The Wisconsin Arts Board receives many requests each year for information
and resources that arts education advocates can use to make their case to
school superintendents, school boards, and other education decision-makers.
The following is the Arts Board’s response to one such request. Please
feel free to use this information to help craft your own strong case for arts
education in the schools of your community.
Arts Education Advocacy Tools
Thank you for writing. I am sorry to hear that your school is experiencing
cutbacks in its arts budget… unfortunately, so are many other Wisconsin’s
schools. This doesn’t make it right, and it certainly doesn’t excuse it, but I
wanted you to know that you are not alone.
Schools are grappling with the unfortunate results of No Child Left Behind
and its demand for high-stakes testing as well as ever-tighter school budgets.
The sad reality is that if we are not careful, every child will be left behind.
Creativity is the fundamental resource of the global creative economy in
which these students will participate. The beauty of this is that
creativity is a renewable resource because every person has the capacity to be
creative. Cutting the arts at this time is simply counter-intuitive. As our
economy needs more creative, talented workers we should be investing more money
into teaching creativity, not “downsizing” the very classes our children will
need to prepare to compete in the global economy. Academic knowledge will get
our students only so far because it is only about what is known. Creativity is
necessary to understand, communicate, and shape the many unknowns of the
future.
Okay, time to get off my soap box and give you some materials to help make
your case.
Here are some resources to look into:
One last thought. The school district didn’t have to move the art teacher
out of her room. It was a conscious choice. Respectfully let
the decision-makers know that this was a clear signal of the lack of respect
given to the art program in the school. With the appropriate leadership, the
arts can bring the school to life, increase student achievement and engagement,
and prepare kids to compete in the global, creative economy.
Best of luck to you.
George
New Statewide Report on Arts Education
in Wisconsin
Report shows that arts education is at a
crossroads: music and art are widely available, but recent declines raise cause for concern
A new report released recently by
Arts Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Alliance for Arts Education – the first
detailed research conducted on the state of arts education in Wisconsin since
the early 1980s - shows arts education in the state of Wisconsin is at a
crossroads.
The research shows that while
music and art are nearly universally available in most Wisconsin school
districts serving grades 6-12, there has been a 5% decline in overall student
participation during the past 4 years, creating cause for concern. The report
also noted that most students are afforded no opportunities to participate in
and learn dance or theater.
In what the authors refer to as a
“surprising finding,” the report also notes the more rural a community, the
higher the levels of student involvement in the arts and the more favorable the
ratio of students to arts teachers. In addition, the affluence of a community
appears to have little or no influence on the percentage of student enrollment
in arts education.
Arts Education in Wisconsin Public Schools: A Preliminary Review
was commissioned by
Arts Wisconsin, the state’s arts service, advocacy and development
organization, and the
Wisconsin Alliance for Arts Education, the statewide organization
dedicated to arts education. The report was analyzed and prepared by
Music for All, the nation’s leading arts education research organization,
using information and data from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
and the Wisconsin's Information Network for Successful Schools (WINNS)
database.
The report was released today at
a meeting of statewide arts, education, business, political and civic
organizations.
The information will be useful to
educators, arts leaders, elected officials and civic leaders in the development
of policies and programs that enhance 21st century education for all
Wisconsin students. The research will be presented to and used by the
Wisconsin Task Force on Arts and Creativity in Education, chaired by Lt.
Governor Barbara Lawton and State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Elizabeth Burmaster.
Funding for the research was
provided by the Richard and Ethel Herzfeld Foundation, Milwaukee; the Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts’ Alliance for Arts Education, Washington, DC;
Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC); and Ward-Brodt Music, Madison. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the Wisconsin Arts Board, and WEAC also participated in the research process.
“Arts Wisconsin and the
Wisconsin Alliance for Arts Education commissioned this research as advocates
for positive change for Wisconsin’s students,” stated Peter Crawford, President
of the Board of Directors of Arts Wisconsin and a member of the Task Force on
Arts and Creativity in Education. “We have had plenty of anecdotal information
about what’s happening with the arts in education on the ground level in
Wisconsin’s schools, but this is the first time in a long time that we have had
solid, credible data to help illuminate the big picture.”
“Involving children in the arts, and preparing students for the 21st century workforce, are driving
concerns for the Alliance and Arts Wisconsin,” said Miranda McClenaghan,
President of the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Alliance for Arts
Education. “We will now be able to put the stories and data together to make a
powerful case for the importance of integration of the arts in Wisconsin’s
educational systems.”
The research shows that student
participation levels in music and art in District Grades 6-8 are high, but the
course offerings are limited. A wide array of course offerings in Music and Art
are available in District Grades 9-12 – but overall student participation
declines significantly in these grades.
When comparing student/teacher
ratios to indices for geographic location or wealth, rural communities exhibit
more favorable student/teacher ratios and a higher level of student
involvement. Compared to the same indices, there is no significant correlation
between wealth and higher student participation rates.
Of all students participating in
an arts course, music and art are the most widely available and enjoy the most
student participation of the four arts disciplines.
“The good news is music and art,
at least from a district perspective, are widely available to students.
However, the recent decline in student participation in all arts programs
deserves greater scrutiny,” stated Bob Morrison, Chairmen Emeritus of Music for
All and the report’s lead researcher. “We are certain information at the
individual school building level will provide greater insight and uncover
greater disparities between schools with programs and those without.”
Arts Wisconsin and the Wisconsin
Alliance for Arts Education will work in partnership with a diverse coalition
of public and private sector organizations and agencies to determine next steps
and actions in research and advocacy for the arts in education for Wisconsin
students.
Click here for the full report on the arts in Wisconsin's public schools
Updated:
September 02, 2008
Fax: 608/267-0380