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Sarah Kosik
Dr. Kline
Integrated Primary Curriculum
November 19, 2013
Art Education
With the pressure of raising test scores on standardized tests and limited funding, there is
little time for art education. Due to the No Child Left behind Act, which serves as the national
curriculum policy, more time is now devoted to mathematics and reading. As a result, art
teachers are either forced to integrate reading and math into their lesson plans or being laid off
only to be replaced by reading specialists. As a future educator I truly value and support funding
the arts within schools. I feel that they provide significant advantages and are essential for
personal development and the learning process. Art education provides many benefits such as
fostering cognitive development by simulating the brain; nurturing important values such as
cultures and traditions, and finally the arts teach children life skills such as decision making and
perception which are not part of the academic curriculum.
Programs such as band, choir, theatre and visual arts enable students to express their
creativity and embrace their individuality. The arts can be used as a positive and effective
teaching tool because it is a natural way of learning. Art education plays a major role in
cognitive, motor, language and socio-emotional development, strengthens young learners
problem solving and critical thinking skills, creates meaningful learning experiences and it
provides hands- on learning. For example, a student in theatre can write a play about a piece of
literature or even act out a math problem. Students who are in band learn how to count in groups
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of numbers according to the time the music is written in. Not only do the arts enhance learning
for math and reading but it allows students to think abstractly about the world around them.
Another benefit of keeping art education within schools is that it nurtures important
values which include team building, respecting other view points and other cultures and
traditions. Students learn to socialize with others and learn to work cooperatively in teams. They
can learn that everyone perceives things differently than they do and value each other
differences. Using art education to teach young learners about different cultures and traditions
will activate their prior knowledge about their own experience and allow them make connections
to themselves. For example, a band instructor can bring in an instrument from another country or
an art teacher can bring a painting to help students understand different cultures and traditions.
Music and art are very effective in teaching about traditions and cultures.
Lastly, art education teaches young students important life skills such as decision making,
self discipline and dedication, working toward long term or short term goals, building self
confidence and learning responsibility. Participating in extracurricular activities teaches students
time management skills which also can be incorporated into a math lesson to help them
understand time. It allows them to learn how to concentrate on importance tasks, to be persistent
with their academic performance and strive for excellence.
On the other hand, because school is where students receive an education the arts can
easily be viewed as a distraction. Students can become too involved with their extracurricular
activities and begin to neglect their studies. Art education is very costly; therefore supplies and
teachers are the first to go when budget cuts are made. As mentioned earlier, the arts have more
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advantages for a student than disadvantage. The arts teach students the skills that are not taught
through the state curriculum that help a students academic achievement.
In conclusion, supporting and funding the arts has many benefits in a students education
and is easily integrated into the curriculum to promote academic achievement. In order to see
change it is important that teachers, parents and students understand that they have the ability to
take action against policy makers and are able to make a difference by keeping the arts in our
schools. It is important to consider two very important factors that play a significant part in
change to bring the arts back into our schools which are advocacy and leadership. Advocacy
focuses on supporting and maintaining art education programs while on the other hand
leadership enables change and improvement. Leadership can also encourage school and
community program transformation, promoting growth in the field and new learning
opportunities. Art education is essential to ones education because it provides many benefits such
as fostering cognitive development by simulating the brain; nurturing important values such as
cultures and traditions, and finally the arts teach children life skills such as decision making and
perception which are not part of the academic curriculum.






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Work Cited
Freedman, Kerry. Leadership in Art Education: Taking Action in Schools and Communities.
Art Education 64.2 (2011): 40-45. Education Research Complete. Web. 1 Nov. 2013
De Bretagne, Rachelle. "The Pros and Cons of Formal Art Classes for Children." By Rachelle De
Bretagne. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.