Visual arts teacher preparation

Studies have found that visual arts education is an essential part of students’ overall educational development. Students exposed to a robust visual arts education develop critical and analytical thinking skills, learn to evaluate their own work and the work of their peers, learn to interpret subject matter in various ways, and are encouraged to engage in their community, all of which help students develop a higher self-esteem and create a positive attitude towards learning. However, to achieve such positive results, visual arts educators need to acquire the proper training to learn how to develop and deliver well-rounded curricula with the use of innovative teaching methods such as technology in the classroom, engaging multiculturalism, and applying a multidisciplinary approach along with the traditional hands-on methodology of producing art. In this study, a review is conducted of the positive effects of visual arts education and the training educators need to be able to create a successful visual arts curriculum. Additionally, visual arts education programs within the University of Texas System (UT System) will be examined to assess the effectiveness of such programs to deliver the proper training to future visual arts educators. Using the standards identified by the Discipline-based Art Education approach, the National Art Education Association (NAEA), and the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), it is possible to evaluate the training that future visual arts educators are receiving within higher education