Book Description

This document presents the arts education research agenda that emerged from a national conference on arts education. The conference was attended by key researchers in each of the arts education disciplines, arts educators, artists and artist teachers, representatives of arts institutions and organizations, and persons from groups and organizations that influence the priorities, development, and conduct of research efforts. The goals of the agenda are: (1) to focus the attention of arts educators, researchers, and the broader community on basic issues in arts education that can improve teaching and learning in the arts; (2) to identify what arts educators view as priorities, given limited resources; (3) to provide a conceptual framework and overall philosophy for inquiry in the field of arts education, as other disciplines are doing with their respective research agendas; and (4) to connect theory and practice, and to make research an agent of improvement in teaching and learning. The agenda was developed to articulate the many unanswered questions in three main areas of arts education: (1) curriculum and instruction; (2) assessment and evaluation; and (3) teacher education and preparation. The document consists of five parts plus notes, a bibliography, and an appendix of conference participants. The first section is an introduction of this field generated document, discussing trends in U.S. education that influence arts education. The second chapter on curriculum and instruction discusses what should be taught and how. The third chapter is on assessment, and the fourth on teacher education and preparation. The last chapter is on continued collaboration. (DK)