Andrea
Children’s Art Education –
Americans for the Arts Backgrounder
December 15th, 2005



Whether or not to include the arts in the curriculum of public schools has become a controversial issue in recent years, especially with the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2002[1]. Those who support teaching of art in public schools say it is essential to proper mental development and a well-rounded education and point out that “the arts” are included as core requirements in the NCLB. These proponents include professional artists, parents and national advocacy groups such as Americans for the Arts. Those who are opposed to arts education in public school cite the need to cut back on unnecessary programs in the face of shrinking budgets and point out that although the arts may be included as a core requirement, they are not included in most state standardized tests, thus are of less importance. These opponents include politicians and parents.



History of the Issue

Q: What has caused funding for public schools’ arts programs to shrink in recent years?

A: On Jan. 8, 2002, President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into effect. Starting in the 2005 to 2006 school year, all public schools in the United States are required to test on reading and math skills. The better students score on their tests, the more funding their school receives[2]. This has caused emphasis and funding to shift toward the two aforementioned subjects.


Q: What subjects are defined as “core requirements” in the No Child Left Behind Act?

A: English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history and geography[3].



Q: Why have the arts been left out or severely cut back from some public education funding?

A: There are many reasons, but one of the most common is the public’s lack of attendance at school board meetings. Just because the meetings are available for the public to attend does not mean that the details and discussions of budgets and programs will be made public. Oftentimes, parental presence at school board meetings is the only contact with the public the board has. If parents are not there to voice their interests, it is often assumed that the public is apathetic to an issue[4].

Although the arts are included as a Core Academic Subject, it is up to each individual state and local district to determine exactly what “the arts” means within the bounds of the NCLB, so many areas of traditional art instruction can easily be wiped out. Since many areas or art instruction are often neglected, politicians are often unaware that government funding exists or even that the arts is considered a Core Academic Subject[5].



Q: Are there standards in place for what schools should provide in regard to arts programs?

A: In 1994, a set of standards called the National Standards for Arts Education was developed by the Consortium of National Arts Education Associations. They detail curriculums for students in grade levels Kindergarten through fourth, fifth through eighth, and ninth through 12th in the subjects of visual arts, theater, dance and music. State standards are still individually determined and are, for the most part, still being individually set[6].








Impact on Self-interest

Q: Does arts education have public support?

A: A recent poll by Americans for the Arts showed that 89 percent of all Americans “believe that arts education is important enough to be taught in schools.[7]”



Q: Does arts education have economic support?

A: In January of 2005, 24,153 residents were employed in the 4,135 arts-related businesses in Iowa. Without sound education in the arts, these people could not be employed, nor would the citizens of Iowa be interested in supporting them[8].




Q: How would increases in arts education affect Americans for the Arts?

A: Americans for the Arts has three main goals:
Raise more money for the arts
Provide an adequate arts education for every child
Community development through the arts
By increasing arts education in public schools, Americans for the Arts would be fulfilling one of their three main goals. From there, they could focus on community development and consequentially raise more money. With the extra money, they could reach more at-risk children and more remote parts of the country and expand their research and service abilities[9].




Positions of Key Publics Opposing or Somewhat Opposing Issue
Q: Who opposes arts education programs in the schools and why?
A: According to their official handbook, the Libertarian party opposes all government spending on “the arts” for several reasons. The most notable of which is their postulation that government arts funding has a negative economic impact. According to the handbook, although a government subsidized arts program might draw visitors and gain a small economic boost, it is not more than the small amounts of money taken from “countless enterprises that have been fractionally impeded by that same study, because together they paid it.[10]”



Q: What are other reasons why arts education programs are not favored?
A: Some people argue that arts education only minimally teaches students valuable knowledge[11] or that the information given to students is irrelevant to them. For example, according to Barbara Herrnstein Smith, president of the Modern Language Association,
“Classic literature is always irrelevant to underprivileged people who are not classically educated. It is an undeniable fact that Homer, Dante, and Shakespeare do not figure significantly in the personal economies of these people, do not perform individual or social functions that gratify their interests, do not have value for them.[12]"

Also, some argue that arts education is much too costly. In 2005, the U.S. Government approved $35.6 million for “Arts in Education” for the 2006 fiscal year[13].



Positions of Publics Favoring or Somewhat Favoring Issue
Q: Who favors or somewhat favors arts education?
A: Many groups, including parents and advocacy groups such as the Americans for the Arts, Support Music and the ArtsEdge campaigns.


Q: Do art education programs lower standardized test scores in other areas that are sacrificed in order to make time in students’ schedules?
A: In South Carolina, schools that have added arts education to their curriculum in lieu of other disciplines suffered no declines in standardized test scores – even in those that lost scheduling time due to arts education programs[14].
Nationally, students who reported participating in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on math sections of the SAT than their average classmate[15].
Nationally, students who reported participating in music performance scored 57 points higher on verbal and 41 points higher on math sections of the SAT than their average classmate[16].
In Chicago in 1998, more than 60 percent of students who were given a curriculum that included arts education scored at or above the average math score levels in the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills assessment. Those schools without arts education curriculums contained 40 percent of students who scored at or above the average math score in the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills[17].


Q: What other evidence is there concerning the advantages of arts education?
A: According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, children who participate in the arts for at least three hours, three days each week for at least one full year are:
4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement
3 times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools
4 times more likely to participate in a math and science fair
3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance
4 times more likely to win an award for writing an essay or poem[18]


Involvement/Positions of Government Agencies
Q: What positions have legislators taken on arts education?
A: Although many legislators have been outspoken in support of arts education, their levels of support vary and oftentimes their collective actions do not match their words.
Due to differences between bills in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, on November 17th, 2005 zero funding was granted on a bill that would have funded the Arts for Education program[19]. As of December 15, 2005 the bill has yet to be resolved.


Q: What positions have Governors taken on arts education?
A: Many Governors have good intentions regarding arts education. However, they are not always well educated on the situation of the arts world.
On January 10, 2005 California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Muriel Johnson to be the new director of the Arts Council, saying

“California is home to many tremendously talented artists and I look forward to working with her to support them and give Californians more opportunities to enjoy their work[20].”

However, California’s State Arts Council has such a limited budget that it cannot afford to diversify existing programs, much less create new ones[21].

According to Florida’s First Lady, Columbia Bush,

"Art education blended with traditional school subjects can inspire young artists. The arts enrich our children's education.[22]"

However, during Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s term in office, he has reduced Florida’s arts education funding from $28 million to $5.9 million[23].


Q: What positions has George W. Bush taken on arts education?
A: In September of 2002, President Bush issued a strong statement of support for arts education in the form of an official letter deeming October to be National Arts and Humanities Month[24]. According to the letter,
“The arts enhance our lives, stimulate our creativity and allow us to express our emotions, thoughts and aspirations through countless forms of artistic expression.[25]”
In January 2004 First Lady Laura Bush announced to the National Endowment for the Arts that President Bush was to request a grant of $18 million for an arts education project[26].
However after passing through Congress, the grant shrunk to $2 million[27]. President Bush is supporting arts education. But the legal process appears to be severely slowing our nation’s progress in the field.

Laws Surrounding the Issue
Q: What laws support arts education?
A: In 1965, the U.S. government signed into law an act that founded the National Endowment for the Arts. Its mission is to provide:
a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education[28].
This is the official arts organization of the U.S. government.


Q: What sorts of things has the National Endowment for the Arts funded or sponsored?
A:
Since 1990, 39 of the 58 recipients of National Book Awards, National Book Critics Circle Awards and Pulitzer Prizes in fiction and poetry were awarded Arts Endowment Literature Fellowships, often 10 to 20 years earlier.
Sponsoring the design competition for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the most visited tourist attraction in the nation's capital.
Giving early and critical funding to:o The Sundance Film Festivalo Steppenwolf Theatre Companyo Minnesota Public Radio's A Prairie Home Companiono Spoleto Festival U.S.A.o PBS's Great Performances series
Creating and funding the American Film Institute[29]

Q: How many arts-related pieces of legislation were put before Congress last year and of those, how many contained provisions for monetary grants?
A: As of August 22, 2005 there have been 1,402 arts-related bills put before state and nationwide levels of government. Of those 1,402 bills, 492 have been enacted. Of those 492 enacted bills, 189 provide some sort of monetary pledge, be it appropriations, bond authorities or grants[30].


Q: What other important arts related state level laws were passed?
A: This year in Arkansas, the Visual Art or Music in the Classroom (H 1034) law was passed. This requires that accredited instructors teach all music and art classes and that all primary school students must receive at least 40 minutes of art or music classes per week[31].
Also, in Iowa a law (IA H 862) was enacted which allows for $50,000 from the Healthy Iowans Tobacco Trust and the Tobacco Settlement Trust fund to be used toward various music education programs across the state[32].