NAEA Position Statement on Equity for All Learners
Position Statement on Equity for All Learners
Visual arts, design, and media arts education is dedicated to promoting excellence, equity, and inclusivity for all learners by providing differentiated educational opportunities, resources, communities, and support systems. A successful art education program values diversity and recognizes the unique characteristics, similarities, and differences of all learners. This includes addressing the needs of underserved students, often from marginalized groups based on race, culture, language, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, immigration status, religion, and disability.
Art educators should create equitable learning environments by incorporating learners’ prior knowledge and experiences into practice, thus respecting and valuing their unique assets. Instructional materials should serve to reflect the identities and experiences of the students being taught, as well as create opportunities to learn and understand identities and experiences of individuals not represented by the students. To this end, instruction and assessment should be designed so all learners, based on their abilities and backgrounds, are afforded opportunities to communicate what they know, understand, and demonstrate through the visual arts.