Elementary Division Column: Fall 2023

Position Statements and Putting Them to Work for You

In times of need, I often get asked, How can the National Art Education Association help me with my problem? From the issue of class sizes to the amount of prep time, to graduation requirements for the visual arts, NAEA likely has a position statement that can help you when you are in need.

Now you might be wondering, What’s a position statement? I personally think these are one of the most overlooked but useful tools NAEA provides for its members. A position statement is a stance the Association has taken on a particular topic, issue, or idea.

The process to create a position statement is an intensive one. Ideas for position statements can be raised by the NAEA Board, Delegates Assembly, Interest Groups, state associations, and even individual members like you! From there, the position statements are shaped by experts in the area. Next, they are reviewed, vetted, and revised by the Platform Working Group and members at large, and posted to the NAEA website. But wait, we’re not done yet! They are then run through the review process AGAIN and posted to the NAEA website for member review. As the yearly National Convention approaches, the Delegates Assembly reviews the statements and offers input. What’s the Delegates Assembly?, you ask. The Delegates Assembly takes place at the Convention and includes one or two representatives from each state. These representatives review the statements and offer feedback on possible changes. These changes are sometimes minor things, such as grammar, while other times delegates might decide the position statement needs to be sent back to the committee to rewrite it. Last, once a statement has successfully made it through all of these steps, it is presented to the NAEA Board of Directors to be voted upon for official adoption.

This isn’t the end of the story for a position statement though. A newly created position statement is reviewed 3 years later and then every 5 years after that to ensure it is still relevant and uses updated resources and language.

The 40+ platform and position statements can be accessed on the NAEA website at https://www.arteducators.org/advocacy-policy/naea-platform-and-position-statements and are organized into various categories, addressing a wide range of topics. The categories are Learners, Art Educators, Relationships, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. These position statements serve as a valuable resource during challenging discussions with administrators, fellow educators, parents, and community members. They effectively express strategies for meeting the diverse needs of students in an art education classroom.

A few that I find particularly relevant and get asked about a lot are:

• Early Childhood Art Education
• Certified/Licensed Visual Art Educators in Pre-K through 12 School Settings
• Physical Safety in the Art Classroom
• Professional Development
• Diversity and Inclusion in Visual Arts Education
• STEAM
• Visual Arts as Part of a Well-Rounded Education
• Scheduling, Time, Funding and/or Resources for Visual Arts Education

If you are in need of specific help or guidance in using the platform and position statements, please feel free to reach out to me! I am happy to help you find a platform or position statement that fits your needs. I can be reached at devon.calvert@board.arteducators.org.

I hope your year gets off to a great start!

[[image ####]]

Column by:

Devon Calvert, Elementary Division Director
K–3 Art Educator, School District of Milton, WI. Email: rd.calvert91@gmail.com

Elect: Leslie Grace, Art Educator, Nebinger Elementary, Philadelphia, PA.

Regional Directors:
Eastern: Tamika Diaz, tamolta92@gmail.com
Southeastern: Ted Edinger, tededinger@gmail.com
Western: Jen Webel, jwebel@sgs-austin.org
Pacific: Meera Ramanathan, mramanathan@sandi.net