More than 98 percent of children in Finland attend preschool, where different kinds of projects are carried out in order to strengthen the children's abilities. This article focuses on the effects of one arts education project from a school readiness point of view. The main question was, How did the Helsinki arts education project affect the…

Justifies the need for arts specialists in elementary schools. Utilizes the Dallas (Texas) Independent School District (DISD) to illustrate the problems of lacking an arts specialist and provides different alternatives for arts education. Depicts the different groups that are important to the cause of returning arts specialists to the schools.…

Addresses the argument that the arts can empower education reform through two means: (1) teaching all children the arts and (2) teaching the arts as central to all learning. Conveys that by concentrating on aesthetic literacy and the nonuniversality of children's artistic development, arts educators will gain support for teaching the arts in…

With ongoing professional development and with appropriate tools, teachers are able to internalize information-process skills. Once they understand these process skills, they are able to apply them to any media content and to transform their teaching, without the need for a "cookbook" approach, reliant only on textbooks. Instead,…

Suggests a new distinction among the arts genres used in the school, namely "child art,""fine art,'' and "art for children." Describes each in detail. Examines the contexts of time and space for arts instruction and the communities of practice in which school art functions. Addresses policy implications. (CMK)

Describes various collaborative programs between community arts organizations and schools that provide long-range talent development. Considers the aspects of identifying artistic talent within the arts. Addresses artistic underpinnings, perceptual discrimination, metaperception, creative interpretation, student commitment, the procedures, the…

Suggests that an inclusive definition of art can lead to more meaningful forms of elementary art education. Discusses who does and should teach art while addressing the reasons why elementary teachers are hindered when it comes to teaching the arts. Discusses different approaches and recommendations for improving U.S. art education. (CMK)

Maintains that art education curriculum actually consists of four different curricula. These curricula reflect the administration's policy guidelines, the teachers' classroom instruction, the students' interest and influence, and the effects of national competitions. Argues for a single curriculum incorporating input from the teachers and the…