Three papers considering multicultural art education work progressively through the problems inherent in an ethnographic approach to art education. The first paper, "A Color Conscious Art" (Nick Stanley), focuses on the construction of a serviceable philosophy for art in a multicultural society. Hidden cultural references in such an apparently…

This paper describes ways to initiate, organize, and administer a Learning to Read through the Arts and Humanities program, an interdisciplinary approach to reading instruction. The paper stresses that school and school district administrators involve teachers in the planning stages of the program to insure their interest in its success. The…

The essential task of sharpening students' sensitivities may be facilitated by the curriculum, instructional program, and personnel of the school. Aesthetic education is basic because it is founded on the creative integration of sensing, feeling, intuiting, and thinking. The arts curriculum may be used to sharpen students' awareness and…

Describes academic programs and graduation requirements at a Massachusetts high school and the changing emphasis over the past decades. Points out college admission requirements are one of many factors affecting student course selection. (MD)

A national arts research agenda is presently substantiating claims about positive academic and social effects. As a result, states such as California responded with legislative activity that included the arts in mandates for educational reform. This was followed by the development of state content standards in dance, music, theater, and the visual…

Technology preserves the Worlds of Art, spreads heritages, and unites people across the globe, time, and diversities. Through inquiry, technology enables individuals to explore inherent values of art and cultural identity in a quest to interpret, understand, and create their own expressions of the world. Art educators realize that technology must…

This study examined characteristics of elementary teachers who used the arts regularly in class, including their attitudes toward art and children, perceptions and definitions of the artistic parts of their lives and teaching, their reconciliation of time spent in arts activities with external pressures for test preparation and standardized…

This paper examines the impact of storytelling in educational venues. Specifically, the paper compares data and findings from four ethnographic, qualitative, arts-based studies that examined either students' or teachers' reactions to oral narration in classroom settings. It suggests that, through stories and storytelling, people are exposed to…

The back-to-basics movement alone cannot solve many of our pressing educational difficulties. Absenteeism and discipline problems point out the need for schooling that fosters human relationships and individual interests. This speech was presented at the American Association of School Administrators Convention, New Orleans, Louisiana, February 16,…

Artists can offer a great deal to schools. They can have a very positive effect on the educational climate, as long as their main strengths are called upon and their functions understood, and they do not have to live up to false promises made in their name. (Author)

Discusses the role of Montessori education in developing lifelong skills for creativity. Considers self-expression the key to recovering human authenticity and spirit. Urges teachers and parents to develop this inner self in themselves and their children as a barrier against contemporary materialism, hurried life, and alienation caused by…

Today the chemical processing of film is being replaced by a virtual digital darkroom. Digital image storage makes new levels of consistency possible because its nature is less volatile and more mutable than traditional photography. The potential of digital imaging is great, but issues of disk storage, computer speed, camera sensor resolution,…

In designing a curriculum for a college Fine Arts course, the author has developed types of assignments which require his freshman students to engage in critical and conceptual thinking rather than in rote repetition of information. The assignments are based on key concepts in the fields of music and art. Textbooks are considered only one among…

The arts and humanities convey the very essence of what it means to be a human being. The arts are a basic and central medium of human communication and understanding. As such, they should occupy a central place in education. In the wake of a "back to basics" movement in the schools, the artistic heritage and opportunities to contribute…

In post-medieval times, art became sacrosanct rather than special as it had been regarded in previous cultures. This notion still drives art education and prevents the inclusion of entire cultures in contemporary curricula in art education. The myths that any society lives with, whether religious, political, or economic, are embedded in that…