An Unfinished Canvas: Teacher Preparation, Instructional Delivery, and Professional Development in the Arts

Abstract

This study investigated California’s system for training and preparing elementary classroom  teachers and secondary arts teachers to provide standards-aligned arts instruction, their familiarity  with and use of the state’s visual and performing arts standards, their ongoing professional development, the supports and resources available to them, and the barriers to their delivery of standards-aligned arts instruction. Despite rigorous standards and enhanced teacher preparation requirements to improve arts instruction in California’s public schools, the study found that these policies have not resulted in a renaissance of arts instruction at the local level, particularly in elementary schools. The barriers to providing quality arts instruction appear early in the teacher development process.