Arts In Schools

Across America, schools have been cutting arts programs to save money, because the arts are often viewed as nothing more than a hobby or pastime, but those who see it as unimportant look over the variety of arts surrounding them. Even in the subtlest of ways, art makes its way into the lives of everyone, from eye-popping commercials desperate to grab the audience’s attention, to the music played on the overhead speakers of a grocery store.

For years, schools from Pre-K to High School have been removing arts programs such as music, fine arts and foreign language from their schools due to budget cuts, because they are seen as expendable, but these actions can have a negative impact on students of all ages. Evidence from numerous studies shows

It has also been found that because art classes are taught using methods unique to other classes, students are more engaged and eager to learn, leading to better student attendance. (Bryant). Despite being treated as unessential, art classes have proven to motivate children of all levels to learn and participate in activities, because in those classes students are not only allowed but encouraged to explore self-expression, and are not held to strict guidelines. Another organization gathered the research of multiple different studies to support their cause of funding arts programs, and found that “In a study of a high-poverty schools in Chicago, the schools that were participating in the Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE) made huge strides in closing the gap between high- and low-income students’ academic achievement” and that “Multiple studies have concluded that curricular and extracurricular art studies and activities help keep high-risk dropout students stay in school”