Arts Education in Public Schools

It is an issue that has been a focus in the arts world for many years and the topic of many debates, table discussions, and essays. I believe there should be more arts education in the public school systems, particularly in Cincinnati. Most people would agree that this is a nice idea, but the money simply is not there. In the current public education debate, you often encounter the acronym STEM, meaning science, technology, engineering, and math. These are currently the areas that the country is focusing on improving to create a workforce on par with the rest of the world. You can turn on your TV and probably see a commercial for this within 20 minutes. Many people in the arts community would like for the acronym to be changed to STEAM, adding an A for arts.

The arts world has been advocating for more arts education for years by presenting the facts about how students benefit from involvement in the arts. Americans for the Arts compiles vast amounts of information on the subject, which can be accessed through their website http://artsusa.org. According to Americans for the Arts students involved in the arts are much less likely to drop out of school, score on average 91 points higher on their SATs, have better attention skills that enable learning, higher motivation, better memory skills, better reading skills, and much more. Arts students are also in high demand in the workforce. 85% of employers say they want more creative employees and they value creativity and innovation in employees. This kind of inventive thinking cannot be taught, but must be experienced in arts programs.

I have had so many parents approach me to say how their child’s grades have improved in every one of their classes after joining the band. I constantly see the intangibles that students gain from being in the arts, such as leadership, multi-tasking, and teamwork. Unfortunately these intangibles do not hold much weight with officials who have had no experience in the arts.

While the facts from Americans for the Arts are very convincing and personal anecdotes are moving, they obviously have not been enough to change the public’s approach to arts education. Maybe it is time to talk about why arts education is important in a new light!

ArtWave’s study The Arts Ripple Effect proposes that one of the most compelling reasons to support the arts is that it allows our increasingly diverse population to create shared experiences. I feel this could be a persuasive argument at the K-12 level as well. If children could create these cultural connections at a very young age, they will remember them through the rest of their lives. It is conceivable that if children had more in common there would be less bullying and less discrimination. In an age of texting and twittering (and even blogging!) students don’t have nearly enough of the face-to-face contact that the arts provide, allowing them to forge lasting cultural bonds.

It is important to emphasize that students should not be involved in the arts because it is going to become their career, but rather because it will benefit them in every area of their life. Similarly, a very small number of students who play high school football end up in the NFL. In Seattle City Brights blog, Dr. Jim Taylor says that arts education needs to be stressed in the schools in order to “produce a truly well-balanced citizenry capable of being engaged members and vital contributors to all parts of our society.” Similarly, R. Barry Shauck from ARTSblog says that have arts education is a crucial contribution “to the development of culturally adept citizens.”

But back to the nitty-gritty of the question. In order for the arts to survive in public schools, more money needs to be allocated for the arts. It is important that the public advocates for arts education with the school board. It is also important that the general citizenry votes to pass school bonds that would support the arts. Many people are resistant to this because they do not want to take away money from other areas of education. But if people could imagine what Cincinnati would look like with much stronger arts education I think they would change their minds. We could be a community where students are more motivated to be high achievers in all area of their studies, are more prepared for the workforce, and have cultural connections that will last the rest of their lives.