The Quiet Evolution: Changing the Face of Arts Education. INSTITUTION Getty Center for Education in the Arts, Los Angeles, CA
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 482 202 SO 032 695 AUTHOR Wilson, Brent TITLE The Quiet Evolution: Changing the Face of Arts Education. INSTITUTION Getty Center for Education in the Arts, Los Angeles, CA. ISBN ISBN-0-89236-409-2 PUB DATE 1997-00-00 NOTE 261p AVAILABLE FROM The J. Paul Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1000, Los Angeles, CA 90049-1687. Tel: 310-440-7300; Web site: http://www.getty.edu/ . PUB TYPE Guides Non-Classroom (055) Reports Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF01/PC11 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Case Studies; *Change Strategies; *Discipline Based Art Education; *Educational Change; Educational Cooperation; *Educational Practices; Elementary Secondary Education; Museums; *Professional Development; Public Schools; *Theory Practice Relationship ABSTRACT How can lasting change be made in the way art is taught in U.S. schools? This was the challenge facing six regional professional development consortia sponsored by the Getty Education Institute for the Arts (Los Angeles, California). This publication documents the change effort, which is unique because it has affected thousands of students and teachers in hundreds of school districts. The volume provides a compelling history of the evolution of arts education practice and theory in the institutes, including a detailed anecdotal account of how each professional development institute built a coherent, comprehensive approach to arts education. This comprehensive approach to improving art education, known as discipline-based art education (DBAE), has become the cornerstone of efforts by the Getty Education Institute. It can serve as an guide to the many strategies developed by the regional consortia to change the schools they serve. Preceding the eight chapters are an "Executive Summary", "Prologue" (Vicki J. Rosenberg), and "Introduction." The chapters are: (1) "The Evolution of DBAE in the Regional Institute Programs: Creating Educational Change Communities"; (2) "The DBAE Summer Professional Development Institute: An Art World Rite of Passage";(3) "Multiple Forms of DBAE: From Theory to Practice to Theory"; (4) "The Implementation of DBAE in School Districts and Schools"; (5) "Exemplary DBAE Practices in Elementary Schools: Issues and Instruction";(6) "DBAE in Secondary Schools: Issues, Problems, and Exemplary Practices";(7) "DBAE in Art Museums: Collaboration with Schools"; and (8)"The Role of DBAE in Reforming Education." Contains 16 figures, an "Epilogue" (Vicki J. Rosenberg), extensive references, and three appendices. (BT) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. The S uiet Evolution Changing the Face of Arts Education Li) CN1 re) C.) PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS 0 BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Brent Wilson U.S. DEPARTMENT CF EDUCATION Othce al Educahenal Research and improuemern EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) NI This document has been reproduced as received (corn the person or organization BEST COPY AVAILABLE Lniunianny CI Minor changes nave been made to unpruve reproduction quality. oFtrir,10 vicw 0! c:pininn, ct01,1 n Ihir. Uucurnent do Pc: official OERI position or policy. The Quiet Evolution Changing the Face of Arts Education written by Brent Wilson How can lasting change be made in theway art is taught in America's schools? This was the challenge facing the sixre- gional professional development consortia sponsored by the Getty Education Institute for the Arts. The Quiet Evolution documents this remarkable change effort, which is unique because it has affected thousands of students and teachers in hundreds of school districts. This report provides a compelling history of the evolution of arts education practice and theory in the institutes, includinga detailed and richly anecdotal account of how each profes- sional development institute built a coherent, comprehen- sive approach to arts education. Education policy makers, educators, and community members interested in school reform will find The Quiet Evolutionan invaluable guide to the many strategies developed by the regional consortiato change the schools they serve. ISBN0-89236-409-2 The Getty Education Institute for the Arts Los Angeles, California The Quiet Evolution Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Wilson, Brent. The quiet evolution : changing the face of arts education/Brent Wilson. p.cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN0-89236-409-2 1. ArtStudy and teachingUnited States. I. Title. N108.W55 1997 707.073dc21 ciP 97-8882 ©1997 The J. Paul Getty Trust. All rights reserved. The Getty Education Institute for the Arts 1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 600 Los Angeles, California 90049-1683 Printed in the United States of America. 5 The Quiet Evolution Changing the Face of Arts Education Brent Wilson Professor and Head of Art Education Pennsylvania State University THE GETTY EDUCATION INSTITUTE FOR THE ARTS LOS ANGELES 6 Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 9 PROLOGUEVicki J.Rosenberg25 INTRODUCTION:The Evaluation of Discipline-Based Art Education Regional Institute Grant Programs29 Evaluation: Matters of Substance and Quality30 Forms of Evaluation32 Outline of This Report33 Conclusion34 1 THE EVOLUTION OF DBAE IN THE REGIONAL INSTITUTE PROGRAMS: CHAPTER Creating Educational Change Communities36 The Genesis of a Reform Initiative 38 The Quiet Evolution Begins 39 Who Determined the Form Of DBAE?42 Projects and Services in RIG Programs44 Reflections on Consortia-Based Change Communities 45 Conclusion47 RIG Program PortraitsThe Character of DBAE Consortia 48 2 THE DBAE SUMMER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE: An Art World Rite of Passage54 DBAE Summer Institutes as Rites of Passage 56 A Conceptual Model of Art and Related Worlds Presented in DBAE Institutes60 From the Art World to DBAE 72 A Model for Integration of Art Disciplines in DBAE Instruction 75 The Summer Institute and Initial Planning for Implementation76 New Developments in Summer Institute Programs 77 Assessment and Evaluation in DBAE Institutes79 Conclusion 79 3 MULTIPLE FORMS OF DBAE:From Theory to Practice to Theory 80 Differing Forms ofDBAE 82 Evaluating the Different FormsDBAEHas Taken 84 Ways to Integrate the Disciplines101 The Thematic Work-of-Art-Based Unit of Instruction: ParadigmaticDBAE 101 Forms ofDBAEand Their Implications 107 Conclusion108 THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DBAE IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND SCHOOLS 110 Implementation Constraints 112 A Systemic Approach to Educational Reform 113 DBAECurricula: A Continuing Problem130 The Assessment of Student Learning 133 The Relationship ofDBAEto Other Reform Initiatives 134 Conclusion135 5 EXEMPLARY DBAE PRACTICES IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS: Issues and Instruction 138 TheDBAEElementary School 140 Who Should Teach Art in the Elementary School? 143 Moving Art to the Core of the Elementary School Curriculum150 The Elementary School DBAE Instruction and Performance Assessment156 Conclusion 162 6 DBAE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS:Issues, Problems, and Exemplary Practices164 ImplementingDBAEin Middle, Junior, and High Schools 166 The Challenges to ImplementingDBAEin High Schools167 DBAEin Middle and Junior High Schools180 A Comprehensive Approach to DBAE 180 Creating an Arts/Humanities-Oriented Curriculum: Some Challenges 181 Conclusion 186 a 7 DBAE IN ART MUSEUMS:Collaboration with Schools 188 Museums: An Essential Component of DI3AE 190 Collaborative and Cooperative Working Models 190 Effects of Summer Institute Attendance on Museum Education Programs 194 Collaboration between DBAE Institutes and Art Museums206 Conclusion207 THE ROLE OF DBAE IN REFORMING EDUCATION 208 Summary of Key Findings 210 Reflections on an Experiment211 The Regional Consortia, DBAE, and Educational Reform213 Issues Associated with Top-Down and Bottom-Up Change Initiatives217 Creating Agents of Change218 Who Should Lead Educational Reform Initiatives?220 Absence of the Critical Mass Needed to Initiate Change222 Moving from Theory to Practice224 Old Forms of Art Education with a New Label225 Conclusion227 EPILOGUEVicki J. Rosenberg228 REFERENCES 232 APPENDIX A 234 Getty Education Institute National Evaluation Team APPENDIX B 236 Regional Institute Grant Program Guidelines and Application Procedures (1986) APPENDIXc 243 Regional Institute Participants and Partners, 1988-95 INDEX 251 V.0 9 Figures 1.1 A Top-Down or Inverted Tree Structure in which Communication Runs Downward with Minimal Cross-Communication41 1.2 An Interactive Network in which Communication Travels Up, Down, and Across41 2.1 The Art World Presented in DBAE Institutes62 3.1 Art Disciplines as Separate Entities88 3.2 Aesthetic Scanning Lens90 3.3 Connecting the Disciplines in a Work of Art91 3.4 Interpreted Work of Art Revealed Sequentially by Four Lenses94 3.5 Overlapping Discipline Lenses and the Work of Art98 3.6 Discipline Lenses of Unequal Sizes100 3.7 Two Sets of Two Overlapping Discipline Lenses100 3.8 Three Overlapping Discipline Lenses and an Independent Lens100 3.9 Prairie Visions' Concepts Related to Themes and Topics of Works of Art102 3.10 A Unit of Instruction Centered on a Key Work of Art103 3.11 Overlapping and Related Discipline Lenses Focused on a Comprehensive Unit of DBAE Instruction105 3.12 A Nonart Unit of Instruction in which Works of Art Are Used106 5.1 A Comprehensive Holistic Assessment Task Model: Faith Ringgold's Tar Beach160 1 0 AO' I .1 The Quiet Evolution Changing the Face of Arts Education _1I 44f 4, 74143 Executive Summary THE GETTY EDUCATION INSTITUTE FOR THE ARTS LOS ANGELES