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The Importance Of Art Education In Public Schools

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All around the United States, art education programs are overlooked and pushed under the rug in public schools. The arts include musical theatre, drama, photography, pottery, music, choir and literary arts. Most California school board members feel these art programs are not necessary and do not benefit the students’ academic learning in any way. California state code twelve makes it mandatory for students grade Kindergarten through twelve to receive art instruction. Although many are not aware, there is a strong connection between arts education and academic achievement. Unfortunately, due to the most recent budget cuts in many public schools, the art and music classes are first on the list to be cut. Should the arts be funded or should all our focus be on teaching students the curriculum and allowing the parents to get their kids involved with creative outlets? I believe art should be incorporated into almost everything that a developing mind learns. The importance of art education in public schools can be seen in the development of minds, the discovering of one’s self, and through an outlet of expression. In the book “Critical Studies in Art and Design Education” the author Richard Hickman discusses the topic of how some students learn by books and others learn by expressing themselves “the need to cater for the artistic predilections of both the ‘visual’ child who strives towards naturalism in representation, and the ‘haptic’ child who interprets the world in an

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