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Hana Drew

Crist

March 7, 2017

English IV

Supplementing adequate funding to Art Education

One of the greatest minds of all time, Albert Einstein said "It is the supreme art of the

teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge". To most, teaching is attempting to

speak over a room full of rowdy children, staying up late overlooking a seemingly endless

amount of papers, repeating lessons from bell to bell. However, it is much more worthwhile than

it seems. Teaching art is not a profession, it is a passion. It is about seeing opportunity and

growth of creativity where others see a classroom of students. The teachers who are on a

mission to spark curiosity in the minds of young people, and to instill within them a love for

learning, need the sources and funding to do so. Therefore, how and why we supplement

funding to art education is important, it can do many things such as close the low and high

income gap, affect student achievement, and helps troubled students.

The National Endowment for the Arts reported in 2012 that the gap that appears

between low-SES students and their advanced peers is closing significantly because students

who comes from a low- socioeconomic background with a high arts education outperformed

students from a low arts education. According to the study, High-arts, low-SES students were

more likely to graduate than low-arts, low-SES students -- and all students: Only 4 percent of

high-arts, low-SES students did not graduate from high school, compared to 22 percent of low-

arts, low-SES students -- and 7 percent of students overall (OBrien). Schools that receive

funding for art programs have a high success rate of students graduating and attending college.
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When students in low income schools have less opportunity to art education it creates an

opportunity gap which should be demolished because each students should be able to be

expressive.

When people think of art education they do not think about academics they think of a

creative and emotive class, but it is most important in schools because it helps with student

achievement. Multi-arts programs, as you might expect, had multiple connections: to reading,

verbal, and math skills, and to creative thinking, (Critical Links) which shows that it is critical to

have these classes for student development. Art education holds many subjects such as, visual

arts, drama, music, and dance; each are important in their own ways for student achievement.

Visual arts helps increase student creativity using verbal measures, Drama helps verbal

readiness and confidence that students need for the future, Music enhances spatial skills and

Dance increases reading scores significantly. The transfer of knowledge is different in Art

education, it helps inspire and use critical thinking more than just regular academic class who

just stick facts in students heads. Art education should be funded an amount that is equivalent

to other core classes because students benefit just as much from it.

Another reason why art education is important because it has helped troubled teens. Art

programs and after school activities have substantially positively affected juvenile delinquents.

According to the research it states that, To have an impact, a program should offer activities

that are attractive to youth and keep them involved year after year through philosophies and

practices that create a sense of belonging and responsibility to the longevity of the overall

program, (Gregg) which is a crucial part to keep students active in school activities. When

students have on going activities and programs they learn leadership, independence, group

cooperation, and hard work ethics and skills. Troubled teens need to release a sense of

expression and art programs are the solution, they help communities and families come

together. A school in Rhode Island experienced a decline in student juvenile crime when adding
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in art programs and a significant change in behavior in and a rise in performance from students.

Art education has changed not only troubled students but the way they feel and how they can

cope with it.

Overall, art education is a significant factor to school systems and student development

and needs adequate funding just as much as regular core classes. The reason why we need art

education funding to not be cut from budgets is because it helps close the high and low income

gap, helps student achievement, and troubled teens. These reasons are what regular curricular

subjects can not achieve but something as simple as creativity and expression can do.
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Works Cited

OBrien, Anne. "How to Close the Achievement Gap: Arts Education." Edutopia. N.p., 11 Sept.

2013. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.

Rabkin, Nick, Dale Rose, and Michaela Parks. "Connections between Education in the Arts and

Student Achievement." Connections between Education in the Arts and Student Achievement |

Grantmakers in the Arts. GIA Reader, Fall 2002. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.

Gregg, Matthew, Rapayan Gupta, and Michelle Bach-Coulibaly. "After-School Programs & The

Arts As Tools For Youth Development." Footnote1.com. N.p., 6 May 2014. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.