The New Arts Education Plan

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

The educational subject areas focusing on the fine arts and cultural studies are notable for their many shared developmental outcomes and related teaching methodology challenges. Analysis of previously implemented art-based programs and learning strategies devised to supplement cultural studies indicates it may be a uniquely productive approach. The use of creative instruction in forms including but not limited to play-acting, creation of visual arts, and musical instruction has high effectiveness in the context of maximizing student receptivity to cultural transmission. Students of both subjects have also been observed to demonstrate markedly improved intellectual, behavioral, and emotional growth from programs which integrate up-to-date modern research and intuitive planning to navigate the complex environment of cultural pluralism. Many such programs feature the direct involvement of artists and other relevant professionals with students to enrich and ensure the quality of the educational experience.

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.

Despite taking the place of a core class, fine arts can bolster and strengthen a student’s abilities in said core classes. Art is accessible to everyone and therefore can create a new sense of unity and connection among peers in and out of school. Students often don’t have many ways to express themselves, but by taking classes in the fine arts, students would have an expressive medium to do so inside of school. Skills learnt in fine arts classes can be used for a student’s entire life, regardless of age or condition, and thanks to the many other advantages of these courses, should be required for students to

It has become a recent fact the Detroit Michigan public schools do not offer or have recently cut their arts program. Classes such as band, chorus, dance, foreign languages, and art are no longer an essential course and have altogether been cut from the budget. Although, The Detroit Free Press has reported on a new Detroit school board is pushing to bring some of these programs in their schools, in the beginning of the school year 2017 the school board was able to obtain half a million dollars which will go toward hiring 15 arts and music teachers. The new teachers who will then be spread between approximately 40 out of the 81 school’s public schools in the city of Detroit (Einhorn,2017). This is a good start in the right direction but

The pairing of arts integration in the classrooms and a structured arts rich learning environment is the most effective way for students to fully express their creativity and to thrive in academic studies; but, even though using both tactics is the best way, it is not used as often as the majority of school systems place a greater importance on standardized testing based subjects. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts stated that the integration of the arts is “an approach to teaching where the students can construct and demonstrate an understanding through the usage of an art form.” This “approach” engages the students in a way that builds their creative processes and connects the subjects together more cohesively. This cohesion is why arts integration is of importance for the schools systems, which have increased scores, and the students, which not only enjoy their education but also learn and understand more

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

The arts provide a window into the lives and minds of others, and play a critical role in understanding the human experience. Our fine and performing arts programs give students the opportunity to develop existing skills, discover new ones, and let their imaginations take flight as they learn about others’ creative works and make their

The arts have been long-recognized as a vital component of the well-rounded student, but for the past several decades, the importance of arts programs in many U.S. schools has been steadily compromised (Rabkin & Redmond, 2006). Pressure to compete internationally has influenced educational institutions to believe that an almost exclusive focus on academic fundamentals is the sole way to raise standards and close the achievement gap (Sholl & Sweetland, 2016). Katz-Buonincontro, Phillips, and Witherspoon (2015) expound on the predicament of today’s schools: expected to promote twenty-first century skills, including creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration, leaders are simultaneously pushed to uphold standards-based

“93 percent of Americans consider the arts to be vital to providing a well-rounded education for children and a critical link to learning and success” (“Why” par. 3). Going against this though, school budgets give less to arts programs each year. This can be exemplified in the lack of liberal arts programs that schools across the country are able to provide. In 2009, a mere four percent of schools offered theater classes and an even lower three percent offered dance classes (Metla par. 3) Of course the school must give time for the basic english, math, and history classes, but those classes can be amplified in what students get out of them by the addition of liberal arts courses. If students have an art or music class that gives them passion,

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.

The Birth to Kindergarten Curriculum course prepares students to develop and implement curriculums that are developmentally appropriate for children of various age groups. Students enrolled in the course will develop lesson plans and unit plans for children ranging from infancy until third grade. According to the Birth to Kindergarten curriculum young learners should be exposed to a variety of fine arts which includes music, movement and dramatic play. Various times I have observed teacher candidates in various educational settings neglecting to address Fine Arts. Students are not experiencing quality instruction with the integration of music and movement, dramatic play and art history which can ultimately impact their success in future

Education, in the 21st century, refers to certain core competencies such as collaboration, digital literacy, critical thinking, and problem solving that advocates believe schools need to teach to help students thrive in today’s world. (Education Week, 2010). Students are encouraged to think critically and creatively, nevertheless, there are schools throughout the state of Kentucky that exclude the arts from their core curriculum which eliminates a creative outlet for students. Arts integration in public schools provide students the tools they need to think creatively and ameliorate their state mandated testing scores. The arts provide students with developmental skills that aid in the improvement of their fine motor skills, language development,

My husband is the school superintendent for a small school district in Oilton. With all of the budget cuts it is unfortunate that art education has become a thing of the past. We have always sent our daughter to private voice, acting, and dance lessons and she has been involved with community theater since she was small. She will study Theater as her minor as she enters college this August. Unfortunately, this is a luxury that 99% of the children of Oilton will never be able to experience. However, with projects such as The Creative Classroom, the opportunity for learning through the arts can, once again, become a reality.

“The arts are an essential element of education, just like reading writing, and arithmetic…music dance, painting, and theatre are all keys that unlock profound human understanding and accomplishment” (William Bennett, Former US Secretary of Education).