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The benefits of extracurricular activities
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As a school system’s budget decreases, extracurricular activities are bound to get cut. Among these are are athletics and the arts. When choosing between the two, the solution is obvious, cut sports. With academic and psychological benefits, arts programs are noticeably more vital to a student’s life.
To start with, the arts help foster a student’s academic success. In “Pacific Standard”, Tom Jacobs wrote that, “Musically active adolescents obtain better school grades in languages.” (Jacobs, 1). To be fair, some may suggest that students in athletics tend to do better in mathematics courses. However, “...the degree of difference is not statistically significant.” (Jacobs, 1). Our languages play a key role in society, and cutting off
the arts could make them more difficult to learn. Schools need a positive and educational outlet, the arts is that outlet. Creativity is part of who we are, so why should we steal a link off of society’s chain? In addition, the fine arts benefits students psychologically. John Gerdy wrote in “Education Week” that “...athletic programs have become more about the end result--winning--and less about the process (learning).” (Gerdy, 2). The arts is like a journey, the destination isn’t what matters, it’s the trip taken to get there. Understandably, some may suggest that sports also teach students the value of success, however, winning isn’t everything. People learn more by failure, than success. All factors considered, it is evident that the performing arts are vastly more crucial to an adolescent’s development than sports. Before schools begin to cut programs, they must take students into consideration.We are the future. Let creativity and inspiration shine upon adolescents. And above all else, don’t cut the arts.
The fine arts were once highly revered by the community and were a part of everyday life, yet today the fine arts must face their biggest competitor, that being sports. Sports have become a big business and many schools find it easier and better to cut arts programs due to low funding rather than athletic programs. Even though fine arts programs are not as profitable as athletic programs, they should be funded equally to athletic programs because they help student achievement, help students improve their cognitive skills, and encourage creativity.
These areas could reach beyond the academics, which Ripley touches on, and into other extra-curricular activities. In high school, I was extremely involved in theatre and speech and debate, as well as choir. Even in my small school our already small programs felt the effects of budget cuts. Yet, I never saw evidence of any financial struggle for the sports teams. While our theatre program could not afford microphones for our school musical and our science classrooms had not received updated textbooks in nearly a decade, the football and volleyball teams were given all new uniforms, even though the old ones were only a year or two old. Our school often spoke of the financial struggles they felt, yet the budgets for sports were never up for debate. Ripley talks about the benefits of high-school sports, and while I cannot deny that it is important to value “exercise, lessons in sportsmanship and perseverance, school spirit, and just plain fun” (3), it’s not worth the sacrifices the schools must make to have sports. That mentality also suggests that playing sports is the only way to gain certain life skills; however, someone might learn about teamwork from being in a play or doing a group project in school. School spirit could be encouraged through pep assemblies. There are several other ways to gain the same values without sports being involved in a school
When schools make budget cuts, they usually take money from athletic programs and clubs. The author is essentially saying that schools have taken away funding from too many programs that it feels as if they will will even stop funding necessary programs in order to say money. This critique on budget cuts helps us see the problem within the public school system. Certain activities that are common in other schools will be seen as a luxury to students in other schools and therefor are not given the same opportunities. The underfunded schools have taken away money from many programs that they will now have to stop funding certain areas that are key to a student’s education.
She strongly considers that the school should use their money on programs that would, in her opinion, actually benefit the rest of the school. Based on Tamar Lewin’s hypothesis in his article College Increases Spending on Sports Faster than on Academics, he proclaims, “Increasingly, institutions of higher education have lost their focus on the academic activities at the core of their mission…The spending priority accorded to competitive athletics too easily diverts the focus of our institutions from teaching and learning to scandal and excess”. Although this article bases their information off college spending, the same can be said about high schools. High schools are putting off aside other extracurricular activities and give special importance to huge, likable sports like football, basketball, soccer, and
Many schools consider art, music, and physical education programs ‘fluff’ classes, which is why when schools are looking for a place to save money those are some of the programs that are first to go. Claire Suggs, Senior Education Policy Analysts for the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, found that “about 42 percent of districts are reducing or eliminating art or music programs and 62 percent are eliminating elective courses” (“Cutting Class” #1). Art and music programs should not be cut because they allow students to explore their creativity and improve problem solving skills. On the
“core classes curricular classes will always be safe. sports programs are often cut or downsized when school districts need money, but cutting these types of programs usually results in an outcry from the community and oftentimes becomes a rallying point in a school board election” (Dickson) The arts need to not be afraid of being cut from the school and are able to make kids want to stay in
“Recent studies show that being involved in music classes makes it easier to learn other subjects and improve skills in other classrooms” (Brown, “The Benefits of Music Education”). A lot of people tend to overlook how much music education has an impact on the success of a student. Because of this, schools should be required to offer fine arts and music classes as electives for the students. Not only will this improve the students test scores, but it will also give the students a broader imagination and more creativity in and out of the classroom. In a lot of schools, fine arts and musical classes are the first to go when there are budget cuts. “Seventy-one percent of the nation’s fifteen thousand school districts have cut instructional hours spent on music and other subjects” (“State of the arts: should music and art classes be brushed aside”). Not only is it affecting the teachers who have specialized in the study of fine arts, it is affecting all of the students and parents who are actively involved in these programs. “Johnson, professor of music education and music therapy and associate dean of the School of Fine Arts at KU, found jumps of twenty-two percent in English test scores and twenty percent in math scores at elementary schools with superior music education” (Lynch “Music Boosts Test Scores”). With that being said, schools should be required to offer music and fine arts classes as an elective for their students.
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.
In today’s public education system fine arts and physical education classes are considered to be inferior to the core classes. Because math and English classes are considered more important, not enough money is put aside to fund the arts and PE, or the elective classes. In order to fix the problem of arts and physical education being considered inferior to core classes more emphasis and more money should be given to PE, arts, and humanities so that they are of equal importance as the core subjects.
Sports are the downgrade of society and should be ultimately removed. We would like to propose the removal of sports at our school. Sports distract people from school, cause serious injuries, and give kids false hope of college scholarships. If we don’t remove sports from our school it could cause our future generation to not be able to obtain a proper education and be successful in their future. If we don’t take sports out of our school, then there will be more problems with our kids health and their lives.
Fine arts classes benefit students and schools alike. Fine arts are needed courses, not just as electives but as core classes that promote learning and creativity in the lives of students. There are three different styles of learning: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. Fine art provides an avenue for all of these learning styles to be utilized during one class period; therefore, all students are able to understand and benefit from the curriculum. In a normal academic setting all types of learning may not be used, so a percentage of the classroom will not understand the lessons as well as it could have if it had arts incorporated into the class. It may seem impossible to include arts into an academic setting, but it is possible, effective, and fun. According to Barry Oreck, it has been proven that students learning molecular bonding through a dance had a more proficient understanding of the concept. He states, “We have found that if you learn something through a theater game, you can still answer a test question” (new horizons Dickerson 3). This statement proves that arts are extremely important and beneficial. With fine arts, students have a safe environment to express themselves, a motivation to stay in school, and higher test scores. The fact that fine arts are needed is evident, but will schools respond or live in denial?
“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 ...
Art and its education are crucial in the development of young children. Therefore, it is of the upmost importance to ensure that our young children are being taught about art and its education in order for them to be successful contributing members of society. June Vail, a professor of dance at Bowdoin College explains, “The arts bring energy and creativity, a kind of learning that can only enhance every other kind of learning. (Vail).” She continues by saying that, “The enterprise of a liberal arts education is integrative, to educate students to be creative and flexible, to harness their energy in a different way (Vail).” Art begins to lay the foundation of success early for young children by developing their motor skills through paining with a paintbrush and drawing with crayons. Furthermore, it also helps promote language development by learning new shapes, colors, and allows them to describe their artistic creation. Lastly, it also helps children improve academically. A report that was done by the Americans for the Arts demonstrates that young people who participated regularly in the arts are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, participate in a math or science fair, or win an award for writing an essay as opposed to students who do not participate in the arts (PBS). As a result of this, it is imperative to ensure that adolescent children of today begin
Sports programs have been an integral part of all schools. They support the academics of the school and therefore foster success in life. These programs are educational and help produce productive citizenship. They help students experience and build skills that may help them in their future, like interpersonal and time management skills. Education may kindle the light of knowledge, but sports help to maintain the proper physique. Sports are also an important means of entertainment and a use for energy after long hours of study. Sports increase a student’s performance not only in the classroom but also in their life.
Do extra-curricular activities have a positive or negative effect on a student’s academic performance? If they do, then why do schools take activities away from students at the first sign of academic troubles? If they are scientifically proven to be positive, then why are they not curricular rather than extra curricular? There are numerous influences that impact the academic performance of a student other than after school activities. However, this study will focus on the effect of extra curricular activities on academic performances. In many cases, participation in extra curricular activities positively influences attendance and connection to school. This study will investigate the impact of extra curricular activities that require a daily commitment over an extended period of time, greater than a month. Athletics is the dominant after school activity that requires a daily commitment; therefore, this study will involve student athletes as well as students who are involved in other extra curricular activities. Another reason why student athletes will be a large part of this study is that there may be a correlation between the skills necessary to succeed in athletics and academics (American Sports Institute, 1991).