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Why is arts education so important?
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Arts education not only cultivates imagination, self-expression, and creativity, but also plays a vital role in the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
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It promotes visual literacy, which enables students to analyze and interpret the meaning of complex visual imagery that permeates the media and popular culture.
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Additionally, the arts provide a point of departure for learning in other disciplines, including social studies, history, literature, science, and math.
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Research has shown that "arts education increases interest in academic learning, cognitive and basic skills development, and the development of academic achievement skills" (R.R. Konrad, "Empathy, Arts, and Social Studies," 2000).
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Arts education presents a window through which students are exposed to a diverse and dynamic world of perspectives and cultures.
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And, among these many other benefits, arts education equips students with skills essential to success in the current economic environment.
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Despite these findings and despite the fact that the arts are included as one of the "core academic subjects" in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), in many schools faced with budget cuts, arts programs such as visual art and music education are all too often the first to go.
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Schools that provide little or no arts education are denying students the opportunity to hone those skills that will best prepare them for the highly competitive labor market of the 21st century.
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Arts education is a fundamental component of comprehensive learning for grades K-12.
From National PTA Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been recognized for his support of arts education as the recipient of the 2009
Public Leadership in the Arts Award from Americans for the Arts. The
award, given on Jan. 19 during the United States Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C.,
also recognized the governor's initiation in
2006 of more than $100 million in ongoing funding for arts education in K-12
schools.
Tell Your Legislators:
PTA Supports the Arts The California State PTA was instrumental in supporting arts education funding in the state budget. Please let your principal, your school board, your superintendent, and elected officials know you support the arts for every child at every school. |
