Art Based Education

All around the United States, art programs are being cut out of the budget in public schools. The arts include dance, band, chorus, theatre, film, drawing, painting, photography and literary arts. Some school board members feel these art programs are not necessary and do not benefit the students in any way. Elementary, middle, and high school students are forced to quit their passion and feel that their talents are not supported by their schools. Although many are not aware, there is a strong connection between arts education and academic achievement. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts in many public schools, the art classes are first on the list to be cut. It is important that the students, parents and teachers

To begin with, education and engagement in fine art programs are an essential part within the school curriculum because subjects such as mathematics, science, and language arts all require cognitive and creative capacities which are enhanced with the process of learning art. For instance, in the article, Critical Evidence: How the Arts Benefits Student Achievement, it states that “researchers

By having art programs in schools students gain skills such as, problem solving, critical and creative thinking, integration of multiple skill sets, and working with others. Qualities such as these are very necessary for creating exemplary students. Arts have already proven to help with many long standing problems but critical thinking is needed for jobs in the outside world. “ … Creating art supports problem-solving, creative thought and critique like no other discipline.” ( Schoales,2) By participating in artistic classes students gain discipline that most classes fail to teach. These valuable lessons learned from art can’t be found anywhere

“Students who study art are 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement and 3 times more likely to be awarded for school attendance” ("11 Facts about Arts in Education"). Music and art are clearly not two subjects that schools today can afford to cut off funding for based on this evidence. Music and art programs are responsible for increasing school attendance, which can lead to being one of the most important things in a student’s academic success in school. Students have to attend school and be present in order to attain the information from their classes and teachers if they wish to succeed. Better attendance means more students are in class, which means more students are getting the information they need to excel from their teachers, which ultimately means better grades and test scores for schools. As of today, arts are defined as core subjects in only twenty-six states in America (Mandel). If only twenty-six states are treating art education as a core subject, that means that twenty-four states are currently neglecting art programs and not considering them important to their student’s education. If more states are educated on the importance of art programs for young students, and the arts are defined as core subjects nationally, then there will be a

One impact that students would be missing out on would be the skills they would learn through fine arts. Fine arts show to personally enhance student’s school work ethic, civil communications and personal drive to succeed. Analyzed in 2002 by UCLA, over 50 studies showed that these enhancements proved to help students thorough their time in college and participating in fine art activities (“Athletics and Fine arts can Coexist!”). With all these skills that students could learn through this creative program, America needs to keep the program in order for those students involved to gain these

Why are art classes the first to be cut in schools? It is not only because they have large budgets, but also school administrators do not realize they are necessary to the curriculum. As these cuts are being made, it is causing children and students to be less cultured and hinders their creative ability, which will help in their future careers. Therefore, it is important to have art classes in schools so children stay in school and are interested, can develop skills which will further their education, and develop skills to help with life and future careers.

Over three decades, art programs have been on the decline, because of budget cuts and the general thought of art being a privilege and not a necessity when it comes to the classroom. (Smith.) In fact, it has almost set a chain of continuous reaction. The children in the 1970s and 80s who were not exposed to art during class time are now adults who probably do not appreciate art today. And, if they themselves are involved in the education system, do not see art as an importance to the education of children today. In the article Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who 's Doing It Best Sandra Ruppert, Director of the Arts Education Partnership (AEP), a national coalition of arts, business, education, philanthropic, and government

Art in our culture today is not as appreciated as it used to be, due to the decrease in interest, many people find creative arts classes such as drawing classes, and theatre classes are not as important and are useless to the educational system. Schools all over the country have begun cutting art classes from the academic programs, assuming it will be better for the student’s sake. However, a recent poll found that eighty percent of the American people believed that creative arts classes will enhance academic performance. In addition, studies have also shown that arts programs teach a specific set of skills that are not taught in the academic curriculum. This means if the studies are true, cutting arts classes could lower students’ test scores and their overall grades. Ellen Winner and Lois Hetland, the authors of “Art for our Sake: School Art Classes Matter More than Ever-But Not for the Reasons You Think,” stated that, after visualizing different art classes in different schools, they realized that the students are not only taught the basics of art but also the willingness to learn from their mistakes, which are not taught elsewhere in schools. The students are also taught how to analyze their work and their peers work, as well. According to Winner, arts classes are important to the educational system because it teaches appreciation and self-value. It also teaches the students certain aspects of knowledge that

Fine arts broaden our perspective and to help promote social tolerance, but also gives students many academic advantages they can use for a lifetime. Students that are exposed to an environment where they are allowed to express themselves freely musically or artistically will guarantee the ability of teamwork skills, confidence, and critical thinking skills. Some school districts fail to recognize the importance of education in the arts. Musical involvement promotes better math skills, students with band and orchestra experience attend college at a rate twice the national average, art teaches critical thinking rather than just getting the right answer, and theater participation helps develop social tolerance. All of these examples show why arts in public education are so important and why is a necessity in a public school and has overall higher academic achievement, critical thinking skills, and other things that are important in living

There once was a time in our society that the arts took a strong role in the lives of our young youth and community, but the stress of regulations and test requirements has put the arts in the hot seat. There is no amount of fine art that students would not benefit from if teachers consistently incorporated it in their classrooms. The importance of arts should not be thrown aside for the sake of achieving test scores. There are 6 critical reasons why communities should not be so quick to cut the arts programs and unintentionally hinder students growth.

The purpose of this presentation is to persuade my audience that school officials should focus on and advocate for visual and music art based programs, making them a continued part of the school curricula because such programs facilitate the learning process for all students and should never be eliminated. Also, art based programs provides a well-rounded education and levels the playing field for at risk youths that are socioeconomic disadvantaged.

Since people’s views only go as far as seeing programs like painting, drawing, choir or orchestra -to which can help develop one’s creativity- as just a distraction towards more important classes, such as science or math. Though multiple studies prove, “Schools with long-standing art programs have higher graduation rates. In many instances, art classes motivate students to stay in school, especially low-achieving students, by fostering closer ties with peers and creating community-oriented environments” (Metla). Showing, how schools with art programs can serve as a motivation for a student’s need for success. Not only do programs like art or music motivate, but classes taught at college levels also show how subjects like, “The humanities teach something. Their subject matter is culture, and since everything human beings do is mediated by culture -- by language, by representations, by systems of values and beliefs -- knowing how to understand other languages, interpret cultural expressions, and evaluate belief systems is as indispensable to functioning effectively in the professional world as knowing how to use a computer. This knowledge may or may not make you a better person; it can certainly make you more productive and successful in the workplace” (Menand). To which, undoubtedly justifies the importance of classes like the humanities, because there is basic knowledge that can be learned and applied to one’s life. Furthermore showing how many “Schools across the country have faced budget shortfalls in recent years, a common cost-cutting measure is to slash funding for arts education, prioritizing what are deemed more essential subjects such as math, reading, and science” (Fang). When schools focus less on classes that enhance a student's creative and innovative thinking, then there is less of a chance that

Art education has been proven to help with “cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skills” as well as “motivation, concentration, confidence, and teamwork” (Smith). Having the ability and patience to sit down and paint a masterpiece or work through a song on the piano requires high focus and dedication. Students willing to do this will in turn have stronger skills to focus and be dedicated in other subjects. The mixture of all these abilities gained from participation in art programs lead to higher test scores and overall better performance in school. Still, these are only a few of the assets provided by art education.

Schools that offer fine arts classes have lower dropout rates and raised attendance. The fine arts positively impact students of lower socioeconomic status more those of a higher  status. The fine arts have no barriers for race, religion, and culture when it comes to being involved in the arts. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to be involved (Katy Independent School District). Without the arts these students have no outlet for creative capabilities and no way to express their talents. Students who need this way of expressing themselves are overlooked and they are the ones who need it the most (Dickson). When viewing the participation of arts in the eyes of a ten-year old, “It cools kids down after all the other hard stuff they have to think about” (Arts and Smarts: Test Scores and Cognitive Development).

“People are forgetting that math is taught when a child is playing an instrument. English is taught when a child is reading or writing a script. Critical thinking is taught when a child is analyzing art” (Sabrina Holcomb). There is a significant correlation between participating in the arts, and success in school. Multiple studies have shown that there is a strong correlation between playing an instrument, and an increase in scores in mathematical subject. In these studies, it was also noted that students who were more creative were better problem solvers than students who were not as creative. All of these characteristics are sought after in the work force, meaning that the arts not only help during the school years, but in work and business as well (Ron Whitehorne). Also, it is important to note that “Low-income students who had arts-rich experiences in high schools were more than three times as likely to earn a B.A. as low-income students without those experiences. And the new study from the National Endowment reports that low-income high school students who earned little or no arts credits were five times more likely not to graduate from high school than low-income students who earned many arts credits” (Tyleah Hawkins). The arts have always been used as a form of expression and inspiration for people across the world, the arts have also been shown to improve high-risk student's outlook on their schooling. Research has shown that the arts help improve standardized test scores like the ACT or SAT (Tyleah Hawkins).People who support the arts believe that quality art education can help engage at-risk students in ways that other subjects such as math, science, or reading cannot. This is why it is believed that the arts are a key tool in the prevention of high-school dropout. There are many studies that point to a lower dropout rate for students who participate in