Article 1: Arts Education
Issues and Topics of Discussion in Arts Education
One of the major issues in arts education is the balance between arts-specific education courses and arts integration. Examples of arts integration are visits from a teaching artist—such as a professional dancer, musician, actor, or visual artist from the community or from an arts organization. Another example of arts integration is when the school music or art teacher collaborates with a classroom teacher to provide learning opportunities in both an art form and at least one other content area such as math, science, history, or language arts.
Arts education would ideally include both arts-specific curriculum and arts integration. Students would learn the specific concepts, skills, and techniques of an art form while also understanding the relationship between that art form and the larger academic content fields.
Arts education—particularly in large urban areas—has been profoundly affected by school partnerships with local arts organizations and artists in the community. Partnerships help schools by offering students access to community performances or artists-in-residence. Field trips to museums and other similar experiences in the artistic and cultural world help inspire students. Ideal arts education partnerships foster collaboration between the community and the school; they also involve parents and families.
Arts educators often discuss the balance between offering arts programs for the especially talented arts student as opposed to arts education for all students. Competitive and selective schools help to identify promising students who may become professional musicians, visual artists, actors, or dancers. General arts education offerings and arts integration programs afford access to all students.
Some schools—again, particularly those in large urban districts—are designated as arts magnet schools or schools of the arts because they have more-extensive programs for students interested in the arts. These schools typically have entrance requirements that include auditions for performers and portfolios of work for visual artists.
Arts education in the United States has been consistently challenged by restrictive funding. The arts were identified as a core subject in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB; signed into law in 2002). This designation qualified arts instruction for federal grants and other support from both the Department of Education and the NEA (both arms of the federal government). Nevertheless, NCLB currently requires schools to report student achievement test results for only reading and mathematics. There are many reports of decreasing instruction time for such subjects as the arts. Standardized testing at the district and state level has further restricted time spent on the arts; students often use that time to prepare for high-stakes tests.
Article 2: Does Arts Education Matter?
A “Zombie” Idea?
Like the Mozart effect, claims that learning the arts (music, art, theater, or any arts) promote brain development, learning, and academic achievement are often repeated—yet seldom withstand research scrutiny. A team from Harvard University (Hetland & Winner, 2001) performed 10 separate meta-analyses of 188 studies testing the claim that studying the arts promotes academic improvement and came up largely empty-handed. They found: no cause-and-effect link between studying the arts and academic indicators; no link between an arts-rich education and creativity; mixed results for learning music and high mathematics achievement; no significant link between learning music and reading skills; and no convincing link between visual arts and reading achievement.
Nonetheless, claims that the arts promote other forms of learning persist—a zombie idea that keeps coming back to life no matter how often it’s put to rest. So, does that mean arts education isn’t valuable? Not at all. Rather, the persistence of these claims may reflect the fact that we ask arts education to do something we seldom ask of other forms of education: justify itself in light of its effects on other fields. How often do we, for example, ask athletic directors to prove that playing baseball leads to better math skills or improves verbal skills?
Must be at least five paragraphs, including :
Introduction (Include your claim)
Body Paragraph 1 (Include your Reason 1)
Body Paragraph 2 (Include your Reason 2)
Counterclaim (Mention your opposing claim, and refute it)
Conclusion (summarize everything you discussed in paragraphs 2-4)
400 words minimum.
Must include a works cited page, which includes:
Title of the article
write like an 8th-grader
semi proffessional
Arts education is a topic of discussion that raises various issues and concerns. In the article "Arts Education," one major issue highlighted is finding a balance between arts-specific education courses and arts integration. Arts integration involves collaborations between classroom teachers and arts educators to provide learning opportunities across multiple content areas. This approach aims to help students understand the relationship between the arts and other academic fields.
Another important aspect of arts education is the partnerships between schools and local arts organizations or artists in the community. These partnerships offer students the opportunity to experience community performances, interact with artists-in-residence, and visit museums. Such experiences inspire and motivate students in their artistic and cultural development. Furthermore, these partnerships also foster collaboration between the community, schools, and families.
A significant topic within the field of arts education revolves around the debate between offering arts programs exclusively for talented arts students and providing arts education for all students. While selective schools identify and nurture promising students who may pursue careers in the arts, general arts education and arts integration programs aim to provide access to all students. This ensures that every student has the opportunity to engage with the arts and benefit from its educational and developmental benefits.
One obstacle that consistently challenges arts education in the United States is restrictive funding. While the No Child Left Behind Act designated the arts as a core subject, leading to potential federal grants and support, current policies often prioritize reporting student achievement in reading and mathematics. As a result, less time and resources are allocated for the arts, and standardized testing further restricts instruction time. This presents a significant hurdle in maintaining comprehensive arts education in schools.
In the second article, "Does Arts Education Matter?" the authors scrutinize claims that arts education promotes brain development, learning, and academic achievement. The article highlights a study conducted by Harvard University, which found no significant cause-and-effect link between studying the arts and academic indicators. However, the article also acknowledges that claims about the arts promoting other forms of learning persist, even if they lack concrete evidence.
The article suggests that the demand for arts education to justify its effects on other fields is unique compared to other forms of education. For example, we rarely question the link between playing sports and academic achievement. This raises the question of whether arts education should solely be evaluated based on its impact on academic subjects. The persistence of claims about the value of arts education may stem from its unique role in promoting creativity, self-expression, and cultural understanding.
In conclusion, arts education is a complex field with various issues and topics of discussion. Finding a balance between arts-specific education and arts integration, fostering partnerships with the community, addressing the needs of talented students while providing access for all, and addressing funding limitations are all crucial aspects of promoting comprehensive arts education. While the concrete evidence on the academic benefits of arts education may be debatable, the unique role it plays in nurturing creativity and cultural understanding should not be overlooked.
Works Cited:
"Arts Education." Harvard Education Publishing Group, n.d., https://www.hepg.org/hel-home/issues/28_3/helarticle/arts-education.
"Does Arts Education Matter?" Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Letter, n.d., https://hepg.org/hel-home/issues/33_5/helarticle/does-arts-education-matter.