Art Education Teacher Recruitment and Retention Task Force

The application is closed. The deadline to apply for the task force was February 21, 2023.

NAEA is committed to supporting our current and future visual art, design, and media arts educators. Pandemic burnout, early retirements, rise in school violence, lack of clear career pathways, and ongoing pedagogical cultural wars—among other challenges—make the recruitment and retention of art teachers increasingly more difficult. To better understand and address the obstacles that current and future art educators face, as well as the growing issue of educator staffing shortages, the NAEA Board of Directors is forming a national "Art Education Teacher Recruitment and Retention Task Force.“  

The Task Force will investigate the obstacles and opportunities to entering and serving the field of visual arts, design, and media arts education, and engage with the membership, peer organizations, and external experts to gather data and draft a report of findings and recommendations for short, mid, and long-term action to be presented to the Board. 

Time Commitment 

Meetings will begin in April 2023 and the work of the Task Force will be completed no later than April 2024. The group will meet for virtual monthly meetings, with additional meetings scheduled as needed. A tentative, in-person meeting is planned for July 24-25, 2023 at the NAEA Studio & Gallery in Alexandria, VA. 

Eligibility / Application 

NAEA is seeking up to 8 individuals, representing each NAEA membership Region (Eastern, Pacific, Southeastern, and Western) and Division (Elementary, Middle, Secondary, Higher Education, Museum Education, Supervision and Administration, and Preservice) to collaborate as part of this Art Teacher Recruitment & Retention Task Force. 

Candidates may be seasoned and/or emerging leaders with the experience, skills, and/or desire to carry out work related to these issues.  

Application Deadline: February 21, 2023