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.
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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 …show more content…
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
Rhys Southan’s essay “Is Art a Waste of Time?” is about art and if it can really help people who are suffering or is it just better to hand over your money. In Yo-Yo Ma’s essay “necessary Edges: Arts, Empathy, and Education” he focuses more on art being used as educational purposes to essentially create more innovative/empathetic people. Instead of focusing so much on STEM, the author states that we should incorporate art too. Although some people might say art does not play a role in making the world a better place. I believe it can by bringing awareness to different social issues. Also, if we incorporate art at a young age it can teach kids to be open minded and happier people.
School funding is a recurring issue in the modern era. Debates ranging from give schools more money, to get rid of the system in place and reform a new idea have been plaguing the world over the years. “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed in 2009, provided more than $100 billion in education aid to offset budget cuts..” (School Finance). Later, “Congress provided an additional $10 billion in 2010 to avert mass teacher layoffs (Education Week, "Total Recovery Act")” (School Funding). These numbers are just a sample of the struggles in school funding, that is costing a ton of money to keep afloat. “There are many ways schools fund varying from state to state and even school to school. Income taxes, corporate taxes, sales taxes, and other fees provide 48 percent of the elementary and secondary school funds. 44 percent of local districts draw money from local property taxes. The federal government makes up approximately 8 percent of state education budgets. These funds are a dealt out on a per-student basis, and categorically to ensure enough resources for each special program or facility” (School Funding). These funds play a huge role in every student's education, either positive or negative. The three main areas that need to be addressed in the school budget are extracurricular funding, building and equipment maintenance, and last but not least staff funding.
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.
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
The arts department needs funding for the students and the students need supplies. some schools actually have trouble keeping the art department funded and still thinks it's important to keep due to the football and sports outcry when the sports teams gets a little budget cuts.The art department needs more funding in schools because kids need outlets to express their emotions.School district without the arts leave many students without an outlet for the creative capabilities and without options for expression of their talents. schools districts struggle to avoid deficit spending districts superintendents are looking for ways to save money.
The budget cuts within educational services are affecting students, teachers and the schools in general in countless ways. First, students are at a heightened disadvantage when there are fewer funds within the field of education. As the amount of money per student continues to decrease in many states, students’ education is being compromised in unfavorable ways (Emeagwali). It is true that when budget cuts force education services to reduce many opportunities for pupils, their learning is often hurt. For example, when a student from a low income family enters a school that is suffering from receiving a high budget allowance, that student, who most likely needs increased attention within the school, is not able to be provided with the education needed to grow to a level equivalent with others of his age because of the removal of extra programs within that school along with overcrowded classrooms forced upon teachers. As a result, the student’s learning is hindered, and they now have to work harder in years later just to try and be at an average level (Feldman). It is not simply a student with a certain background who is being affected by lack of funds within educational services either. Students everywhere are faced with a paucity of opportunities for a sound basic education which damages their constitutional rights, according to Rebell (Rebell, “Safeguarding the Right” 1855). Scarcity of sound basic education for children leads to poor learning habits and needs; therefore, a child’s ability to learn becomes insufficient, which causes difficulties for him in later years of his life (Rebell, “Safeguarding the Right” 1860-61). Despite legislatures claims that fiscal pressure “in no way lessens the constitutional duties [for...
“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 ...
Schools that are in low income areas tend to have a higher dropout rate and lower grades. When the art budgets are cut the only classes that may be keeping some of the kids engaged in school may also be cut. Although it takes the budget away from the core subject supporting the arts in a high risk school will eventually help the school in the long run and help the students there learn the life skills that are needed to get through school and succeed in life. Art is a great way to get and keep the attention of students who are not interested in
One of the major arguments for art education in schools is that it improves test scores in other academic areas. A 2006 Gallup poll found that 80 percent of Americans believe that if students
The arts are not only a nice way to pass time; the arts can greatly help with education. Schools in the United States have encouraged children to have an outlet and if the outlet is not sports, most kids take some kind of art class. According to Velasco (2012), a child development specialist, certain students who have taken at least one art credit every year since the start of third grade were more likely to comprehend math and literature easier; for example, counting the beats in every stanza of music or learning the history and background of song lyrics. Velasco also states that students scored 1.5 times better in standardized tests, than kids who did not take an art credit. By helping schools fund art programs, the skills learned by students taking these classes can ultimately help schools excel in academic achievements, and they can aid students to a brighter future.
All throughout the United States for the past several years, states are “hurting because of falling state revenues,” (Emeagwali), and schools are trying to cope with tremendous budget cuts that are resulting in less funds provided for educational services. These cuts are putting pressure on everyone invested in the education system, including students, teachers and any other administration within them (qtd. in Johnson 2), and the reduced budget is not solely affecting any particular level of schooling either. All levels of education, ranging from primary learning to advanced, have been affected (Emeagwali). Additionally, it is not just one or two states having to adjust their budgets; by 2002, “at least 40 states [had] been forced to consider budget cuts,” and these cuts have taken their toll on the amount of funding designated towards educational opportunities (Feldman). As pressures hit hard on state governments, a rise in educational budget cuts has resulted in deleterious effects on the level of education provided to students. As a result, researchers and infuriated teachers and parents have begun supporting education as it is ignored by government administration.
The syllabus for creative arts is comprised of five components; visual arts, dance, drama, music and media. The art components help individuals understand how meaning is made. Arts provides ‘opportunities for personal expression, enjoyment, creative action, imagination, emotional response, aesthetic, pleasure and the creation of shared meaning. (NSW K-6 Creative Arts syllabus, 2006) Through participation in arts students become more engaged and active in their learning, provides a forum for students to connect with each other and themselves, skill required for their future and students learn to understand who they are and ways of expressing themselves. (Wright, 2012) Through engagement in art our ‘cognitive, social and personal’ abilities
The Creative Arts play a significant role in early childhood education as it provides children with a diverse range of skills to enhance their learning and development to meet the needs of succeeding in the 21st century. Educators can promote The Arts by adopting the Reggio Emilia approach to education, encouraging children to co-construct the curriculum to develop their skills in partnership with teachers, families and their cohorts. The focus of this essay is to emphasise the value of Creative Arts in early childhood education by providing a summary of the concepts and skills of the Creative Arts and the four strands; Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts. Then, ascertain how Creative Arts benefit children’s social development, language and
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” -Pablo Picasso. This quote is pretty straightforward. It says how all children are artists and how they grow older are not an artist anymore. A child’s drawing can tell so much about what they are thinking and feeling about their surroundings. They see things differently from adults and teens because when they are drawing or doing some sort of art they are not told that it is a “bad picture” or what ever they are doing is “not right.” They don’t have a limit upon their thoughts and ideas, but when they grow up, they do. Starting from the first day of school they are taught about the wrong things and the right thing. As we grow older there are more classes that have right and wrong answers to a question like for example math. We learn to follow the steps, use the formula, and get the right answer but because of these classes we forget about the arts. If the arts are forgotten then student’s way of expressing what they feel is taken away. Which brings more pressure to students in classes like math, physics, geography, and etc. That is why schools should make arts classes mandatory because arts classes help students build their artistic and creative skills, makes them better learners, and encourages them to find other ways of expressing their thoughts.
In schools, art educators need to instill the desire to pursue the arts (visual arts and performing arts) through a continued inspiration and encouragement where each student needs to be assessed individually. It is essential to instill passion and love for artistic activities among the students so that we can generate more creative adults in this country. The arst certainly helps students to have develop various creative ideas. The arts education in this country has undergone an immense transformation in the school system, be it elementary, secondary or tertiary level, it has become less popular these days, unlike the sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM EDUCATION). Over the past several years, I have seen the trend of schools not giving importance to the arts—visual arts and performing arts, gone for so many. Hence, The Ministry of Education need to create a scope to make the arts education more important, diverse and dynamic, provided it is implemented with a true spirit within the school curriculum. Schools should have aesthetically pleasing art and music studios for the students to have access to art materials or music instruments for them to experiment and explore. The stress, on the other hand, must be on nurturing creativity and innovation (thinking skills or cognition), and not