Art-related disciplines are critical to educating citizens and students of every age. Nevertheless, the arts have declined significantly in schools and public participation. According to a recent study by Rabkin and Hedberg (2011), fewer eighteen-year-olds in a 2008 survey reported receiving arts instruction in their childhood than a similar age group surveyed in 1982. The research suggested that the provision of arts education dropped from 65% in 1982 to about 50% in 2008 (Rabkin & Hedberg, 2011). Moreover, it included survey data gathered in 2002 and 1992 with each successive period indicating a severe decline in Americans’ access to arts education. During the study, Rabkin and Hedberg (2011) examined a broad pool of participants and analyzed results according to the subjects’ ethnicity and race. For Hispanics aged between 18 and 24 years, the figures for receiving arts education slumped to 28% in 2008- from 47% in 1982. On the other hand, the figure for Caucasians plummeted just slightly (Rabkin & Hedberg, 2011). Other investigations have reported similar findings. For example, the Center on Education Policy, which carried out a survey involving the officials of different school districts, indicated that the introduction of the “No Child Left Behind Act” in 2002 reduced arts education substantially (McMurrer, 2008, p. 1). Further research demonstrated that the declines in arts education were prominent in low-income areas of the US. Accordingly, this paper hypothesizes that if stakeholders in American education were to increase support for the arts, the current decline in arts education in low-income areas of the US would be reversed.
Social Importance of the Arts
The arts have been utilized as keys for human expression – from ancient cave drawings and early basket-making to modern paintings and quilt-making, as well as from human apery of animal sounds to symphonies and marching bands. In addition, the arts possess the capacity for instructing the public in different ways. For instance, arts education allows the human mind to embrace new perspectives, broadens human cognition, develops a tolerance for individual differences, encourages experimentation, provides different methods for solving a particular problem, and ameliorates mental discipline (“The Arts and Education,” 2012). The arts provide such opportunities because they engross people emotionally, physically, and intellectually. Accordingly, the arts promote humanity and inculcate a variety of values and skills into students and the public. Moreover, the disciplines contribute towards improving academic progress in languages, mathematics, and reading (Ruppert, 2006). The arts also boost a variety of cognitive skills, particularly expression, problem-solving, creativity, inventiveness, imagination, perception, intuition, and reasoning abilities (“The Arts and Education,” 2012). Social skills developed through arts education include tolerance, empathy, collaboration, self-confidence, conflict resolution, and self-control. Students often feel motivated to acquire learning skills through risk-taking, persistence, and active engagement, as well as sustained and disciplined attention. Hence, the arts establish a positive environment for the staff and students of different schools and provide opportunities for community and parent engagement. Additionally, the arts have the unique quality of assisting students in developing personalities and cognitive abilities that transcend conventional academic disciplines. Usually, students who study art-related subjects develop eight mind habits that are often associated with creative thinkers (“The Arts and Education,” 2012). The eight mental habits allow students to gain knowledge in every area of the school curriculum, in addition to developing skills for future success in the present-day interconnected and complex society. Basically, the habits involve learning tool utilization and artistic conventions, as well as developing concentration and other mental states that enhance perseverance and problem-solving. Some mind practices focus on envisioning various scenarios, creating works that express ideas or feelings, and developing a keen awareness of objects in one’s environment. Other habits include practicing reflection by judging people and events according to a particular standard, understanding the world of art, exploring one’s environment, and engaging in trial and error activities. The habit of understanding the world of art, for example, encourages students to learn about the history of art and comprehend modern art practices. It also encourages them to interact with other artists in the society. Thus, arts instruction is essential to the social and academic development of students.
Accessibility of Arts Education
In the US, arts education is carried out in both community- and school-based settings. In addition, educators teach Arts across every academic setting, including post-secondary, high and middle schools, private and public schools, and at elementary school levels. Similarly, arts education takes place in community settings such as storefronts, parks, community centers, arts institutions, group and private individual classes, and homes across the country. Art classes are also held at every level- from beginners to virtuosos (Rabkin & Hedberg, 2011). Whether informal or formal, arts education settings have crucial roles in offering gateway experiences, in addition to providing professional trainees with introductory instruction. In particular, arts education has utmost importance in secondary and primary schools. Although many American parents want their kids to access arts education outside their schools, others lack the motivation to seek such opportunities citing issues such as affordability and convenience. As a result, the problems of affordability and convenience have reduced the accessibility of arts education to students residing in low-income areas.
Typically, schools serve nearly every American child, including kids from low-income family backgrounds that cannot access arts education outside their schools. In a 1992 survey, researchers found that access to arts education was strongly influenced by socioeconomic status, although members of every ethnic group attained similar levels of arts education in a school environment (Rabkin & Hedberg, 2011). Outside the academic environment, however, Rabkin and Hedberg (2011) found that non-whites accrued considerably less arts education than whites. Hence, the study indicated that the arts education carried out in schools was “more accessible to a broader cross-section of Americans” in comparison to the arts education provided outside the schools by private organizations (Rabkin & Hedberg, 2011, p. 41). As such, public school policies that influence the accessibility of arts instruction are often decisive in an effort to make the arts equally available to all Americans. Thus, educational trends in public schools’ access to the arts are crucial to future public engagement in the disciplines.
Development of Arts Instruction
The promotion and blossoming of civic education in the mid-nineteenth century increased the education level of Americans and allowed many to enter the bourgeoisie. Throughout the twentieth century, Americans gained a tendency towards staying in schools longer, graduating from high schools and joining colleges, as well as acquiring post-secondary schooling. Accordingly, Rabkin and Hedberg (2011) suggested that the increase in the level of education allowed most Americans to gain access to school-based lessons in the arts. Subsequently, arts education in childhood grew dramatically during the twentieth century. Nonetheless, the arts have failed to enjoy adequate appreciation in America’s public education and, hence, elicited earnest debates regarding the primacy of arts education. Furthermore, the rationale for including the arts in public education’s curriculum has seldom focused on the utility of acquiring art-based skills. Instead, it has been founded on the usefulness of the arts in promoting the attainment of other widely accepted educational goals. Despite the fact that such aims have evolved with time, the goals have often concentrated on meeting vocational training requirements and promoting moral development, as well as enhancing the socialization and acculturation of the kids of immigrants (Rabkin & Hedberg, 2011). For instance, public schools first incorporated music into their curriculum to ameliorate singing during church service. Likewise, new schools were urged to introduce music into school curriculum to enhance students’ progress in various other subjects. Subsequently, progressive educators such as Dewey (2005) began claiming that arts classes were essential to the provision of a holistic education. Such educational philosophers proposed that learners needed to acquire knowledge in culture and self-expression. In particular, Dewey (2005) hypothesized that learning is the product of experience. Accordingly, the author asserted that art lessons were intensified and refined forms of social experience that contribute to human understanding and learning through their roles as cultural artifacts (Dewey, 2005). Over time, music and art teachers became a common sight in public elementary schools. Additionally, educators introduced music and art lessons as electives or requirements at the high school level. The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) found that 94% of US elementary schools provided music classes and 87 % offered lessons in visual arts during the 1999 to 2000 academic year (Carey et al., 2002). However, relatively fewer elementary institutions offered theater and dance. Moreover, NCES reported that visual arts and music were provided in 93% and 90% of high schools during the same school year (Carey et al., 2002). About 48% of public high schools offered theater mostly as English literature whereas 14% of the schools provided dance instruction. A similar pattern was found in different smaller-scale studies. In Chicago, 67 % of all elementary schools taught visual arts, 70% offered music classes, 7% provided theater, and 4% offered dance lessons in 2001 (Donaldson & Pearsall, 2002).
Although art classes appear accessible in many public schools, the delivery of meaningful instruction in the arts has remained inadequate. Moreover, while schools have made arts instruction available, the “Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA)” has provided evidence suggesting that such schools often fail to deliver arts education regularly and equally to every student (Rabkin & Hedberg, 2011, p. 9). For instance, the schools’ district of Chicago “budgets a half-time art or music teacher in elementary schools with up to 750 students” (Rabkin & Hedberg, 2011, p. 42). Accordingly, music or art teachers in an elementary school in Chicago might teach nearly 1,400 students. The challenging staffing situation often prevents students in low-income areas from receiving regular arts education. Data about the influence of “the passage of No Child Left Behind in 2001” on the availability of arts instruction are still inconclusive (Rabkin & Hedberg, 2011, p. 42). McMurrer (2008) reported a considerable national decline in arts education following the passage of the 2001 legislation. However, the Government Accountability Organization (GAO) (2009) asserted that almost 90% of elementary school teachers believed instruction duration for arts lessons had “remained the same between school years 2004–2005 and 2006–2007” (Rabkin & Hedberg, 2011, p. 42). Despite the fact that national statistics is inconclusive, many reports at the state and metropolitan levels suggest significant declines in students’ access to art classes (GAO, 2009). On average, Chicago’s elementary school students failed to receive more than forty-five minutes of weekly music or art lessons in 2001 (Donaldson & Pearsall, 2002). Likewise, state-wide surveys carried out in Washington “between 2005 and 2009” revealed that schools reduced instruction duration for music, which was primarily provided by about forty percent of the schools (Rabkin & Hedberg, 2011, p. 42). The time allocated for visual arts education decreased by nearly 42% during the same duration, although many Washington-based schools provide music and visual art instruction. Consequently, the early lack of inclination towards considering arts subjects as useful academic disciplines persists to the present day. In particular, many schools in the US assume that arts subjects are affective and expressive, not academic or cognitive (Rabkin & Hedberg, 2011). At present, there is an increased awareness among cognitive scientists and school administrators that art-making is a cognitive process that reinforces the construction of human thoughts (Gazzaniga, 2008) and requires tremendous discipline to master it. Still, Rabkin and Hedberg (2011) noted that art disciplines are increasingly associated with luxury and play. Accordingly, arts education is rarely emphasized in low-income areas of the US owing to its association with opulence. Moreover, many educators fail to link arts instruction to the work discipline and ethic required for the improvement of academics and schools. For instance, a highly influential report published in 1983, “A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform,” framed the waves of educational reforms that continue today but hardly mentioned the significance of arts instruction in holistic education (Rabkin & Hedberg, 2011, p. 42). According to the report, “pervasive ‘mediocrity’ in American education” resulted from policymakers’ insufficient concentration on the fundamentals of education and a significant decline in classroom standards throughout the country (Rabkin & Hedberg, 2011, p. 42). Furthermore, the report maintained that arts instruction was only suitable as an elective at the high school level, especially for students hoping to pursue a professional career in the arts.
Consequently, the arts became susceptible to cuts in the event of tight school budgets owing to the subordinate role given to the field. The 1970s and 1980s witnessed such reductions in the money earmarked for schools because the public began opposing the taxes that finance education. Structural modifications in the US economy, especially in large metropolitan areas, also exacerbated fiscal crises and further decreased the funds allocated to arts education (Gottdeiner & Hutchison, 2006). Most school districts in the US chose to reduce funding to arts education because they considered the arts as less important than other subjects. New York City, for example, drastically cut the funds allocated for arts education in 1976 (Rabkin & Hedberg, 2011). Likewise, schools in Chicago laid off every elementary art teacher in 1979. Districts across California made similar cuts after the enactment of “Proposition 13, an amendment to the state Constitution passed by the voters in 1978, imposed profound limits on property tax increases” (Rabkin & Hedberg, 2011, p. 43). Such minimal support for arts education suggests that the development of American education in the arts slowed or reversed during the 1970s.
Trends in the Decline of Arts Education
Regardless of the fact that arts instruction has experienced a decline in recent years, investigations have revealed that Americans actually comprehend the utility of acquiring skills in the arts. For instance, a poll conducted in 2005 reported that ninety-three percent of American citizens “believe the arts are vital to providing a well-rounded education” whereas 86% “think arts education encourages and assists in improving children’s attitudes toward school” (“The Arts and Education,” 2012, p. 8). Additionally, the poll found that 83% of Americans believe arts instruction allows kids to communicate with peers and adults effectively. Nevertheless, the challenge facing the supporters of arts education involves reminding policymakers and educators that art subjects are as useful in trying times as during periods of economic prosperity. In particular, the arts have positive impacts on human creativity, public health, communities, and national economy. Furthermore, they prepare adults and children to overcome the challenges associated with social life. Despite the recent appreciation for the arts, nonetheless, arts education continues to face a severe decline, particularly among low-income earners. The National Endowment for the Arts carried out a nation-wide survey between 1982 and 2008 to investigate the participation of American citizens in art-related fields and made interesting findings. In 2008, for example, the poll found that about 35% of adults attended live arts performances or visited art museums (“The Arts and Education,” 2012). The figure indicated a decline from 1982’s 39% and 1992’s 41% attendances. The survey further noted that about 30% of respondents participated in art performances, which was a drop from the 1992’s 41% participation (“The Arts and Education,” 2012). Nevertheless, attendance in and of itself might not have been important in the study unless a strong link existed between attendance and art creation. The proportion of eighteen-year-old respondents who reported taking art classes “between 1982 and 2008” decreased “from two-thirds to less than half” (“The Arts and Education,” 2012, p. 8). The decline, however, was steeper for students of “African-American (49 percent) and Hispanic (40 percent)” origins (“The Arts and Education,” 2012, p. 8). The relatively steeper decline was especially notable because data recorded by the educational department of Pennsylvania has shown that the proportion of children of color in public schools has increased significantly since the 1990s.
A 2009’s National Arts Index revealed further challenges for policymakers and advocates of the arts. According to the report, the 2008’s total index declined to approximately 98 between the index’s base years (“The Arts and Education,” 2012, p. 9). The fall was considered the lowest since such calculations were started in 1998. Moreover, between the early 1998 and late 2007, the proportion of corporate and basic philanthropy directed towards the arts decreased from 15% to 11%. The report also mentioned that state funding for arts agencies “declined from $478.6 million in 1999 to $331.0 million in 2009” (“The Arts and Education,” 2012, p. 9). State funding in Pennsylvania, for instance, declined by 45% whereas funding for historic preservation and museums decreased by 38%. In 2012, budget cuts that affected numerous state agencies led the Governor of Pennsylvania to announce “a three percent reduction in state funding for the administration of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC)” (“The Arts and Education,” 2012, p. 9). The move brought the overall funding cuts for PHMC to nearly 40%. Such records reinforce the general observation that the arts are extremely marginalized and isolated throughout the US. The belief that the arts are primarily useful as leisure activities has minimized the appreciation of art-related subjects in many American schools. Consequently, the arts have been viewed as the domain of the affluent members of the society. As such, a severe decline in arts education has been observed in the low-income areas of the US.
Increasingly, cultural and artistic opportunities that the American society avails to its subjects, in addition to the depth of school curriculum offered to students, define the quality of life in every state in the US. In turn, quality of life influences decisions about business locations more than the temporary financial incentives received from local and state governments (“The Arts and Education,” 2012). Typically, business leaders want to hire creative people whereas creative individuals want to live in creative communities. Similarly, business leaders want their families to live in communities that promote and appreciate creativity. Thus, every state in the US should support arts education because it enhances social creativity significantly. Besides, a culture that promotes adaptability, flexibility, creativity, and innovation is essential to ensuring that US cities maintain their economic vitality and global competitiveness. Accordingly, states should make an effort to promote the arts in low-income areas of the US where arts education is facing a steep decline.
In conclusion, this study has affirmed the hypothesis that if stakeholders in American education were to increase support for the arts, the current decline in arts education in low-income areas of the US would be reversed. Various investigations have shown that the arts are essential elements of the changing educational landscape in the US. Despite the vital role that the arts play in enhancing creativity and people’s quality of life, arts education in low-income areas of the US is facing severe decline. Typically, the view that the arts are affective and expressive, not academic or cognitive, has led the American public to associate art-related subjects with luxury and play. Moreover, the subsequent decrease in state funding of the arts has contributed to the decline in arts education with the heaviest impact being felt in low-income areas of the US. Nonetheless, raising public awareness about the importance of the arts in enhancing social adaptability, flexibility, creativity, and innovation can boost the appreciation of art-related subjects in schools and reverse the ongoing decline in arts education.
References
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McMurrer, J. (2008). Instructional time in elementary schools: a closer look at changes for specific subjects. Washington, DC: Center on Education Policy.
Dewey, J. (2005). Art as experience. New York, NY: Penguin Group.
Donaldson, L. & Pearsall, E. (2002). Arts education in Chicago public schools. Chicago, IL: Chicago Community Trust.
Gazzaniga, M. (2008). Learning, arts, and the brain: the Dana Consortium report on arts and cognition. New York, NY: Dana Press.
Gottdeiner, M. & Hutchison, R. (2006). The new urban sociology. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Government Accountability Office (GAO). (2009). Access to arts education: inclusion of additional questions in education’s planned research would help explain why instruction time has decreased for some students. Washington, DC: Government Accountability Office.
Rabkin, N. & Hedberg, E. C. (2011). Arts education in America: what the declines mean for arts participation. Washington, DC: National Endowment for the Arts. Retrieved from https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/2008-SPPA-ArtsLearning.pdf
Ruppert, S. S. (2006). Critical evidence: how the arts benefit student achievement. Washington, DC. National Assembly of State Arts Agency.
The arts and education: essential but in decline. (2012). Harrisburg, PA: Education Policy and Leadership Center. Retrieved from http://www.eplc.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Essential_Creating_PAs_Future_NewColor_final.pdf
