The "National Visual Arts Standards" form the basis for providing depth of knowledge and achievement in art for all students throughout their education and for developing effective art programs in all schools throughout the U.S. These standards offer one road map for competence and educational effectiveness, but without casting a mold into which all visual arts programs must it. The standards are intended to focus on the student learning results that come from basic education, not how art is to be taught. The matter of curriculum and teaching strategies are decisions for the states, school districts, and art teachers. Standards identify what children must "know" and be able to "do". Thus, the vision embedded in these Standards insists that a mere nodding acquaintance with the arts is not enough to sustain children's interest or involvement in them. The Standards must usher each new generation onto the pathway of engagement, which opens in turn onto a lifetime of learning and growth through the arts. It is along this pathway that children will find their personal directions and make their singular contributions. It is along this pathway, as well, that they will discover who they are, and even more, who they can become. A glossary is included.