EMPOWERING YOUTH: A FRAMEWORK FOR EVALUATING COMMUNITY-BASED ART EDUCATION By PAM FORRESTEL A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2004 Copyright 2004 by Pam Forrestel ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my husband, Paul, for being so supportive over the past 2 years, as both a sounding board and spiritual guide. I thank my children (Paul, Collin, Keeley, and Shane) for being my cheering squad. Even though I may have appeared to be in another world, I heard and felt it all. I also wish to thank my mentor and friend, Melanie Davenport, who has been instrumental in guiding me in the process; Craig Roland for giving me an opportunity to be a part of the incredible UF Art Education Department; and Gerald Culen for offering a course that made everything click. It has truly been an exciting journey. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iii LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................. vi ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER 1 CHANGING THE RULES...........................................................................................1 Introduction...................................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem..............................................................................................2 Purpose of the Study.....................................................................................................4 Definition of Terms ......................................................................................................5 Importance of the Study..............................................................................................15 Delimitations of the Study..........................................................................................16 Organization of the Remaining Chapters ...................................................................16 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE.....................................................................................18 Defining the Status Quo..............................................................................................18 Holistic Education ......................................................................................................22 Alternative Education .................................................................................................26 True Alternative Schools.....................................................................................28 Homeschooling....................................................................................................29 Beginnings of the homeschooling movement..............................................29 Homeschooling and beyond .........................................................................31 Community in Education............................................................................................32 Categories of Learning ...............................................................................................35 Community of Learners in Art ...................................................................................37 Role of Community-Based Art in Community-Building ....................................39 Role of Community-Based Art Education in Community-Building...................40 Influences of visual culture ..........................................................................40 Why community-based art education?.........................................................42 Status Quo in Art Education.......................................................................................43 3 METHOD OF RESEARCH .......................................................................................49 Paradigm Analysis......................................................................................................49 Sources of Research....................................................................................................50 iv 4 PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF THE EMERGING PARADIGM .....................53 Community Youth Development................................................................................53 Participatory Action Research ....................................................................................58 Youth as Community Partners....................................................................................59 Youth Engagement Programs: A Closer Look ...........................................................61 Got Art? ......................................................................................................................64 5 FRAMEWORK FOR EVALUATING LEARNING COMMUNITIES....................66 Decision-Making Processes within a Community......................................................66 Defining the Framework.............................................................................................69 Tier 1: Enforcement.............................................................................................70 Tier 2: Entrenchment...........................................................................................77 Tier 3: Enrichment...............................................................................................84 Tier 4: Experiment...............................................................................................90 Tier 5: Engagement .............................................................................................96 Tier 6: Empowerment..........................................................................................99 Workings of the Framework.....................................................................................103 6 FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION ...........................................................................106 Positioning Community-based Art Education within the Framework of Learning Communities (FELC)...........................................................................................107 Positioning Traditional CBAE within the Framework......................................107 Studio in a School ......................................................................................108 HOT Schools..............................................................................................110 Tim Rollins and KOS.................................................................................113 Positioning Alternative CBAE within the Framework......................................117 Mill Street Loft...........................................................................................118 Artists for Humanity...................................................................................120 VOX ...........................................................................................................124 Conclusion ................................................................................................................128 LIST OF REFERENCES.................................................................................................131 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ...........................................................................................143 v LIST OF TABLES Table page 5-1. Framework for evaluating learning communities (FELC) ......................................105 6-1. Positioning Studio in a School within FELC...........................................................110 6-2. Positioning Tim HOT Schools within FELC ..........................................................113 6-3. Positioning Tim Rollins and KOS within FELC.....................................................116 6-4. Positioning Mill Street Loft within FELC...............................................................120 6-5. Positioning Artists for Humanity within FELC.......................................................124 6-6. Positioning VOX within FELC ...............................................................................127 vi Abstract of Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts EMPOWERING YOUTH: A FRAMEWORK FOR EVALUATING COMMUNITY-BASED ART EDUCATION By Pam Forrestel August 2004 Chair: Melanie Davenport Major Department: Art and Art History The notion that community exists within any given school or classroom comes under question as education theorists and practitioners apply the term learning community to educational environments. Currently used as a popular phrase to describe almost any learning situation, learning communities in fact may exhibit myriad distinct characteristics. These range from physically, psychologically, and mentally restrictive, top-down power systems of standardized accountability and prescribed, didactic knowledge bases; to bottom-up, true democratic systems that support self-directed learning and engagement in the wider community for environmental and social change. My study analyzed research that defines the term learning community. Comparing and contrasting the values, goals, and practices characteristic of the current dominant educational paradigm and those