Massive Budget Cuts In Schools

Recently, art subjects in schools have been drastically decreasing. Massive budget cuts and an emphasis on core classes have been ridding the schools of a very important part of a child’s learning. The arts are a very important part of the educational system, they help at risk youth and they aid in children’s development, the arts have been shown to improve a child’s performance in classes such as english and math, also the arts give a child a means of expression in multiple forms which keeps them engaged.

According to Valeriya Metla from Law Street Media, since 2008, more than 80 percent of schools nationwide experienced cuts to their budgets. Due to this, many school districts had to take out or decrease the budget for their art programs.

The preforming arts were greatly affected seeing a sixteen to seventeen percent decrease in about 10 years. Although the visual arts and music classes have not seen as much of a decrease, they are still currently decreasing due to the budget cuts. As Valeriya states common core and the no child left behind act are making it even more difficult for the arts to get back on their feet. They are claiming that the art classes are not part of core classes, therefore they are much easier to be cut out of the curriculum. Many people have argued that the arts should always have a place in a child’s education.
Children who are in situations such as poverty, health issues, domestic violence, etc.

would be considered at risk to drop out, those children are considered at risk youth. Studies have shown that at risk youth have a higher chance to not drop out if they are involved in the arts at their schools. According to Tyleah Hawkins from the Washington Post a recent study claiming that students who are considered at risk youth state the reason for staying in school was due to the fact that they were involved in art related programs and classes. Hawkins also states from a different study that at-risk students who earned multiple art credits were five times more likely to stay in school than at risk students who earned no art credits. When looking at these studies it shows how children very much benefit from being in these art classes especially the children who are in

poverty.
These are programs prove to help children in their development physically and mentally.

According to Grace Lynch from PBS a few of the developmental benefits of art for children are motor skills, decision making, cultural awareness, and improved academic performance. Motor skills are improved because a child who works with a paint brush or colors with a crayon is getting the strength in their fine motor muscles to eventually be able to write in the future. Most child care facilities start teaching children around the age of three how to draw certain shapes to improve their dexterity and fine motor skills. Lynch pulls in a report by Americans for the Arts stating how art classes actually prepare a child for problem solving and critical thinking required in the core classes. A child in art classes are also presented with the aspect of cultural awareness by seeing others art work and realizing that what they may see may be different than others and to accept that. Lynch pulls in another study stating how children who participate in at programs regularly are more likely to excel in academics and participate in math or science fairs as a result. Art classes have been shown to help greatly in a child’s development and improve a child’s skills being physical or

mental.
Giving a child the ability to take art classes or have art programs in their schools also give them a great means of expression and gives them a way to be creative. Children use are to express themselves and show how they are feeling through the things they draw or create they are given almost a form of therapy during school, art can help these children cope with hardships in their lives. (Penn State Extensions) Art also provides a child with the ability to figure out their individuality because something they make I could be much different than something a child sitting right next to them may make. Art helps a child not only be creative in the art class alone they help children be creative when they may be going on to solving an equation later in life or when they are writing an essay and get to choose their own topic giving children the freedom in an art class could in turn help them later in life in different scenarios.
The fine art classes are quite necessary for children’s development, performance, and their expression. Without the fine arts, we could see a rise in students dropping out, a decrease in children’s performance in their classes and a potential decrease in their physical and mental development. Although people may feel as though children need to have more emphasis on their “core classes” or that the budget just cannot fit the cos of these classes, there seems to be a reason for officials to think check again before they decide to rid their schools of such an important part of some children’s lives.