The use of drawing in the classroom has a contentious history in the U.S. education system. While most instructors and students agree that the activity helps students focus and observe more details, there is a lack of empirical data to support these positions. This study examines the use of three treatments (writing a description, drawing a…

The president of The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Ernest L. Boyer, discusses the importance of developing creativity in the classroom. (MD)

Richmond schools created two projects to publicize and promote art education. One was a billboard display of original student art throughout the city (Art in the Open), the other a display of student art on city buses (Art Bus). The project successfully generated excitement about art education. (MD)

Onfim's drawings, discovered in a medieval town in northern Russia in 1951, are the earliest known child drawings in existence. The history of these early 11th century drawings is described here by a Russian archaeologist. (RM)

Explores problems in the relationship between professional arts and art education. Identifies three negative practices used in schools: (1) the oversimplification of art to children, (2) an over-reliance on language to explain art, (3) the fear of allowing mistakes to occur in children's art. (BSR)

There are five categories of titles of paintings: descriptive, narrative, directive, poetic, and arbitrary. When children title their work they give clues to its intent and challenge the presuppositions that adults may bring to children's art. Titling can expand students' ideas for painting and provide a greater variety of approaches. (CS)

This book provides tools for educators to help children respond to traumatic events with resiliency and hope. Created as an extension of the "9/11 As History" initiative, the book provides an overview of 16 unique lesson plans created for children from pre-kindergarten through the 12th grade. It also contains selections from the writings…

Art activities, three for elementary students and one for secondary students, are described. Elementary students develop an autobiobox (a visual autobiography in a container), learn to draw trees in a meaningful way, and do human figure drawing; secondary students study and duplicate cast shadows. (RM)

To promote the arts as an integral part of the school curriculum, the national PTA offers an annual competition and national showcase, called "Reflections," for the creative efforts of children and young people in the areas of the visual arts, literature, and music. (Author/SJL)

Since 1976, the students of Yuma District #1, Arizona, have been participating in an art exchange project with schools in many other countries, as a way of developing international understanding. (SJL)

The article proposes the Test for Creative Thinking-Drawing Production as an appropriate culture-fair assessment to identifying creative potential worldwide. Fifteen sample drawings of children from around the world, all based on the same original stimuli, are provided. (DB)

Examines the community mural movement as an educational activity, reviewing the history of the modern mural movement, noting its democratic direction, and concluding that community murals can potentially educate artists and nonartists. Modern murals have demonstrated a vast capacity to expand awareness of the struggles of oppressed people. (SM)

Describes a Brazilian program that uses children's art and writing about violence as a catalyst for discussion in parenting groups. The goal of the program is to help programs transform relationships from violence to respect, breaking the cycle of violence. (JPS)

In this paper, the director of The United States Society for Education through Art (USSEA) child art exhibitions presents some issues for future exhibition promoters to consider. A clear, concise list of qualifications and information, should be provided when requesting public submissions of work. Information required may include: name of country;…

This paper presents findings from a longitudinal, participant-observation study of one boy's spontaneous drawings from preadolescence to adolescence. Themes related to adolescent developmental psychology emerge in the drawings. Concludes that doodling and memory drawing permit imaginative play and free ideation while drawing from pictures…