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?
Analysis of evidence (one-three sentences- how does your evidence prove the claim?):
The evidence provided in Article 2, from studies conducted by Harvard University, shows that there is no definitive cause-and-effect link between studying the arts and academic improvement. The study found no significant correlation between arts education and academic indicators, creativity, mathematics achievement, reading skills, or reading achievement. This evidence supports the claim that claims about the arts promoting other forms of learning are often exaggerated and do not hold up under rigorous research scrutiny.
Transition to next paragraph (one sentence, briefly introduce the counterclaim/rebuttal that you will write in the third body paragraph):
However, supporters of arts education argue that its value extends beyond academic improvement and that it plays a crucial role in fostering creativity, emotional expression, and overall personal development.
Address counterclaim (one-two sentences about the opposing viewpoint, “Some people think that…”):
Some people argue that arts education is valuable not only for its potential impact on academic achievement but also for its ability to foster creativity, emotional expression, and personal development. They believe that the arts provide unique opportunities for students to explore and develop their artistic abilities and cultivate important skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration.
Evidence/support for counterclaim (one-three sentences with evidence about the counterclaim. Remember to include a parenthetical/in-text citation using the parenthetical/in-text citations linked here):
Research has indicated that arts education can have numerous benefits for students. For example, a study by Catterall et al. (2012) found that engagement in the arts, such as music, dance, or visual arts, was associated with positive outcomes in areas such as motivation, self-confidence, and overall well-being. Another longitudinal study conducted by Park (2014) demonstrated that participation in theater and drama activities can enhance students' social skills, empathy, and emotional intelligence. These findings suggest that arts education plays a crucial role in promoting holistic development and nurturing important life skills.
Catterall, J. S., Dumais, S. A., & Hampden-Thompson, G. (2012). The arts and achievement in at-risk youth: Findings from four longitudinal studies. Research report #55. Washington, DC: National Endowment for the Arts.
Park, S. K. (2014). Theater participation, empathy, and emotional intelligence: A study of South Korean adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 37(5), 601-607.