Today, there is a great problem in American schools. The ever increasing dropout rates are showing that teachers are not able to stimulate and interest their students. Children and teens are losing their ability to think creatively and on higher level because of the lack of arts education in public schools. If all children had this privilege, they would have higher test scores, would more likely go to college, and less likely to commit crimes. Students who graduate from high school are drones of a test-centered, strict curriculum based on if the student can pick the right multiple choice answer. Graduates who have graduated recently find it extremely difficult to compete in the higher education world due to their inability to think critically compared to other students from around the world.
Arts education can refer to either being specifically educated in the arts or using art as a way to teach general education (Deasy). Studying these practices encourage students to branch out and learn about other subjects. Reading, writing, and math require the understanding of symbols, and so does constructing shapes and colors in art pieces or learning music notes in order to understand fractions easier. Many schools are not meeting the sufficient amount of art education for students that would help them participate and succeed in other areas and build skills that would help them be noticed on a global level (Education Next).
The way in which people’s intellect is judged is through testing them. In many public and private schools across the country, test scores are probably the most important thing because they show who the most intelligent students are, which teachers are most effective, and what students will be boosted up to the next gr...
... middle of paper ...
... decision makers and determine that they have the limit and capacity to settle on choices to guarantee our stature on the planet.
Works Cited
Deasy, Richard J. "Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development." ERIC, 2002. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.
"Education Next." RSS. Education Next, 2010. Web. 24 Jan. 2014.
Smith, Fran. "Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who's Doing It Best." Edutopia. The George Lucas Educational Foundation, 2014. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
"The Arts - For a Balanced and Complete Education." Instructional Tool Kit. Google, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. .
"The Importance of Fine Arts Education." Katyisd.org. Katy Independent School District, n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.
Bryant, Bob. "The Importance of Fine Arts Education." Katy Independent School District. Katy Independent School District, n.d. Web. 10 May 2016.
Pogrebin, Robin. "Book Tackles Old Debate: Role of Arts in Schools." New York Times08/04/07. Web. 26 Sep. 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/04/arts/design/04stud.html
A recent development in public education has been the decline in arts programs nationwide. Budget cuts to arts programs are responsive to decreases in state funding, especially in states with conservative economic policies. Many states have also enacted legislation disabling local school districts’ abilities to justify employing art and music teachers. Consequently, several problems have manifested themselves, including the loss of arts programs proving detrimental to the overall quality of education for today’s children. First and foremost, arts programs improve overall performance in core school subjects; this is demonstrated clearly through higher test scores amongst students with exposure to arts and positive correlations between arts and core class engagement. Other reasons supporting retaining arts programs include to help foster community development, produce creative minds, develop problem-solving skills, aid in child development and visual-spatial skills, and encourage underprivileged students to remain in school (Metla, 2015). By removing arts programs from some public schools, an alarming issue of public concern arises. Public education, given that it is considered to be a non-rivalrous and non-excludable, is deemed a public good (Clark, 2016). Cutting arts programs in public schools, especially when cuts transpire in schools saturated with heavy minority populations, creates inequitable education and creates a serious issue of public concern.
the arts maybe “frivolous” to those who build bridges to nowhere, but we need to prevent them from trivializing the debate. Spanning the bridge between now and our cultural-economic future is no smaller.”(Stelluto) “fine arts classes at the high school level is not option in many cases due to the need for fine arts credits to graduate, course offerings within the fine arts departments can be condensed or eliminated altogether.” (Dickson)
Smith, Fran. “Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who’s Doing It Best.” Edutopia.org. The George
Manzo, Kathleen K. "Districts and Partners Coordinate on Arts Education." Education Week. Gale, 18 June 2008. Web. 3 Apr. 2012.
This paper entails the struggle that fine arts are facing in the school systems today. Fine arts include music, art, drama and dance. The funding for most, if not all school systems is being threatened in the worst way. Without proper funding, these programs will become non-existent in children’s lives. Not only are the aforementioned programs responsible for most of the entertainment in today’s school systems, there are many studies that show the significant, positive impacts on students that fine arts such as drama, art, and dance have on students. Below, the struggles of state and national funding for the programs will be discussed, as well as possible solutions that can be made to keep these programs available in schools.
Most people think of arts as expressive, creative, and recreational, not as academic. In recent years, school curricula in the United States have shifted heavily toward common core subjects of reading and math, but what about the arts education? Although many school boards feel that arts education is not a necessity and not very important in the lives of students today, simple creative activities are some of th...
Nathan, Linda. “All students are artists”. Educational Leadership, Vol. 69 Issue 5, 2012. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Web. 21 May 2013.
From early on children and students learn beneficial and necessary skills from their art classes without realizing it. “Although arts and music programs tend
Much too often in America today, modern music and art programs in schools are perceived to many as extracurricular activities rather than important subjects that are vital to a students learning and skill development. The truth of the matter is that encouraging music and art education in public schools has a much larger impact on student’s grades, academic performance, and the economy than the majority people realize. Within the next year city school budgets will be dropping by twenty five percent, and despite the fact that music and art programs have been showing a dramatic contribution to student’s learning, this substantial drop in funding for the programs will lead to no dedicated money for art or music programs (Mezzacappa). There is no doubt that a cut in funding for art programs will take a huge toll on students overall grades and test scores. Research has found that the studying of music and art facilitates learning in other subjects and enhances children’s skills in other areas (Brown). Furthermore, providing students with a creative outlet can do great justice in reducing the stress from many other classes and even offer insight for students in possible career paths involving the art field. The art industry today currently supports 4.1 million full-time jobs (Dorfman). By increasing the funding of music and art programs for students preschool through twelfth grade we can see a dramatic increase in the education of children across the United States, assist with skill development in young students, and greatly benefit the economy at the same time.
“Every student in the nation should have an education in the arts.” This is the opening statement of “The Value and Quality of Arts Education: A Statement of Principles,” a document from the nation’s ten most important educational organizations. The basic message is that music and art programs in the schools help our kids and communities in real and substantial ways. There is an abundant amount of facts and information that supports this statement. The benefits of arts education can be narrowed down into 4 basic categories: success in developing intelligence, success in ...
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. (2014) State Policy Briefs. “Why Should Government Support the Arts” Retrieved April 18, 2014, from http://www.nasaa-arts.org/Advocacy/Advocacy-Tools/Why-Government-Support/WhyGovSupport.pdf
Art Education is not always valued in school settings. Although some may see it as an unnecessary use of school funding, there are many who believe it is beneficial to students in more ways than one. There are many different studies that have been conducted to test the effects that art education has on school-aged children. Some studies have proven that art education can help students to improve in other academic areas. In a journal article from Ohio State University’s “Theory in Practice,” Karen A Hamblen states, “There are linkages between art learning and learning in other subjects areas and that art study can promote creative behaviors, critical thinking skills, and academic achievement.” It has also been found that the arts can teach children better self-regulatory strategies, and even foster more confidence and self-efficacy in school which relates to confidence in academics. Overall, art education in schools has been very beneficial and has proven to ignite creativity, confidence, critical thinking skills, and academic achievement in students.
"Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who's Doing It Best." Edutopia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014.