Art Education in the 21st Century

1. Art Education in the 21st Century • Art Instruction: Integral to Student Achievement • Art, Globalization, and the Emergent American Workforce • The Role of Arts Integration & The Need For Adequate Funding By Sonja Dolnick, Suzi Melly, Janet Woelfle

2. “The best schools have the best arts programs. Excellence in education and excellence in the arts seem to go hand in hand.” Charles Fowler, Strong Arts; Strong Schools

3. Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and former Secretary of Education, Rod Paige, argue that the arts are an integral part of a complete, successful and high-quality education for all students. Education Week,January 26, 2005

4. Visual Art instruction is not “special” or extra-curricular!

5. The ABC’s of Arts Learning: So just what doeseducation in the arts provide for our students? The benefits of student learning experiences in the arts are…

6. I. Academic Reading & Language Skills Mathematic Skills II. Basic Thinking Skills Social Skills Motivation to Learn III. Comprehensive Promotion of a Positive School Environment National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (2006), Critical Evidence: How the ARTS Benefit Student Achievement, Sandra S. Ruppert

7. ITS THE LAW: ARTS ARE CORE ACADEMIC SUBJECTS The arts were affirmed as core academic subjects by both the U.S. Department of Education’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act signed by President George W. Bush in 2002, and the No Child Left Behind act (NCLB). U.S. Department of Education, No Child Left Behind Web site, http://www.nochildleft behind.gov

8. This deserves attention by school policymakers and administrators, who should ensure that the arts programs arerigorous and consequentialwith their required content knowledge and skills based on state or national standards.

9. SAT Scores: Based on Years in the Arts Source: 2005 College-Bound Seniors: Total Group Profile Report, The College Board, 2005, Table 3-3

10. SAT & ACT Scores Comparison Chart: A student scoring 478 Verbal and 498 Math (no formal instruction in the arts) would have a combined SAT score of 976. The ACT equivalent would be an ACT composite between 20-21 (Colorado's state average). A student scoring 543 Verbal and 541 Math (4 or more years of arts instruction) would have a combined SAT score of 1084. The ACT equivalent would be an ACT composite between 23-24. Data comparison compiled by Cindy Blue - Horizon High School Professional School Counselor & GT Coordinator

11. Art Education in America has strong public support… 93% of those polled agree that the arts are vital to providing a well-rounded education for children. 79% agree that incorporating the arts into education is the first step in adding back what’s missing in public education today. Source: “New Harris Poll Reveals That 93% of Americans Believe That the Arts Are Vital to Providing a Well-Rounded Education,” www.artsusa.org.

12. And Why Not… A well documented national study found that high arts-involved students watched fewer hours of TV, participated in more community service, and reported less boredom in school. Catterall, James S. (2002) “Involvement in the Arts and Success in Secondary School.” In R.Deasy (Ed.), Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Achievement and Social Development, Washington, DC:AEP.

13. “Tomorrow’s scientists and engineers need grounding in the arts to stimulate their creativity, to help them perceive the world in new and different ways. If nothing else, a blending of arts and sciences can cement a foundation for learning how to learn, a trait that is proving all the more crucial at a time when knowledge simply won’t stay put.”Morris Tannenbaum, Retired CFO, AT & T

14. So…is our current education system preparing students for the extremely competitive global economy of the future? Yes? No? Maybe? What skills will our students need to compete and succeed?

15. December 14, 2006… The New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, commissioned by the National Center on Education and the Economy, unveiled a report titled “Tough Choices or Tough Times” outlining recommendations that call for the biggest changes in the American education system in a century. www.skillscommission.org

16. The Commission contends that to maintain any level of global economic leadership, the emergent workforce in the United States will depend on, “a deep vein of creativitythat is constantly renewing itself, and on a myriad of people who can imagine how [we] can use things that have never been available before, create ingenious marketing and sales campaigns, write books, build furniture, make movies and [develop] new kinds of software that will capture people’s imagination and become indispensable to millions.”

17. Yet, far from leading the world, the United States doesn't even rank in the Top 10 in the percentage of its workforce engaged in creative occupations.America’s Looming Creativity Crisis, The Harvard Business Review, Oct. 1, 2004

18. The MFA is the new MBA… In his recent book, A Whole New Mind, author & researcher Daniel H. Pink, former speechwriter for VP Al Gore, explains why creativity will be crucial to success in the emergent workforce and economy.

19. "Right on the money. . . If Daniel Pink is correct about the 21st-century workforce, then all those college majors that cause parents to grimace (art history? philosophy?) will gain newfound acceptance."US News and World Report “Thanks to an array of forces —globalization that is shipping white-collar work overseas, and powerful technologies that are eliminating certain kinds of work altogether—we are entering a new [creative era].” Daniel H. Pink, A Whole New Mind

20. The power behind the U.S. economy is its “creative class”-- scientists, artists, engineers, technologists, and designers, to name a few. The creative sector accounts for nearly half of American wage income, but the U.S. is suddenly in danger of losing its edge. Richard Florida, Harvard Business Review, Feb. 2004.

21. In Education Week’s Quality Counts 2008, Colorado received a grade of D for its educational transitions and alignment – that is the way the states school districts put together academic and other programs to ensure a smooth transition from K-12 education into the workforce. www.edweek.org/media/ew/qc/2008/18shr.co.h27.pdf

22. How do we ensure that arts remain a significant and vital part of education so that we are adequately preparing students for the future?

23. An Integrated Approach to Arts Education…

24. “We cannot fulfill our current economic objective by just doing better what we used to do; we have to educatedifferently.” -Ken Robinson, Art Education’s place in a Knowledge-Based, Global Economy • “The arts are a major repository of human values, beliefs, aspirations, occupations, and achievement. As such, arts learning has an inherent bond with enduring ideas. This natural connection can be fostered by an integrated curriculum approach.” • -Marilyn G. Stewart and Sydney R. Walker, Rethinking the Curriculum in Art.

25. BEYOND THE BASICS "The research shows arts integrated learning goes well beyond the basics and test scores. Students become better thinkers, develop higher order skills, and deepen their inclination to learn," Robin C. Redmond, associate director of the Center for Arts Policy, Columbia College, Chicago

26. Offering a fully arts integrated curriculum, the Denver School of the Arts earned the JF Kennedy Center “School of Excellence” award, one of 5 in the nation, in 2004 Teachers at the Denver School do not “teach to the test” yet… Overall Academic Performance on State Assessments for grades 6-12 is EXCELLENT! www.dsa.dpsk12.org

27. Huff Elementary School in Elgin, Illinois was facing possible closure due to low performance on state assessments. Two years after restructuring their curriculum to center on the arts & technology, the percentage of students who met state standards in Reading increased by 8% and in Math increased by 33%Data for the years 2005-2007, Visual Imagery as Artful Evidence, SchoolArts, Oct. 2007

28. “Of all the effects on cognition, visual arts seem to be strongest when used as a tool for academic learning…Art classes are an important feature in any curriculum, but the greatest payback comes from integrating visual arts into the curriculum… A majority of your learners are visual.” -Eric Jensen, Arts with the Brain in Mind

29. In August 2008, Adams 12 Five Star Schools will open a unique school with a focus on the creative arts. The newly named Studio School will feature an integrated approach to the arts as music, visual art, dance, theatre, and literary arts are infused with language arts, math, science and social studies. Featuring a culturally rich learning environment, instruction will capitalize on the latest research linking academic success with the integration of arts concepts and hands-on experiences. www.artsmagnet.adams12.org

30. “We recognize that we are calling on schools to change dramatically even as they face difficult economic challenges and a vigorous discussion of student achievement and assessments. However, while current budget constraints will eventually subside, the long-term need for 21st century learning will not.” Letter to America’s Education Leaders, The Board of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills

31. Adequate Funding?

32. School Spending Statistics:Colorado ranks 8th in the country for per capita income & our taxes are amongst the lowest in the nation, yet we spend over $1,000 less per pupil annually than the national average. Various calculations rank Colorado between 37th and 49th in investment in public education.National Center for Education Statistics http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2007/expenditures/tables.asp

33. An analysis by the Colorado School Finance Project forecasts that we will need an additional $2.9 billion annually to adequately invest in our public schools. That’s just for academics, not for maintaining or building facilities. www.believeinabettercolorado.org

34. Colorado’s tax scenario and recent economic conditions engender fierce competition for insufficient public dollarswww.greateducation.orgwww.believeinabettercolorado.org/basics/index.html With a widening gap in school funding, the question facing our school districts each year is“What to cut?”

35. “My son's middle school eliminated foreign language this year partially as a result of cuts.  There was a huge parent outcry, and Spanish will be offered next year.  But the parents have been warned that there may be a cut in music and band depending upon enrollment, and there will be cuts in gym, and perhaps other courses as well.  Schools should not be making these choices. There should be enough money so that schools can offer a a varied curriculum and students can take the courses that they want to.” Comment posted by Jane F., Feb. 28, 2008 www.greateducation.org

36. In 2011, both Amendment 23 and Referendum C (voter approved 5-year break from TABOR) will expire… In less than two more school years, what will the state of education funding, and consequently arts education, in Colorado be?

37. The answer is up to us:parents, teachers, administrators.Please use the resources provided in, and with, this presentation to get involved.Today.

38. “The arts must…contribute forcefully to the education of the public.”~ Jaques Louis Davis, 1793 Gratitude and acknowledgement to the Colorado Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts for financial support of this presentation.