This volume focuses on four North Carolina school systems that have developed strategies for improving teaching and learning environments in arts education. Article 1 discusses the challenge of providing adequate levels of visual arts instruction for exceptional children in Dare County and describes a specific art project for handicapped students in kindergarten through fifth grades at Manteo (North Carolina) Elementary School. Article 2 explains Granville County's strategies for improving the community's awareness of and support for the development of a comprehensive arts education program. Article 3 describes "A Possibility Project," which was designed as a planning process in preparation for the implementation of the arts curriculum into the Basic Education Program (BEP) in the Moore County School System. Article 4 highlights the collaborative efforts of the Board of Education, county commissioners, parents, and school personnel in the design and implementation of a comprehensive K-12th grade arts curriculum in Pitt County. Photographs and graphs are included. (JHP)