Pablo Picasso once said "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." Think about this, when a child is young they are given crayons and paper to occupy their time; mothers sing to their babies or play them classical music. From a young age we are taught to create, and we really are all artists. We create until creation is deemed nonessential, and the art projects we work into our everyday routine are demoted to electives. "Funds for Education have been cut in over 80% of U.S. schools in the last 10 years, and the first programs to leave are often art education." Harvard President Drew Faust recently wrote. The same classes we as a nation are deeming unnecessary are mandatory in countries that rank consistently …show more content…
Twyla Tharp, a dancer and artist once said "Art is the only way to run away, without leaving home." Her point was proven when a study done by National Endowment confirmed that low-income high school students who earned little to no arts credits were five times more likely to drop out of high school than low-income students who earned many arts credits. Students that come from rough neighborhoods or bad homes can find an escape through art classes, if they're provided the outlet. Not only do students enrolled in Art Education have a more likely chance of graduating, they score better on college entrance exams. Students who took 4 years of art classes scored approximately 91 points higher on the SAT exam than those who took a half a year or less. Art class not only keeps these students in school, but it helps them go on in their schooling and achieve a higher education. If it has been proven that the arts have an effect on our students, why are we continuing to demote and defund them? My opponent might argue that the correlation between art enrolled students and how well these students do in school is low; however a neuroscientist, Michael Gazzaniga proved this incorrect. In a study asking "Are smart people drawn to the arts or does arts training make people smarter?", a "clear benefit" was found with kids trained in the arts, versus kids that weren't given the …show more content…
School System needs to stop defunding art programs because art is important in our history. Without art, we would have less interpretation of our history. In any history class we study the artists of each time period and how they interpreted their times. Most of what artists do is tell stories, they help us make sense of the world. It can connect us to the past, present and the future. Throughout history our greatest minds have often merged discovery and art, the geniuses we learn about in history aren't only math matachins or scientists, but artists on top of that. Einstein stressed the importance of having a creative mind, once saying "I'm enough of an artist to draw freely from my imagination, which I think is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." Without art we would have a much more narrow view of our past, and future generations will have a narrow view of our current events. Sure, you could say that we still have a history without art; but without photos, paintings, and sculptures would we really fully grasp our past? By cutting our generation off from art education we are cutting off future generations from learning too. Without artists to document our history, our great grandchildren will be without that connection to what's going on today. While art connects us to the past, and the world's history, it connects us to so much
The government has also been involved in supporting the arts in public schools. In the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the arts are portrayed as equally important when put beside core subjects such as reading, math, and science (Ruppert 1). Through this act, Americans can be assured that “Members of the art education teaching profession are ‘highly qualified’” in public schools, possibly helping them feel more supportive of the arts being kept in schools
Art, unfortunately, costs a lot, and as it isn’t the most popular program to do. Arts are always the first to go because of financial and unpopularity problems. Whether or not you like it or you hate it, however, art has changed nations, inspired billions, and the question here is: Is it worth taking an art program away from willing, ready minds, when art could make all the difference in their
One reason they should not be cut from schools is, fine arts have tremendous benefits. The arts also help with early childhood development. Some say they are the building blocks of child development. Arts education helps with motor skills, language development, decision making, visual learning, inventiveness, cultural awareness and diversity, and even improved academic performance. High arts education in a school engages, learning, results in higher test scores, and lowers drop out and truancy rates.
Labor relations lawyer and writer for the National Federation of State High School Association, Dave Dickson, answers this in his article ¨Fine Arts Should be Spared from School¨ Districts´ Budget Cuts. He states that the main rationale for cutting arts programs for students K-12 is a result of budget cuts: ¨When cutting programs, superintendents strive to cut those that have the least impact to learning and that create the least amount of controversy. Wrongly, superintendents often recommend cutting some of the fine arts programs.¨ Programs which strive to keep students from delinquent behaviors, and offer life skills that the traditional curriculum fails to do are being cut as a result of school boards deeming them unnecessary. He continues to say, ¨School boards must analyze very carefully the long-term ramifications of eliminating the fine arts programs. A school district without the arts leaves many students without an outlet for the creative capabilities and without options for expression of their talents.¨ (Dickson). School Districts tend to cut the arts without fully analyzing the repercussions that come with cutting them. Overlooking students who need attention the most and cutting programs that enable them to search who they are as people, giving them individuality in a system that doesn't. Parents in Chicago rely on after-school programs to ensure their children's safety and wellbeing. Rachel Norwood, the mother of Justice Watkins 10, exclaims her gratification of programs like the arts. It not only keeps Justice out of the streets and away from danger, they offer him a place to be himself and explore who he is as a grown adult. (Flores). Removing programs like the arts from the curriculum or extra-curricular activities, will not only hinder childrens’ ability to achieve their goals, but it will also lead to an increase of children being put in harm's
Studies have shown that art programs help the development of the brain by improving “mental representations of what is observed or imagined; symbolic, allegorical and metaphorical representations; careful observation of the world; and abstraction from complexity”(How the Arts). So why would the school board or government allow budget cuts in school art programs if it helps improve a child's development of the brain? Even though language arts and mathematics are important and basic courses that every student may need in the future, art programs should not have budget cuts because it helps improve a child’s learning ability and understanding of the world around them. It also helps students and children in low income communities that may not have
Art Education should be funded in American public schools. There are many talented kids in public schools and it is not fair that their art education is not funded like art in private schools. It is not fair that kids with rich parents get a better education than the rest just because of the money their parents have. Lower and middle class students should get the same opportunities that higher class students get to show what they are capable of. Some kids in public schools have a lot of enthusiasm and creativity, but sometimes they don’t get to show it to people.
Most importantly what happens to the future of art will be affected by art education or the lack thereof. Without our leaders thinking that art instruction is important the programs could be cut. They always cut music, art and sports programs. Artists who make teaching a part of their professional practice as
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.
“Students who study art are 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement and 3 times more likely to be awarded for school attendance” ("11 Facts about Arts in Education"). Music and art are clearly not two subjects that schools today can afford to cut off funding for based on this evidence. Music and art programs are responsible for increasing school attendance, which can lead to being one of the most important things in a student’s academic success in school. Students have to attend school and be present in order to attain the information from their classes and teachers if they wish to succeed. Better attendance means more students are in class, which means more students are getting the information they need to excel from their teachers, which ultimately means better grades and test scores for schools. As of today, arts are defined as core subjects in only twenty-six states in America (Mandel). If only twenty-six states are treating art education as a core subject, that means that twenty-four states are currently neglecting art programs and not considering them important to their student’s education. If more states are educated on the importance of art programs for young students, and the arts are defined as core subjects nationally, then there will be a
but they didn’t really need it but, they do need fine arts in schools. Most schools don’t have fine arts programs like music, theater, drawing, painting, or sculpting, but the schools that do have fine arts are cutting back on them or even stopping their arts programs due to budget cuts. Most people think that fine arts doesn’t do anything for their child but it does, studies show that students in fine arts may do better in their core classes. Students that are involved in fine arts are less likely to drop out of school.
The arts require a large portion of the budget, not only to pay art teachers but also for the materials needed. Yet it doesn't receive the money it needs in view of the fact that a lot of people demean the prevalence of the arts in education claiming that in the real world the arts aren't essential. In recent years the budget cuts have made art education almost a fictitious concept. This is a problem that is critically wounding student's right to a well-rounded toolkit. "A well-rounded educational experience that includes the arts is closely linked to academic achievement, social and emotional development, civic engagement, and equitable opportunity" (Velasco). The benefits of the liberal arts are limitless, by riding schools of art programs, public education is restricting innovativeness and diminishing the limitless of
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
If the government takes away all of the Arts Funding, how will the kids express themselves? Kids need an outlet to express themselves in whatever way they choose, and I feel that art is the best way. Art helps kids more than the government knows,
During the early twentieth century, art education was seen as unproductive and more often not cost effective. However, in the 1950’s opinions about art education made a drastic change as Americans craved more self-expression. Art education began to flourish as the importance of art involvement became known (DeHoyas).