Erin Glocke Persuasive Essay Ben Henderson April 9, 2013

The arts are dying in schools. It is a sad truth, but a truth nonetheless. Over the years, education has become much more test and results driven, especially with such governmental policies as No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top. As a result, fine art programs are being cut left and right to make room for test preparation and to ensure that Adequate Yearly Progress quotas are met. This shift has meant that many students in todays schools are lacking key points in their education because they are deemed unimportant or a waste of time. The biggest subject affected by such thoughts is of course, the arts. Many schools try to squeeze language arts and vocational practices under the subject heading of the arts, but the fine arts are typically defined as music, visual arts, theater or dance (Definition of Fine Arts for High School Graduation). With this definition in place, its easy to see how the arts are dying in public schools, what with the many cuts to those types of classes happening in modern education (Cuts to Art & Music Education: Not a Pretty Picture). Research has shown that involvement in the arts is correlated to academic achievement. Thats not to say that it directly causes an increase in performance, but the two are connected. Data collected by the College Board and compiled by the

Americans for the Arts organization has shown that students who take four years of art or music courses score on average 100 points higher on the SAT than students who dont (Arts Students Outperform Non-Arts Students on SATs). Similarly, the same organization has also performed research to find that students involved in the arts are four times less likely to drop out of high school by grade 10 as compared to students with no arts involvement. Their data continues on to show that students who spend at least one full year in an arts program of some type are four times more likely to have been recognized for academic achievement, to win an award for writing an essay or poem and three times more likely to win an award for school attendance or to be elected to a class office position. If that werent enough, Americans for the Arts states that these benefits are reaped by students regardless of their socioeconomic status (Students with High Levels of Arts Involvement). This is especially important as the education gap seems to be increasing every year and a major factor of this is SES. Students who come from low-income families tend to have a much harder time in schools so to find that fine arts are beneficial to all students, without regard to this factor, could be a key to decreasing the gap in achievement among students. This data is not provided to prove that involvement in the arts automatically makes a student smarter or more successful, as there is no way to prove such a thing. It stands to be argued however, that involvement in the arts can aid students in many ways that allow them to pursue more successful academic lives. This idea can be shown through Howard Gardners theory of multiple intelligences. According to the Harvard graduate, people perceive and know the world in many different

ways (he outlines seven that he believes to cover everything). The interesting point of these intelligences is that it is not limited to the stereotypical book smarts that many would associate with academia and worldly success. In fact there is only one category, the Logical-Mathematical side that would stem directly from math textbooks and physics lectures. The other intelligences deal with spatial awareness, rhythm and sound, interpersonal and intrapersonal knowledge and so on. Regarding these different intelligences, Gardner argues that a person should be competent in all of them in order to truly be successful, as they all work together and allow us to solve problems and carry out certain tasks (Lane). This includes an artistic intelligence that is often deemed less important than lessons in grammar, algebra, or history. While it is not to say that these subjects are not important, it should perhaps be that the arts are raised to a similar level of appreciation and necessity. While a concern at all levels of education, one place in which this issue of the dying arts is especially severe is public high schools in America. All high schools have certain lists of graduation requirements; classes that all students must take if they are to receive their diploma at the end of four years. All high schools, save perhaps magnet and specialized schools, will require a specific number of years in science, math, English, social studies and physical education. The arts, however, remain an elective in the vast majority of public high schools. With this system students are given the option to pursue visual arts or music or theater, but the proportion of students who pursue these courses is often quite low in relation to the number of total students enrolled in the school. What this results in is a lack in arts education for many students. After the required general music and art classes in

elementary school (and perhaps middle school), many students will never be involved in an art ever again. Within the past decade or so however, there has been a trend in states and school districts adding at least one fine arts credit to their list of graduation requirements (Definition of Fine Arts for High School Graduation Requirements). Pennsylvania is not currently involved in this progress, as the term art does not even appear once in its mandated high school graduation requirements, but it easily could join the movement (High School Graduation Requirements). A move towards including them would likely provide many benefits for students in the state (National Center for Education Statistics). The state of Pennsylvania contains hundreds of different school districts, ranging from intercity systems like in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, to the rural schools in farming districts. Because there is no statewide requirement for the arts, levels of offerings differ greatly between the different schools. Some have cut their art programs completely from the curriculum, some offer the arts, some require the arts and there are even high schools centered around the arts, such as the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts. Typically and not surprisingly, urban areas all over the United States are more likely to have an emphasis of some kind on the arts (Voelker). By Pennsylvania joining the ranks of states that require at least one fine art credit for graduation, the variation would be reduced across the state, giving all Pennsylvania students access to at least some art classes in high school. With this proposal comes one major issue: what is to be done with schools that dont have arts programs or are planning on cutting them for budget reasons?

Its easy enough to implement if there are already music and art classes in place, but if this is to be a state requirement then all schools must be able to offer at least one fine art class. There is no simple, cost-free solution that can be presented, but there are several possibilities that the state could evaluate to make this a reality without going overboard on spending. The first is hiring staff in joint appointment. It is reasonable to think that hiring fine art teachers to establish programs in every school is excessive and unrealistic. A possible solution though is to perhaps hire fine art teachers for the entire district who would commute between the different schools. Many arts teachers are certified for a wide range of grade levels and mediums, so while they wouldnt be able to offer as many classes as if they were assigned a single school, they should still be able to meet the most basic needs of a school. Additionally, the enactment of this policy would include a phase in period so that schools wouldnt have to rush to build programs up from the ground. Districts would be given sufficient time to find staff, form curriculums, make plans and find funding if necessary. Provisions and aid could potentially be made to schools that might have a lot of trouble with this initial creation or revival of a fine arts program. Aside from the logistics of putting these programs in place, there are concerns within the schools as well. In todays educational culture, much emphasis is put on preparing students for standardized tests, none of which include any kind of testing in the arts. For schools that consider this to be extremely important, the idea of sending students to art classes may seem like a waste of precious test preparation time. While it is true that music and art classes will not prepare students directly for solving math problems on their PSSAs, it can be argued that

they would help in other ways. Most notably a period away from traditional studies will give students much-needed mental breaks. The arts are not mindless or simple, but they require a form of thinking that is different from science and algebra. The arts can often be more intrinsically rewarding, therefore making them more enjoyable by nature. Art classes require students to be engaged in creation, discovery and creativity, which may take some of the stress of standardized tests away. In addition to this, the arts can help to improve a students capabilities in core subjects like history, math, and science by helping build their overall cognitive skills (Rabkin). In the end there must come a point when outcomes and test scores are not the only objectives of education. The arts are a valuable and critical aspect of life even if they may not necessarily produce high scores on standardized tests. Not everyone likes art and not everyone thinks that theyre good at it, but cant the same be said about math and science and languages? Students are required to take these subjects despite their distaste because educators know that the skills they gain in those classes will help them in the professional adult world. To cast off the arts is to say that they offer no valuable skill sets for students, which is simply not true. The arts cause students to think in new ways, to exercise the parts of their minds that a math equation cannot unleash. It is because of this that Pennsylvania should join the ranks of states that have mandated that at least one credit of fine arts education is required for high school graduation. For schools with art programs already in place this would be an incredibly simple procedure that could have lasting effects on its students. For schools that do not have these programs or are in the process of cutting them, there are things that can be done to make this cost less

of a burden. The cost cannot be eliminated completely, but the education that these students would receive is worth the extra money. In todays world where students are spending hours upon hours preparing for standardized tests, the fine arts have become even more crucial in keeping them engaged in their education and allowing them to think outside the test. The arts are just as important as any other subjects in high school, and its important that schools do not deprive their students of opportunities to learn about them.

Works Cited "Arts Students Outperform Non-Arts Students on SAT (Average Points Better on SAT by Arts Students)." Americans for the Arts. N.p., 2012. Web. 29 Mar. 2013. "Cuts to Arts & Music Education: Not a Pretty Picture." The Pennsylvania State Educators Association. N.p., June 2011. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. "Definition of Fine Arts for High School Graduation Requirements." National Art Education Association. N.p., 2012. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. "High School Graduation Requirements." The PA Code. N.p., Jan. 2010. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. Lane, Carla. "Multiple Intelligences." The Education Coalition. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. Rabkin, Nick, Dale Rose, and Michaela Parks. "Connections between Education in the Arts and Student Achievement, Perspectives on Relevant Research." Grantmakers in the Arts. N.p., Fall 2002. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. "State Requirements for High School Graduation, in Carnegie Units." National Center for Education Statistics. U.S. Department of Education, 2001. Web. 27 Mar. 2013. "Students with High Levels of Arts Involvement: Less Likely To Drop Out of School by Grade 10." Americans for the Arts. N.p., 2012. Web. 29 Mar. 2013.

Voelker, Stanley W., and Thomas K. Ostenson. Rural-Urban Quality Differentials in North Dakotas Public School System. Education Resources Information Center. N.p., 2003. Web. 29 Mar. 2013.