Purpose . National educational goals identify arts education programs as an essential part of the public school curriculum. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of the principal in the implementation of effective arts education programs. Procedure . Elementary school principals from the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) regions 7 & 9 were randomly selected for this study. These ACSA regions are located in the Central Valley of California. A survey was sent to 49 elementary school principals with a response rate of 53 percent. Tests for means, standard deviations, correlations, and an analysis of variance were conducted for thirteen of the survey questions. The participants expressed their agreement or disagreement regarding each item by selecting the appropriate response on a Likert scale. Six of the survey questions required a yes or no response. These questions were analyzed using a chi-square test. Findings . The principals surveyed agree that arts education is an important part of the elementary school curriculum. This coincides with the national goals that view arts education programs as an essential part of a school's core curriculum. However, the results of the survey indicate that 67 percent of the principals view math and reading as more important than arts education. In addition 50 percent of the principals are not aware of the available resources at the state level for their arts education programs. Thirty-three percent of the principals surveyed indicated that they do not use the follow state and national standards for guidelines when developing their arts education programs. Sixty-two percent do not use the state developed model programs as a resource and 52 percent indicated that they lack knowledge regarding the availability of outside resources for arts education programs. In addition 85 percent of the principals have not applied for a state grant for their arts education program. Conclusions and recommendations . Although principals view arts education as an important part of the curriculum, it is surmised from the survey results that they are not accessing the varied resources that are available to them when implementing the arts education programs at their sites. Recommendations for further study were provided.

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Around water coolers, faculty rooms, and classroom corners, art teachers discuss their concerns about maintaining a balance between making, teaching, and studying art. Research indicates there are advantages and disadvantages to commingling these activities, and about how these activities inform each other. The purpose of this study is to not only research what has been written, but also discover through interviews, using a narrative inquiry/case study approach, what living, breathing artist teachers are doing to that allows them to take advantage of the symbiotic nature of making, teaching, and studying art.

This study explores how art instruction can be used to help students engage with important problems that matter to them and thereby adding personal value within a holistic education experience. Through a two-week-long curriculum composed of eight two-hour classes, the researcher deeply examined the journeys of growth that three students underwent as they were exposed to new art-making techniques and ideas, with an emphasis on the meaning behind individual art creation. The researcher found that all three students showed growth that extended beyond art-making itself to help them develop as independent problem solvers. As an action research study, this study also allowed the researcher to reflect on her own journey as an art teacher and examine how she could improve her teaching methods to facilitate the practical application of art learning into problem solving.

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