“It’s Just Art”: Experiences of K-12 Visual Arts Teachers in the Era of Neoliberalism, Assessment, and Accountability

Abstract

The U.S. educational system is largely shaped by neoliberal ideologies and practices that influence the experiences and outcomes of students, teachers, schools, and districts. In this article, we demonstrate how in the current educational climate, certain subjects – and by extension, teachers – may be prioritized over others. Using qualitative data from a survey of K-12 art teachers, we aim to reveal the lived experiences of teaching a subject that is rarely acknowledged in the discourse around standardized testing and accountability. In doing so, we highlight four themes: (1) the perceived devaluing of art education; (2) marginalization and instrumentality in the curriculum; (3) evaluation as a source of frustration; and (4) effects on job satisfaction. Overall, respondents expressed a dissonance between their love for the subject matter and the realities of their day-to-day experiences on the job, both of which have short- and long-term implications for continued inequities in American schools.

Keywords

• Education
• Visual Arts
• Teaching
• Education Policy