The Next Phase: A Report from the NAEA Research Commission

The Research Commission and Task Force Chairs of the National Art Education Association held a strategic planning meeting, November 12-14, 1999, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Washington, DC. This was the second combined Research Commission and Task Force meeting, other than those held at the national conference each year. The group would like to thank the NASA Board of Directors for its support of developing sound art education research. The deliberations of the commissioners and task force chairs were productive, cooperative, and constructive, and professional leadership qualities were exhibited by everyone. Background In 1993, the National Art Education Association formulated A Visual Arts Research Agenda Toward the 21st Century. It established a Research Commission to formulate a Blueprint For Implementing the NASA Research Agenda in 1994. The primary mission of the commission was to develop a research program in visual arts education and to encourage significant research in eight task force areas. The task forces' missions are to create a framework for inquiry and to facilitate communication and participation among individuals and groups to advance research in their area. Under the leadership of its first chair, Enid Zimmerman, the Research Commission and Task Forces produced six publications. These presented research questions, defined research areas and established working groups of researchers. This work was primarily setting the stage, identifying, and preparing for research in our field. The next phase in this evolution requires more focus, with the task forces designing and carrying out specific research projects. Two recent Commission and Task Force efforts demonstrate this transition. First, the Conceptual Issues Symposium, held last summer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, produced some very sound recommendations for research directions. In the second, a working group of four researchers sponsored by the NAEA Board is training to work with NAEP data and conduct a follow-up NAEP secondary study. These two cases exemplify the evolution from identifying needs to conducting research. The Agenda The NAEA Board of Directors expressed an interest in reexamining the function and research focus of the Commission and Task Forces. The first item addressed the establishment of a sharper focus for the NAEA research agenda. The second item addressed more effective dissemination routes for art education research and for the general working of the Commission and its Task Forces. Three other major topics were research funding proposals for the association, reexamining the structure and purpose of the Commission and Task Forces, and establishing a rotation for appointments of commissioners and task force chairs. Focal Point I: Research Tonics Three major focal points were developed. The first identified three priority research topics for the Commission. The three topics will constitute our primary focus in a sequence, rotating in 2-year phases. The three phases are, in order: Student Learning in Secondary Art Education; The Use of Technology in Art Education; and Professional Development for Art Educators. The 6-year research plan looks like this: Phase I: Year One. Student Learning in Secondary Art Education Funding request (5-8 grants, Secondary Ed) Phase I: Year Two. Student Learning in Secondary Art Education Funding continues from year one New funding request, Secondary Education Phase II: Year Three. The Use of Technology in Art Education Funding continues from Secondary Education New funding request (5-8 grants, Technology) Phase II: Year Four. The Use of Technology in Art Education Funding continues from year three New funding requests, Technology Symposium on Secondary Education Phase III, years five and six, will be dependent upon NAEA Board review of Commission and Task Force Work Phase III: Year Five. …