Research Papers about Museum Education
A list of research studies we have found useful, including our own research, about art education, teacher needs, museum-school partnerships, and museum education practice.
Asian Art Museum Research
Bridge Program Evaluation: Phase 1 Baseline Report (2010)
A teacher needs assessment commissioned by the Asian Art Museum and written in a collaboration between Dana Powell Russell, Ed.D., Independent Evaluation Consultant, and the Institute for Learning Innovation. This research gave the museum a broad understanding through an online survey and focus groups of teacher needs for curriculum and programs on Asian art and culture, and how the Asian Art Museum's current materials and programs are perceived and used by the K-12 community. The study is helping the museum strengthen the reach, usability, and impact of its educational programs and resources through its Bridge Program. Interim and summative data will also be collected as the Bridge Program unfolds, with the intent of measuring progress against the baseline results and toward program goals and objectives.
The Bridge Program and related research made possible by:
Research links
Asia in the Schools: Preparing Young Americans for Today’s Interconnected World (2001)
New York's Asia Society analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of current teaching and learning about Asian and Asian American topics in K-12 schools. This study showed a significant gap between what Americans think they need to know about Asia and the resources made available to schools to support this learning. The report did note that cultural institutions like museums can make a positive impact on promoting the study of Asia in schools and provide rich materials for teaching about Asia.
http://www.asiastore.org/11435.html
True Needs True Partners: Museums Serving Schools (2001)
A study published by IMLS provides highlights from their 2000/2001 survey of 367 museums across the country. The report found that partnerships between museums and schools are increasing—by 70% over the past 5 years—and that the museums surveyed have cumulatively spent over one billion dollars on K-12 education programs over the online survey period. The report also shows that museums realize the importance of curriculum alignment and are providing more educator resources and developing more programs that support curriculum standards
http://www.imls.gov/pdf/m-ssurvey.pdf
2009 Art Museum Education Programs Survey Report (2009)
Museum-Ed.org conducted an online survey with 85 art museums and documented the breadth of education programs offered by these institutions. The research found that every museum surveyed provided K-12 programs beyond a school tour with 86% offering programming materials [84% pre-visit/65% post-visit], 54% conducting in-school extension programs, and 91% of museums offered teacher training opportunities.
http://www.museum-ed.org/content/blogsection/6/53/
An Unfinished Canvas: Arts Education in California (2006)
A multi-pronged research study—incorporating school surveys, case studies, and statewide data analysis—that culminated in a detailed report describing the state of arts education in California. An Unfinished Canvas concluded that 89% of the state’s K-12 schools fail to offer standards-based course of study in all four arts disciplines—Music, Visual Arts, Theatre, and Dance, and that arts facilities and materials are lacking in most schools and that art educator training is limited if not entirely unavailable. The report describes challenges evident from elementary to high school, outlines the disparate access students have to arts education, and recommends to state policy-makers, school/district leaders, and parents an action plan of how to improve this situation.
http://policyweb.sri.com/cep/projects/displayProject.jsp?Nick=artsed
More studies are discussed in the Asian Art Museum's Bridge Program Evaluation: Phase 1 Baseline Report.
