Texas Trends in Art Education, 2010 Page: Front Inside

                                
A       warm   'hello! to my colleagues in the great state
Texas! I don't think there has ever been a more exciting time to be an
arts educator. And yes, we have tremendous challenges, but I believe that the fu-
ture of our country and, indeed, the world may depend upon our ability to unlock
the creative spirit of our nation's children. Now, more than ever, our kids need the
skills and habits of minds that high quality visual arts education delivers. We have
the goods and we are ready, willing and able!

Everywhere I travel in this remarkable country I meet dedi-
cated art teachers who are trying valiantly to continue giving our
kids what they need in the midst of shrinking budgets, emphasis
on standardized testing, and raging debates about the best way
to prepare American students for life in an ever-more global
environment. Many of you are doing even more with even less!
Your passion and unwavering commitment to our nation's chil-
dren and youth inspires us all to create an association that can
reverse the trend and be an even more powerful force in sup-
porting your efforts.
My February column for the NAEA News shared my experi-
ences at the IDEO design studio and how it inspired me to bring
a design thinking model to our NAEA strategic planning process.
I wrote, "The big idea of design thinking is reinvention: reimagin-
ing what we do, rather than simply improving on what we al-
ready do." I am certainthis is a game changing tool.
At the national level, we have been working proactively
with colleagues from our "sister" arts and education organiza-
tions to formulate a unified set of policy recommendations that
could impact arts education in the retooling of the No Child Left
Behind federal legislation. I am sure you will agree with our
main tenets:
The arts prepare students for school, work and life.
The arts strengthen the learning environment.
The arts can attract and retain teachers who love to teach.
Here at NAEA we have also honed our message to reso-
nate with the concerns of our times and have created an infor-
mative monograph Learning in a VisualAge: The Critical Impor-
tance of VisualArts Education (available on the NAEA website).
Since the creation of this piece, our contention that our children
are growing up in a veritable sea of images was further validated
by the findings of the Kaiser Family Foundation. Their most re-
cent survey of media used by American youth from 8 - 18 years
old (the third of three studies conducted once every five years
since 1999) uncovered a dramatic increase in the amount of
time our young people spend using smartphones, computers,
televisions or other electronic devices. They found the average
daily use has climbed to 10 hours and 45 minutes... or in other
words, nearly every waking moment when they are not in school
- and realistically speaking - perhaps in school as well!

This stunning data com-
bined with a national concern about our kids' level of prepared-
ness for competing in a complex global workforce that will de-
mand the ability to innovate among other 21St century skills,
makes the need for high quality arts education even more ur-
gent. That's why we are working with our colleagues in music,
dance and theater to create a 21st century "Arts Skills Map" to
showcase the distinct learning value offered through arts educa-
tion.
How can you plug into the network and power up? We
have named this year at NAEA The Year of Acting Assertively. I
often talk and write about "network theory" and its turbo-
charging effect. I urge you to assertively join hands with your
colleagues around the country and around the world on behalf
of our children's future. Here are several ways your brush-
strokes can add depth and color to our emerging national land-
scape:
Become an even more active member of NAEA at the state and national level.
Plug into the network! Attend meetings, volunteer for committees, get involved!
Visit our virtual network online at www.arteducators.or
Our website is a treasure trove of inspiration and ideas. Visit us early and often!
Network with other art teachers in your city and state.
Become a mentor to a new teacher or form a relationship with a colleague in another
school or district.
Increase our network!
Bring colleagues into our dynamic professional community to both add their skills,
talents and voice as well as to benefit from our combined resources and strengths in
numbers at every level.
Your energy, creativity and skill are our greatest
strengths. Working together and sharing resources and ideas,
our network can transform education and impact the health,
spirit and potential of our nation's youth.
I am honored to be a leader in the dynamic community of
practice we create together through NAEA. And I am deter-
mined to continue to strengthen our broad network's ability to
meet the challenges of teaching in a visual age. Please accept
my heartfelt gratitude for all you do each day on behalf of our
nation's youth!

Cover Photograph by Brent Hirak