Alternativeness in art education: case studies of art instruction in three non-traditional schools

In this study I present case studies of the art classes at three private schools in the Midwest. The schools include a Catholic school, a Mennonite school and a Transcendental Meditation school. In the study I spent time observing art classes at each school for eighteen weeks totaling an average of thirty hours in each school. At the schools I observed the art classes and interviewed the art teachers, administrators and students in order to be able to describe the history and philosophy of each school as well as the art teaching and learning that occur in the art classes. The purpose of the study is not to determine which school is best or if they are better than public schools, but to present descriptions of art classes in nontraditional settings. Accomplishing this inquiry presented the possibility of drawing out unique or innovative teaching practices that could be implemented in any art classroom to improve the quality of education.