Eliminating fine art

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, more than 95 percent of school aged children are attending schools that have cut funding since the recession. There are various possibilities outlining proposed cuts. Included in the proposals ere far!ranging cuts that covered things such as stipends for coaches of athletic teams, eliminating librarians and custodians, additional teacher layoffs, music and fine arts programs, and doing a ay ith summer school.

Among the proposals, eliminating fine arts has been a highly debated topic. In a survey by the Common "ense Coalition of #"Cs it is suggested that $% percent of schools lost essential classes such as music and art. As a future teacher, I believe that eliminating fine arts is not the right ay to deal ith a lac& of complete funding. Arts are essential to any curricula that see&s to truly

develop creative!! creating!! individuals. 'hether it(s dra ing, painting, se ing, reading, playing ball, or an instrument, having art in a school curricula helps to diversify individuals and perhaps stimulate curiosity into further aspirations. )nder the pressure of recession, "ome people might support that fine art is an easy to cope ay

ith the budget shortage situation, or ma&e fine art education optional because some

people believe that fine arts are not as essential as other parts of a good curriculum since not everyone is interested. There are people distraction for most of the students, ho also believe that fine arts are most li&ely a

hich can distract students both mentally and physically,

thus leading to a lac& of academic focus and academic improvement. The *o Child #eft Behind Act+*C#B, has especially resulted in narro ing arts education. Parents have been see&ing that ould provide students ays to fashion the best education for their children!! a place

ith the best possible education and send them forth fully prepared

to meet life(s challenges. In the curriculum, having fine arts as one of the roots gives children a

ay to e-press their emotions and deal

ith their problems in a creative manner rather than a

destructive one. in addition, arts can serve as a short brea& for some students after a long time of studying. Its importance on improving academic achievement is profound in that students have gained ne ill

perspectives on approaching different problems. According to "tanford

)niversity Professor "hirley Brice /eath(s study on lin&ing arts education to academic achievement, her study found that children more li&ely to ho did after school art programs are four times

in an academic a ard, eight times more li&ely to get a community service in a school attendance a ard and four times li&ely to

a ard, three times more li&ely to

participate in a math or science fair. In essence, learning art helps the students ith special needs to establish trusting relationships ith others and develop a lover for learning. These findings ho cooperated studying on the many

can be e-plained by the 0iana 1on and /ugue 'illiams,

benefits of fine arts education2therapy for special needs children. 3ine arts courses are 4ust as essential as mathematics, science, history and literature. In fact, fine arts courses are becoming increasingly critical in preparing students for the 56 st century or& force.

7eference8 9ohnson, #ee. +5%65,. The Importance of :usic ; Art in Public "chools. ehow. 7etrieved from8 http822 .eho .com2info<$9$569%<importance!music!art!public!schools.html

/a &ins, Tyleah. +5%65,. 'ill less art and music in the classroom really help students soar academically=. The Washington Post. 7etrieved from8
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/therootdc/post/will-less-art-and-music-in-the-

classroom-really-help-students-soar-academically/2012/12/28/e18a2da0-4e02-11e28 !d-d"4cc#e4!b# $blog.html

Bolduc, 1ate. +5%6>,. "urvey8 CP" budget cuts force larger class si?es, eliminate fine arts from neighborhood schools. Common Sense Coalition of LSCs. 7etrieved from8
http://commonsensecps.com/news/sur%ey-cps-budget-cuts-force-larger-class-si&eseliminate-fine-arts-from-neighborhood-schools/

'oodbury, #on. +5%6>,. Benefits of 3ine Arts Therapy 3or "pecial *eeds Children. Parent Empowerment. 7etrieved from8 http://parent-empowermentblog.com/201 /08/20/benefits-of-fine-arts-therapy-for-special-needs-children/

Anonymous. +5%66,. "tudents Benefit 3rom 3ine Arts Courses. Amarillo-Globe News. 7etrieved from8 http://amarillo.com/opinion/opinion-columnist/guest-opinion-columnist/20110 -2'/students-benefit-fine-arts-courses

Ba&er, @., /erman, 9., and Bain, 9. +699A,. A Buide to Parents and Communities "ee&ing @-cellence in @ducation. The Center for Research on E al!ation Stan"ar"s # St!"ent Testing. 7etrieved from8 http822 .cse.ucla.edu2products2parents2cresst<Bood"chool.pdf