The interdisciplinary elements found in early art education can improve current teaching practices and art's role in academics

Art educations current role in public education is unclear and inconsistent to many teachers, administrators and school board members. These inconsistencies have made the instruction of art a dispensable area of K--12 education. The No Child Left Behind Act, standardized testing and state assessment in the core subject areas are reasons why art is in this expendable position. Implementing interdisciplinary art lessons within the art curriculum can strengthen arts role and improve current instructional methods. The history of art education and the interdisciplinary lessons it was founded on are investigated in this thesis. How the objectives of these lessons can be incorporated into modern art instruction is also examined. Successful interdisciplinary projects which were created between me and core area teachers are presented. Examples of these projects are attached and the outcomes observed while students participated in interdisciplinary art activities are included. This thesis concludes that interdisciplinary art education can improve a student's academic performance and redefine arts position in K--12 public education.