The author has been a theater artist in Chicago and Elgin public schools for over 10 years, and for the last four she has been leading professional development workshops for teaching artists and classroom teachers both in the United States and abroad. Teachers all over the world have asked her the same questions: "How do you get new teachers…

This is the first part of a two-part position paper, updating an 1986 position statement, developed by the Illinois Art Education Association for the elementary, middle-level, and secondary schools in the state of Illinois. Part 1, the "Introductory Statement," highlights the contemporary context of educational reform as an opportunity…