President Obama recently described America's current economic, societal, educational, and technological circumstances as "our generation's 'Sputnik' moment." If history repeats itself in the twenty-first century, music educators may face a situation similar to that which developed in the 1960s concerning the impact of education reform on…

School-based management, or local school control, is an organizational school reform effort aimed at decentralizing school decision-making that has become prevalent in districts throughout the United States. Using the groundbreaking Chicago system of local school control as an exemplar, this article outlines the implications of such reform efforts…

This article introduces the art-based action research (ABAR) methodology as part of the international discussion of art-based educational research (ABER). The participatory and dialogical approach of ABAR was inspired by a consideration of the pressure for change in art education stemming from the practices of relational and dialogical…

Student-led design projects undertaken within healthcare settings raise considerable ethical challenges, primarily resulting from collaboration with service users. This article emerged out of the experiences of design from a New Zealand university undertaking real world projects in acute health care contexts. A human-centred approach to design is…

Conceptions of student creativity have shifted historically as ideas about art and education have changed. The ways people think about art, including those related to creative practice, require continual reconsideration in times of change. Art educators have begun reconsidering a range of art concepts and principles to better support contemporary…

This article is a Teachers' Life History study that centers on the context derived from current policies and budget cuts implemented to public services and education in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It explores how these affect the lives, moral commitments, and social senses of pedagogy of three art education specialists who have developed…

This article is part of a broader investigation exploring how contemporary art allows us to think about the process that underpins our teaching and learning in order to change it. We are tutors in initial teacher education and we teach, learn and communicate through contemporary art for a pedagogical module. In the following article we will show…

The serious need for reform of the Leaving Certificate Art Curriculum in Ireland sets the context for this article, which tracks the social and political factors that shaped the emergence of art education in Ireland before and after the formation of the Free State. This historical framing creates the background for the training of art teachers…

Drawing initially from practical experience of embedding equality and diversity in teaching and learning, this article considers the relevance of Sholette's idea of the 'Dark Matter' to the notion of cultural pluralism. Questioning the canonical and hegemonic practices of the art world, this article importantly posits the notion that the inclusion…

Current proponents of education reform are at present seeking to fundamentally change the system of teacher compensation by eliminating the traditional single salary schedule and instituting a merit pay system that directly links teacher pay to student achievement. To date, the scholarly literature in music education has been silent on the subject…

This article provides an initial look at Race to the Top as it relates to professional development for arts educators. Topics include the philosophy of Race to the Top education reform, data informed professional development, performance pay, and how these changes may affect arts educators.

By integrating and infusing computer learning technologies wisely into student-centered or social constructivist art learning environments, art educators can improve student learning and at the same time provide a creative, substantive model for how schools can and should be reformed. By doing this, art educators have an opportunity to demonstrate…

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,…

Art education in Hong Kong has undergone various changes in response to educational reform. In art assessment, a major change in the Hong Kong New Senior Secondary (NSS) Curriculum is the inclusion of art criticism as a compulsory component of the new public examination. Assessing students' abilities to interpret art in an art criticism public…

The United States is competing in a dynamic global economy in which two assets--a skilled, versatile and highly adaptable workforce and the capacity for creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship--provide a decisive edge. To succeed in today's economic climate, the U.S. needs a well-educated, technically proficient workforce in all sectors and…