Due to budget cuts and the lack of funding public schools receive, art programs are the first to be dropped.
The No Child Left Behind Act, a federal law requiring states to test students on reading and math starting in the third grade, and Common Core Standards Act, a state law setting educational standards, drove public schools to prioritize core subjects.
Schools moved their attention towards raising standardized test scores. Jen McDonald, a writer in Kettle Moraine School for Arts and Performance’s newsletter, states that core subjects are believed to help students successfully get into college.
According to the College Board, SAT scores help colleges determine if a student is ready for college-level work. Standardized test scores also allow colleges to find and reach out to students who suit their programs or award scholarships to those who qualify. Art education isn’t tested on the SAT or ACT. By cutting these programs out, schools save money for funding tested subject classes.
However, the lack of art education harms student success in the long run. The Brookings Institution, a nonprofit organization that conducts research to solve societal problems, studied the effects of art education. Randomly selected schools were given funds for implementing educational art experiences throughout the school year. The results showed many benefits to art education. Schools with art education experienced a reduction in disciplinary infractions and an improvement of 13% on standardized writing scores. Therefore, although the arts aren’t tested on standardized tests, it improves student test scores.
The KeyStone Research Corporation, an organization that provides expertise about program evaluation and performance-based assessment, conducted a study called Arts Integration, which tested the relationship between elementary schoolers and art education by implementing dance, music, visual arts and drama into their curriculum. Trained observers rated criteria on a scale of 1-4 (4=Strongly Agree; 3=Agree; 2=Disagree; and 1=Strongly Disagree). The results of Arts Integration show that student engagement increased about 25% in classrooms where art education was integrated. These classrooms also showed student engagement of 74.88% compared to control groups at 49.77%. This proves that art education helps students stay engaged in class. This also explains why those who are exposed to art tend to have higher standardized test scores; more student engagement leads to better performance.
If art isn’t cut out, where will the extra funds come from? Schools can get grants to pay for art education. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESSA) provides federal funding to schools with low-income families. The Assistance for Arts Education within the ESSA is supported by Congress, receiving $31 million in 2021. Schools don’t need to eliminate art from their curriculum.
Does removing art education from the public-school curriculum really improve student test scores? Many studies prove this theory wrong. Art education boosts student engagement and helps develop problem-solving skills that are necessary for a student’s success in and out of the classroom. The lack of art education is detrimental to the future of students.
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Julie Jane Remigio is a student at Kaua‘i Community College.
