Shrinking public school budgets are forcing schools to make the difficult decision of removing arts classes from the curriculum. Principals are attempting to maintain a well-rounded curriculum that includes arts education, however, it is proving complicated to preserve. For decades arts education has been diminishing in importance in schools as a result of budget cuts and the sense that the arts classes are not an essential part of curriculum. However, years of research have proven that the presence of arts classes is linked to all other aspects of a student’s education such as academic achievement and social development.
The Connection Between Arts Education and Academic Achievement
Students’ involvement in the arts is proven to be associated with improvement in math, reading, critical thinking, and verbal skills. Many of these research models are based on findings in brain research and cognitive development. They state that art is used as a learning tool, for example, musical notes teach fractions, writing/performing a play teaches about the historical topic of the performance, learning about Mozart to enrich the school environment. Each of these examples are creating impressive results in schools, sending the message that arts classes improve upon subjects such as reading and math and enhance a student’s academia overall.
In some schools the arts have suffered severely due to budget cuts, and it would take investments and time in order to change the curriculum. New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has attempted to make arts a priority in schools and wants to make the city’s cultural resources available to students. Although many schools in NYC offers some sort of arts instruction, in 2007-2008 only 45 percent of elementary schools and 33 percent of middle schools provide instruction in all four of the required art forms. Also, only 34 percent of high schools offered students the change to exceed the graduation requirement of credits. Therefore, students are not being given the necessary arts outlets that they should be receiving from private schools, even though it has been researched and proven that arts education enhances students’ grades in other aspects of their academic education.
Arts classes makes students more cultured and well rounded
For students, learning about math, reading, and history is not enough to make them a well rounded young adult. In elementary school art classes, students learn to recognize famous historical works of art by artists such as Leonardo daVinci and Claude Monet. They also learn about more contemporary artists like Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol. Students also learn basics such as the color wheel and learning the relationships between the colors. They are also learning how to use various mediums including three dimensional ones like clay. Middle school art classes begin to introduce more complex elements of art such as photography, which are used in creating things such as the school year book. Building on the knowledge from elementary and secondary school, high schools allow students more freedom in their artwork to develop their own style and creativity. Some high schools are even introducing the study of computer software such as Photoshop and Illustrator.
Although some may be skeptical, the subjects that students learn about in their art courses can be used in other classes such as reading and history. Learning about famous artists and their works can be crucial in the study of history as well. Knowing about the art of the time period being studied can give the student important insight into the time period and the lives of the people of that century. Having knowledge on topics such as music and art allows students to be involved in different social circles and allows them to engage in conversations regarding multiple topics, besides those taught in schools such as reading and math.
Teachers’ opinions and experiences prove the benefits of art classes for students
In my experience as an art teacher at a private art school, I have seen firsthand the advantages of students being enrolled in an art class. Firstly, having an art class in schools gives students a break from the challenging courses such as math and reading that take up the rest of their day. Art classes are an outlet for students to relax and communicate their ideas and feelings in a different way than the usual academic methods. These art classes teach students how to express those ideas and identify their artistic skills through mediums such as pastels, paint, and graphite.
Students in my classes have shown immense improvement in their handwriting skills, as well as showing more control and steadiness in their hands. As well as improving their handwriting, often students come out of their shell and develop their social skills by being involved in an art class and engaging with the other students. These classes give students an outlet to be themselves and be creative in a school curriculum that is mostly structured and inflexible.
Lillian Hoover, Professor of studio art at the University of Maryland, agrees that schools that have an art curriculum benefits students in various ways. Hoover believes that art helps to "discover the world around them" by experimenting and playing with art in order to get different results. Having art classes relieves the pressure on students of doing something the way that a teacher wants them to do it, and allows them to instead have an outlet to do things the way that they want to do them. It enables students to relieve stress by taking pressure off of them and allowing students to have an outlet for creativity and fun.
Success in art classes in public schools can potentially begin a career course of study that will prepare the student for a career in illustration, graphic design, and web design. Without the art classes in schools, students that are interested in art or have talent that they are unaware of, will never be able to realize their full potential and prepare for a future career. The arts classes in schools are where a students’ art career really begins because the artwork produced in these classes are what students use in their portfolio when applying for colleges. Therefore, taking engaging and challenging art classes in public school encourages students to pursue these art degrees. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts employment in the graphic design field to grow immensely due to jobs such as website design and animation, and since these positions require a bachelor's degree in graphic design
My interview with Professor Hoover
I interviewed Emily, a non expert on the topic, who gave me her thoughts on removing art classes.
