Book Tackles Old Debate: Role Of Art In Schools

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

By educating students any form of art, can open up new connections to imaginative thinking. The arts could even lead students to find new ways of studying that could benefit their other classes. Arts helps in finding different ways into processing ideas, not just analyzing an idea, but also taking into consideration of the more human side to things: emotion. With a student being more emotionally prepared to take on any task, it helps a student judge what is best for themselves in their routine of study. In “Necessary Edges” Yo-Yo Ma says how “we are also aware that wise and balanced judgment results from integrating the critical and empathetic, taking emotions as well as reason into account” (258). If the education system incorporates arts into the system then students could find means as to help relax from higher levels of thinking, as a means to release stress and to positively believe that they are striving to be their best. Wood supports the idea of incorporating art into education because with the incorporation of more technology placed into classes then it becomes “exhausting: a continuous period of forced engagement, with no relief in the form of time when my attention could flag or I could doodle in a notebook undetected

Greek philosopher Aristotle defines the arts ¨as the realization in external form of a true idea, and is traced back to that natural love of imitation which characterizes humans, and to the pleasure which we feel in recognizing likenesses.¨(IEP). The fine arts which have been a part of human history for 30,000 years have played an essential role in the development and advancement of our societies. As of today, the fine arts are facing the danger of vanishing in the education system of the United States Schools in places like Minnesota, Michigan and Philadelphia struggle to obtain arts programs within their schools. Districts like the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan district, have been struggling with raising student’s academic scores in courses

A month later, the students were able recall the paintings they saw in great detail, and were able to sympathize, which allowed more interpretations of the art. In the article Science Says Art Will Make Your Kids Better Thinkers (and Nicer People), Jay P. Greene, a professor and researcher on the study had found "a big increase in how observant students were if they went to the art museum.” The improvement in their observation skills was immense from just one visit to the art museum. Compared to children that did not partake in the activity, “they were much better at seeing details in the new painting than those who did not go.” One trip to the museum had made great changes, imagine what a whole art program in the education system could

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

Appel (2006) evokes the spirit of the arts through Leonardo da Vinci, the “original” Renaissance man – artist, mathematician, inventor, astronomer, and leader - who drew inspiration from everything around him, including the arts. During his time, the arts were a required part of any educational curriculum, whether formal or informal. A means to reflect on the human condition, the arts were “considered inseparable from the sciences and other academic disciplines” and a vital part of community life (Appel, 2006, p. 14). Goodman (2015) furthers this notion by explaining that people - both yesterday and today - embrace the arts to gain understanding and perspective into the more immaterial questions of life. Da Vinci’s brilliance came from the world around him, a world that cared deeply about intellectual curiosity and inspired creativity. The modern arguments surrounding the arts do not deny their value, yet they get lost when faced with demands about budget, their direct impact on test scores, and where exactly they fit in a given curriculum. Many public schools have seen their arts programs disappearing, despite the numerous studies publicizing the benefits, including increased academic achievement, creativity, confidence, and

During school, students should be engaged and willing to learn more about what they are learning. With art, there is no need for someone to be good at it. Art is dependent only on the artist herself. If students view art as just another subject, then they are missing the academic value art gives. Art goes beyond having artistic value and surpasses the idea of one's own limits. According to Allyono17, one of the authors of an article in Teen Ink magazine,

Instead of cutting the art budget to where art programs and teachers will slowly not be a part of the school courses offered, school systems need to be proactive and innovative and use the arts to help students learn and enjoy learning in other classes. Using different aspects of art such as drawing and acting can be outstanding ways for memorizing and studying for the core classes that the school systems desperately try to have their students focus on. School systems and parents are oblivious to the fact that art programs are more than just a time for a student to relax and not focus on math, science, or English. Art programs are enriching and lead to a development in retention, individualized thinking, and can be used as a stress relieving hobby. Not only will it help students while attending school, but it will give them habits to retain information better while also having a fun and relaxing hobby. With the increase in technology and everything becoming technologically based America is becoming oblivious to the dramatic impact the arts have made in shaping society today. By not opening students up to the different aspects of the arts you are leaving those to be closed minded and teaching the philosophy to focus on standardized testing, good grades, and inside the box thinking. This nation was founded on out of the box thinkers and innovators. Do not let the arts dwindle in the American school system. It is receiving extremely effective results in the areas where it is being offered and is being cared for. Think about everything in this country that would not be possible without artist drawing, acting, or playing it for all of us to hear or see. Without the introduction into the arts none of this would ever be. Something as simple as the beautiful red, white, and blue flag pledged to every day would not be here without an artist. The arts is too

Art can make you think, it can make you smarter. In the article, Art makes you smart, by Brian Kisida he touches on topics such as how in many schools that were adding viewing art to their schools had made test scores increase, “it can generate social responsibility, and turn around

Arts Education is the way that some people try to fit in so they would actually have something to look forward to when they go to school. They should have at

Supporters argue that art classes teach the very qualities that educators believe can reinvigorate American schools: analytical thinking, teamwork, motivation, and self-discipline. “Art education improves overall academic performance of students, including the common core academic subjects. Students who took four years of art classes scored 91 points higher on their SAT exams than those who took half a year or less.” The report conducted by the Center for Arts Education noted that schools with a solid arts program had higher graduation rates. The report analyzed data collected by New York City Education Department from more than 200 schools over two years, reported that schools ranked in the top third by graduation rates offered students the most access to arts education and resources. While schools in the bottom third offered the least access and fewest resources. Schools in the top third typically hired forty percent more certified arts teachers and offered forty percent more classrooms dedicated to course work in the arts than bottom-ranked schools. The full report is at caenyc.org. California State University study found a link between art and literacy. “The people who were art majors had the highest reading scores.” An art major can ask provocative questions, can challenge their own beliefs, point of view, engage in intellectual discussions, generate hypotheses, familiar with discipline's vocabulary,

Art can encourage people’s creativity. Some people who want to be an artist want their drawing to look good but most of them don’t have any creativity. People who go to college as an artist won’t become one because some

There are several schools of thought on how art should be taught, if taught at all. Some artist believe that art cannot be taught and must come within while other artist believe that there is only one correct way to execute a project and that must be taught. Here we can look at two different approaches to this idea.

Adding more art to public schools can bring many advantages. For example, students and teachers behavior and actions can become more mature. The article, “Make Art, Transform Lives: The Importance of Art Education,” gives support towards having art, and constructing people a better character. ”Not every young person will become an artist. But they will all be better students, employees, and citizens if they indeed have the opportunity to embrace their creativity” (Lynch 4). Art can help people embrace their personality, they can discover that they truly enjoy activities that they did not before. If art can help people be the best they can be, then we should be doing everything in our power to help

A lot of people think that art can only go as far as a class in school, but in reality there is art around everyone. Art can be a way of life for some people, and for others it is simply just something they pass every single day. What they do not realize is that art can have benefits in different aspects in their life, in children's lives, and even the world around them.