The assessment landscape is varied and complex. Because assessments serve many purposes, they can take multiple forms depending on what they are measuring and how they are used. The intended purpose behind each assessment influences its design, and the design influences how assessment data can be used by students and their families, school,…

As of this writing, the Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) are in danger of losing more than two-thirds of their annual 150 million dollar budgets in the federal budget proposal for 2020 (Greenberger, 2018). On March 11, 2019, the presidential budget sent to Congress proposed a 10% overall reduction in…

Solid, well-grounded teachers can be instrumental in solving the problems facing our schools and students because it is successful teachers who are the most valuable, in-school contributors to our students' success. The importance of teacher preparation programs (TPPs) in developing quality teachers has been reinforced by researchers who have…

In December 2015, the U.S. Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and, with it, ushered in a new era of education policy in America. Leaving behind many of the most criticized aspects of its predecessor, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), this newest incarnation of the primary federal legislation guiding K-12 education provides state and…

Most Americans actually understand the importance of an education rich in arts, science and humanities. But what they may not realize is that their children are not getting enough. Each day more and more of the arts and humanities are being drained from our nation's school curriculums. Studies have shown that the arts play a stimulating role in…

Stresses the need to view the arts and art education as an essential element in the complete education of children, and not as some type of superfluous activity. Notes that the visual and performing arts are important components of the Goals 2000 reform program and the proposed reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. (MDM)

As part of the author's graduate studies in the art education program at the University of New Mexico, he conducted a small research study on issues related to New Mexico's educational policies. His interest was motivated by the lack of attention paid to the policy and legislation that affects the art education field in his state. The author…