Vanishing Art?Public School Art Departments Suffering

From Budget Cuts

• Cristie Praeger buys her own art supplies.

• She cannot afford to make art a regular part of her lesson plans.

Wait…shouldn’t art supplies be provided by the school?

YES!

But….

There is A Trend Sweeping the Nation:

Cuts in art

•Cuts in art department funding• reduction of art teachers’ hours• elimination of art teachers

According to the AASA:

• Over 68 percent of respondents cut positions in 2009 10‐

• 90 percent will do so in 2010 11.‐

Fewer art positions = fewer art classes = fewer opportunities for students to experience the benefits of Art Education.

• 1993 revenue caps• Art and music

programs are low priority

• Art is not part of “adequate yearly progress.”

"These are trying times for all education, especially arts. The No Child Left Behind Act has put a restriction on music programs' ability to thrive.”

-Nancy Rasmussen, president of Wisconsin Music Educators Association.

• $500,000 of the $5.4 million in cuts for 2008-09 came from art programs

Other Reasons:• The Struggling

Economy• The

Philosophical divide

"America is a practical nation that comes from very practical roots," says Robert Lynch of the advocacy group Americans for the Arts.

But is eliminating Art Classes the Solution?

Art Appreciation Vs. No Art Appreciation

• 63 points higher on verbal

• 44 points higher on math

Art activates• imagination • creativity• spatial skills• intuitiveness

Art: a common language

Art…• Provides fulfillment through productivity • Develops ability to make aesthetic judgments • exercises the right side of the brain• teaches there are different ways to arrive at a

solution to a problem

Art also encourages:

• Cognitive skills • Problem solving • Fine motor skills • Focusing • Risk taking • Tolerance • Uniqueness

• Art also reduces stress and helps students to enjoy school.

• "I don't disagree that reading and math are the most important aspects of education. But compromising other subjects causes us to teach only for the test. If a student's talents lie in art, or music or science, they lose out….all that matters is a test score."

-Cristie Praeger

Art Could Help Repair Our Economy…It Has Done it Before:

A society without art is already in the history books.

–Ian Semple

Consequences Of Cuts

• decrease in morale • attendance • increase in vandalism • disruptions• extensive disciplinary staff

Budget Cuts Cost!

Students, teachers, the community, the nation:– Financially– academically – culturally

• jobs lost at the expense of the restructuring of the budget.

• Quality of instruction suffers

• Mastery learning becomes impossible

Teachers are Overworked

What is being done?

SteppingStone

• Goal: to bolster the arts. • 150 to 200 public schools annually.

Arts in Crisis• Created by Michael

Kaiser• Helps 760 arts

programs across the nation

• New arts in education programs in La. Schools.

•

"We want to make sure that people stay

enthusiastic and motivated about this problem year-round," he said. "Persistence is the only way we are going to make a difference."

Protests

Some Signs They Carried

• "Children make beautiful music. Music makes beautiful children.'‘

• "You can't spell smart without art!'‘

• "Cuts in education never heal.''

Its going to get worse before it gets better

Results of the Survey • School systems aren't showing economic

recovery.• School budget cuts will be larger this year.

What can you do?

Speak Up!

Budget Process

1. budget initiated2. presented to the school board3. published4. Public hearings.5. Amended budget adopted

Stay Informed about Legislation and Budget cuts

in your schools!

Visit http://www.ed.gov/

Less money doesn’t have to mean less art!

“Every child is an artist…”~Pablo Picasso

Bibliography

• http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/08/13/sprj.sch.cuts/• http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/article/2008/03/19/setting-standards-cutting-funding-arts-

education.html • http://ezinearticles.com/?Art-And-Budget-Cuts:-Provide-The-Kids-With-Art&id=403487 • http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/article/2008/03/19/setting-standards-cutting-funding-arts-

education.html • http://www.weac.org/News_and_Publications/At_the_Capitol/archives/2003-2004/arts.aspx • http://www.gse.harvard.edu/blog/news_features_releases/2009/06/on-the-chopping-block-

again.html• http://www.usatoday.com/life/theater/2009-03-01-artseconomy_N.htm

• http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/fighting-arts-education-budget-cuts-in-florida-school-district

• http://www.eschoolnews.com/2010/04/09/survey-school-budget-cuts-even-worse-next-year/

• http://www.projo.com/education/content/arts_education_11-02-08_2MC4S53_v24.3592d12.html

• http://www.weac.org/News_and_Publications/At_the_Capitol/archives/2003-2004/arts.aspx