NAEP Arts and Education

NAEP Arts and Education.

Few people would disagree that basic skills in mathematics and reading are essential to leading a productive life.  In the United States, the public school system ensures that the teaching of these subjects occurs across all grade levels.  While many people agree about what constitutes a basic education, an even larger number of people debate what role the arts should play in our schools.  Some would say the arts take valuable time away from the core subject areas of math, science, and language arts.  They do not see the importance of creating culturally literate students who are knowledgeable in a broader range of subjects.  The fact remains, though, that arts education not only broadens knowledge, but it also aids student growth in the core subject areas, making the arts just as important as any other subject.
  In 1997, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessed eighth grade students in the arts.  The organization reported its findings in the NAEP 1997 Arts Report Card: Eighth Grade Findings From the National Assessment of Educational Progress.  Through this assessment, researchers concluded that the arts "are as basic as literacy and numeracy" and, therefore, are an integral part of learning.  Not only do the arts improve student performance in other subject areas, but they also allow students to understand the world around them.  Through its findings, NAEP developed frameworks of important skills for three major disciplines: theater, music, and visual arts.  Each of these art forms passes down the heritage and knowledge of our own and other cultures.  Further, they teach students the problem-solving and analytical skills needed in all areas of life.  The NAEP frameworks made important statements about the arts in education.  Educators find it difficult to ignore a nationally known and government-supported organization.
  Organizations other than NAEP study and fund arts in education programs.  In 1999, the Arts Education Partnership (AEP) reported the findings of seven major studies about the arts in education in Champions of Change: The Impact of Arts on Learning.  In one study of 25,000 students, researchers found a correlation between participation in the arts and performance in other subject areas.  Those students who received high levels of arts education outperformed those who did not in almost all subject areas.  Educators can use this type of information to generate funding and support for arts education.  If mathematics, reading, and science serve as the basis of our educational system, then supporting those subjects through other areas of study would only strengthen the learning abilities among all students.
  The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has championed the importance of the arts since 1965.  Created by Congress, the NEA serves as a government-sponsored organization that grants money to individuals and groups in the arts across the United States.  Learning Through the Arts, published in 2002, discusses funding, programs, and research specifically geared toward education. Most importantly, the publication highlights success stories about artists helping students.  In fact, these stories further highlight how much the arts help students in all areas of life.  For example, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra works with twenty-four schools in the Milwaukee area.  Members develop thematic units of study for students.  A thematic unit spans subject areas by incorporating themes common to all areas of study.  These units not only improved student performance in music and academic areas, but they also improved conceptual thinking and communication skills.  These programs further indicate the importance of arts in education.
  The NEA, AEP, and NAEP have researched and reported findings about the significant role the arts can play in education.  We must not overlook, however, the other side of the arts that statistics and research cannot define: its aesthetic qualities.  How can one say with certainty that something is beautiful or pleasurable? For example, one person might enjoy listening to a symphony, while another enjoys heavy metal.  The former could define the different aspects of these genres of music but could not prove the latter wrong for liking a different type of music.  Consider a world where these differences could not be defined, or even worse, did not exist.  Without the arts, we limit ourselves to a purely academic world of numbers and words, formulas and forms.  People could not see beauty because there would be no forum in which to create it.  School offers a forum that exposes all people to art, both by defining it and noting why some find it beautiful. If not taught about different art forms during school, students might not be able to define their own likes and dislikes with regard to those forms.

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This is a standing argument which battles the issues involved with intensified block scheduling. With the intensified block schedule, it is noted that arts and elective courses are to be diminished or disfavored.

Homunculus
McDowell Student Council
http://mcdsc.darkbb.com