seven school-community collaboratives and one higher education…

This article is written by three faculty mentors involved in Transforming Education through the Arts (TETAC), a 5-year effort to help reform five public schools in Ohio by integrating the arts into the curriculum. In this article, the authors discuss how art education can play a significant role in the PK-12 curriculum; create more demanding…

The director of a small career academy of the arts in a public high school reflects on the conflicting demands to establish a college-preparatory program adhering to state standards and to facilitate the personal growth, artistic discovery, and democratic empowerment of teens. By narrating experiences that go to the heart of philosophical discord,…

Discusses the current state of arts education that is characterized by lack of cultural education, the integration of arts into instruction by classroom teachers, and the bad bargains schools have made to get the arts back. Explores the option of out-of-school arts programs and opening the doors to opportunities in the arts. (CMK)

Asserts that the arts, including art, music, dance, and theater, often are ignored or shortchanged in the school curriculum. Discusses how language education has assumed a central place in the school curriculum and whether art education can use curriculum integration to achieve the same status. (CFR)

Comments on remarks by A. Graham Down, president of the Council for Basic Education, about integrating arts education into the curriculum. Concludes that, when the arts are channeled into the mainstream and made part and parcel of everything, arts education becomes dangerously confused. (CFR)

Asserts that it is important to avoid bandwagon superficialities related to the interdisciplinary approach to arts education in the K-12 curriculum. Concludes that the overarching issue related to the National Standards implementation is how to keep content and process in a productive relationship. (CFR)

Maintains that the 1990s are witnessing a renewed interest in curriculum integration. Presents, defines, and discusses nine approaches to the cognitive and affective aspects to integrating the arts in the K-12 curriculum. Recommends the coequal style and asserts that it has the potential for intellectual stimulation. (CFR)