Arts Education Justification Resources
Paul Chiaravalle, President, Florida Alliance for Arts Education
President/CEO United Arts of Florida
Presentation to the 2000 kcaaen annual leadership meeting, Washington, D.C.
Making The Case to School Boards
Question: how and why do we keep the arts in the curriculum when testing is focused on reading, writing, and math?
I am here as a representative of both the business and professional arts community. My 35 years of experience includes 21 years as director of army special bands and 14 years with Walt Disney Corporate Entertainment. I speak from direct experience, understanding the role and impact of the arts in today's workforce and our economy. So when asked . . . why keep the arts in the curriculum of students? . . . my answer is simple:
It makes good business sense to do so!
The arts and non-profit presenting organizations are a $36.8 billion dollar industry and generate:
- 1.3 million jobs annually
- $25.2 billion in personal income
- $790 million in governmental revenues
- 3.4 billion in federal income taxes.
Arts education is critical for the 21st century workforce in a global economy. The world of work has changed dramatically in the last two decades. Routinized behavior is out, and the ability to adapt, diagnose problems, and find creative solutions, even at the most basic levels Of production and service delivery, is now critical.
Arts and cultural experiences help our students to develop creativity, cross-cultural understandings, and communication skills. They also help to improve school attendance, language skills and problem solving abilities, self-esteem, self-confidence, perseverance, cooperation, teamwork skills, and overall academic performance. As a matter of fact, students with more than 4 consecutive years of art and music education have scored 34 points higher on the verbal sat and 18 points on math than students that have not.
You as school board members are faced with the immediate task of making decisions that determine what is best to include in students&Mac226; curriculum to prepare them for the challenges of the world of work and life. What kind of student would you prefer?
I must now speak to you as a parent who understands what the arts teach our children.
Through the arts students learn skills and techniques.
Study in the arts provides students with experience that fosters discipline in the development of technical skills that are built upon sequentially to achieve artistic excellence. These skills transfer into other disciplines where incremental skill building is necessary for mastery within a subject.
Through the arts students learn creation and communication skills.
Study in the arts provides students with experience that enables them to effectively organize and communicate in an artistic discipline. These skills transfer into presentation and communication skills.
Through the arts students learn cultural and historical connections.
Study in the arts provides students with experience that teaches cross-cultural connections and historical context. This knowledge provides students with an understanding of other cultures and multi-cultural dimensions.
Through the arts students learn aesthetic and critical analysis.
Study of the arts provide students with experience that teaches analytical and critical thinking skills. These skills enable a student to relate, describe and evaluate art. This experience transfers into creative problem-solving skills.
Through the arts students learn applications to life.
Study of the arts provides students with experience that builds creative capacities, such as flexibility of mind, cooperative work skills, understanding of "quality" as a key value, technological competence, and an interest in life long learning. Arts education teaches students to utilize skills and information, develop creativity and critical thinking, learn about exemplary works of art, and carry what they learn through arts instruction into their other classrooms, everyday lives, and into the world.
How do we make the arts possible in our schools?
We must look to examples that have worked, such as the celebration school in Osceola County, Florida. It was built on Walt Disney World property and opened in 1996, and is educating students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The Osceola County School District, with assistance from leading advisors and a consortium of universities and colleges, developed the celebration school curriculum to incorporate a number of researched best practices in education, including:
- Personalized learning paths
- Integrated learning
- Multiple intelligences
- Multi-age groups
- Cooperative learning
- Authentic assessment.
The result has been student achievement in all areas of learning, with the arts as an integral part of the students&Mac226; curriculum.
Steve Sanders of the College of Education of Auburn University, in a report on the celebration school experience, said it is important for educators of learners in the 21st century to "imagine what schools or life would be like if . . ."Sanders&Mac226; challenge has always been to look at current practices in education and imagine what schools and students would be like if things were done differently.
Celebration is both an outgrowth and a cornerstone of Walt Disney's dream of building a community of tomorrow while replicating the values of yesterday. Education is the centerpiece of this community.
We want our children to succeed in life and in the schools where they may develop many of the skills they will need to be successful. So the question is still left with you, the school board . . . what does a well rounded education look like in your eyes? . . . what tools do you think students need to be prepared in the new millennium?
If results in standardized tests are your primary concern, consider the arts as a strategy to achieve results. But it is my hope that this is not your only concern. Celebration school and many other schools like celebration around the country are daring to do things differently, and ask the question, "What would our school look like if?"
Schools that dare to take risks reap the rewards for our students. Schools that dare to consider more than just standardized test scores can prepare our students not only to read, but to comprehend. What the arts means to education is best described by the principals, teachers, and ultimately, students which it impacts. I would like to close now with several quotes from individuals in our state about what arts education means to them and their students.
Through the arts . . "children are engaged in research, problem solving and higher order thinking skills."
Sharon Hench, Principal, Peskoe Elementary
Through the arts... "students see the attainment of a goal, or a finished product that they can experience in performance. It teaches them that they can produce something of value."
Katrina Pierre, Teacher, Robert Rennick,
Ace Teacher Incentive Grant recipient
Through the arts... "I have become in love with learning . . . my goal is forever to be in a process of improving. I may be an actor and a musician, but more importantly I am a student."
Casey Spindler, Graduate Dillard Center for the Arts,
Ace Scholarship Recipient
"Through the arts...students are provided with real life experiences and performance-based skills to make learning applicable to their lives."
Wendy Carter, school to work facilitator, Freeport High School
Through the arts . . "my involvement in dance has been a defining factor that has affected my humility and grace. It has given me discipline, balance, and self confidence in all aspects that I will carry through life..."
Tiffany Lenesse Vann, graduate of the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts,
Ace Scholarship recipient
As we consider the thoughtful words of these principals, teachers, and students, I hope the answer is clear. I ask you to imagine what schools would be like if. . .
Contact:
Paul Chiaravalle, President
United Arts of Central Florida
250 South Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL 32801
403/425-0255
email: paul@unitedarts.cc
