Schools: Should Art Be Taught In Schools

Ken Robinson's goes onto his second point, How every education system has the same Hierarchy when it comes to subjects. At the top is math and language arts, followed by the humantanties, and at the bottom is Arts. He explains how there is a lack of focus on art and creativity. The reason being is because school is to meet the needs of industrialism in the 19th century that needed high math and language arts skills. Art based classes werent view as important because they couldn't make a living on it.

How would you feel if one of your favorite subjects was cut from school? You would feel disappointed or sad right? That is how I would feel if fine arts programs were cut from my school. For me, the arts are an outlet of my soul where I can explore my passion, and express my creativity. There are some school officials that say cutting arts funding would save money that could go towards better funding, but some neuroscientists say cutting arts funding might be a bad idea, since the arts have some very important benefits such as, improved motor skills and better language development. Also with cut funding, we would have more unemployed workers since all the teachers who taught those programs would be laid off and would lose their jobs. There are many disadvantages and advantages of cutting the arts, but I believe fine arts programs should not be cut from schools.

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

For starters, they’re are several ways that students, teachers, and even the community can help solve the problem. For example, the students and teachers can create a community team to go speak to the elected officials. Although it may be awhile for the officials to take your standpoint in the given situation, the results would have efficacious results. In addition, another way to help solve the situation is to have the students and teachers or even the community congregate a team to advocate a strategy such as explain how cutting the arts can result to less achievement and/or success in students. Seeing as there are several solutions to solve the problem regarding art program budget cuts, why haven’t budget cuts in the arts been solved yet? This situation has not been solved for the reason of budget cost. For instance, the government and/or the school board take the money away from the art programs to give it to other programs. Therefore, it results in the art programs unable to buy the required materials that they need to teach their classes. It then results to the students not learning required information that helps expand on information such as culture and/or the importance of moving outside of your limits to explore yourself and express your ideas and

In Elementary School it was a half hour that you would spend learning a new song or painting with water colors. But what if they took Art classes out

Section Two: History: Since public schools across the country have faced budget cuts in the past decade and a half, a common cost-cutting measure is to lessen the funding for arts education, prioritizing what are deemed more essential subjects such as math, reading, and science. Yet in fact, the current iteration of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, also known as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, lists that the arts are among the core academic subjects, requiring all schools to enable all students to achieve in the arts and reap all the benefits of a comprehensive arts education. Yet the economically prioritized curriculum is still draining the sources from these imperative programs leaving instruments, paintbrushes, and other artistic pieces in closets to collect dust, because no one will be there to teach or use them. Most impacting in the history of

Arts programs are being cut due to the lack of state government funding to public schools; this has been an ongoing issue for several years. Narric Rome, senior director of Federal Affairs and Arts Education at Americans for the Arts, voiced her concerns, “The cuts that have been occurring for the past couple of decades ... however, with this recession… The entire system is very unstable; teachers are laid off one school year and brought back the next, or most times not brought back at all. If we are lucky enough to bring these programs back, they won’t be for a couple of years. Which means some students who are in school during these difficult economic times will completely miss out on the benefits of arts education.” (Hawkins). Schools in low income areas are forced to drastically--sometimes completely--cut arts programs from the curriculum.

Art is a subject that lets kids be creative and use their imagination or skill. Art is a subject that only a few are truly talented at it. Therefore, why make kids that are not going to be successful at it take it. It should be a choice not so much a mandatory class. The state board of education should not add art to the high school curriculum, but rather as an elective.

Art is around us everywhere we go. Art can be in architecture, landscaping, performances and paintings. The arts can affect the way people think and how they act, like when a young child draws or paints a picture, they have to make small choices that can help them in many aspects of life. BUt sadly the beneficial education tool of The Arts has been in a rapid decline. In her article, School Art Programs: Should They Be Saved?, Valeria Metia says, “During the 1999-2000 school year, 20 percent of schools offered dance and theatre classes, but in the 2009-10 school year, only 3 percent of schools allocated funds for dance classes, and only 4 percent taught theatre.” Since this decrease in art programs students ages 5-18 are missing out on valuable characteristics in their education. Art gives students improved test scores and better thinking skills, significantly higher graduation rates,better performance in schoolwork,development of habits including problem solving, critical and creative thinking, and working with others and a happier and better school day. SInce art is so beneficial to a student's learning we should push harder and get art programs into our public schools again.

“It has become a mantra in education that No Child Left Behind, with its pressure to raise test scores, has reduced classroom time devoted to the arts.” This

Fine arts gives students a chance to pour their hearts into something beautiful; a chance to be a part of something that is bigger than just themselves. Some schools are facing financial troubles with the current economy, and one of the first programs they consider cutting is fine arts. The removal of fine arts programs would be absolutely devastating to countless members of the community. Many students would lose their favorite class, in some cases the one class that helps them get through the day, and many teachers that truly care fir the students would lose their dream jobs. Fine arts should not be cut from schools; they build confidence, help with the application of other academic concepts, and even help to prepare students for their

The reality in education has always been, when the money is tight, it’s time to get rid of something. Why, oh why does this have to be the case? The very first thing they look at is the arts. As stated by Charles Fowler, “In many schools, the status of the arts is fragile. When school systems face budget cuts, curtailments of art and music programs are an all-too common and seemingly easy solution. Reductions often come swiftly and ruthlessly, exacting debilitating losses on faculty and programs. Arts programs are sometimes eliminated by school administrators and boards of education without much anguish or serious debate, as if they are dispensable and unimportant, inconsequential and superfluous” (Fowler, 1996, p. 36).

Figure 1 represents the answers of 97 people when they were asked whether art education was important in school from kindergarten through the twelfth grade. 100% of them answered that art education was important. This poll was conducted using people of various ages, demographics, and backgrounds (Saal).

Art programs around the United States are being shut down due to the lack of funding and misunderstanding of the subject. Many people think that the arts are just about drawing and painting. However, literature, performing arts, and media arts are on the list too. Students who are involved in an art curriculum are more likely to be successful in school than those who do not take them.

Art Education is very important for students. A growing body of research suggests that the arts offer students a unique, valuable way to grow intellectually, socially and emotionally. These things are all associated with creativity. Schools today want to focus more on the four core classes math, science, english, and social studies which is acceptable for some students who are academically stronger in school. Opposed to the students who have a harder time focusing in school and we see them drawing when they need to be taking notes. Creativity today has become less and less more visible in classrooms in America. Due to the expansion of technology people see that it takes less time to look an idea up on the internet rather than taking the time to come up with something original.