 |
 |
 |
||
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|||
 |
 |
|
||
 |
|
|||
 |
|
|||
You
are here: Getting to the Top: Arts Essential Academic Learning Requirements
by Doug Herbert
A year ago, I traced the developments in making the arts a core subject over the past 25 years for an article in the journal of the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE). I likened that effort to the plight of Sisyphus, who toiled unceasingly to push a boulder up a steep hill. But, I concluded that recent developments in curriculum, assessment, research, and policy, most notably inclusion of the arts as a core academic subject in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), could be effectively harnessed to move the boulder to the top of the hill. (For those interested in that recounting and analysis of arts education developments, the article, "Finding the Will and the Way to Make the Arts a Core Subject," can be found at www.nasbe.org/Standard/Past.html).
I contended then and now that in order to truly make the arts a core subject, meaning that they would be sequentially taught and rigorously learned by all students, actions must be taken on three levels simultaneously.
First, there must be commitment from citizens and taxpayers, and that most importantly includes parents. Recent national polls of public attitudes about the arts indicate that a majority of Americans consider the arts to be vital to a well-rounded education for all students. But they may not aware of two important, contemporary aspects of that belief: what it means to have a comprehensive, sequential program in the arts, especially in terms of the standards-based nature of the curriculum. For instance, parents in Washington State may not be aware of, or familiar with, the Arts Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EARLs). Additionally, parents and the business community should understand how preparation in the arts is also an excellent foundation for careers in this new century. Let's not only tell them about it, via brochures and PSAs. Better still, let's get them into the schools to see the unique ways in which creativity, problem solving, teamwork, and higher-order thinking skills are developed through the arts. Parents and businesspeople will see these skills in action, which is important because each skill is necessary for success in today's marketplace of ideas.
Second, we must establish the arts as central within the local schools. While No Child Left Behind declares the arts to be a core academic subject, each local school district must make that a reality based on its state standards and local curriculum. Unfortunately, some districts are not including the arts as a core subject, and, in some instances, blaming NCLB for cutbacks or even eliminations of arts programs.
Then Secretary of Education Rod Paige "set the record straight" about NCLB and the arts in a July 2004 letter to state and local superintendents. "I believe the arts have a significant role in education both for their intrinsic value and for the ways in which they can enhance general academic achievement and improve students' social and emotional development," he wrote. Then the Secretary explained the flexibility of funding under NCLB, citing programs that have used federal education support to make the arts a part of their education improvement efforts. The Secretary's letter, which is accompanied by an enclosure describing research reports and other resources helpful to principals and teachers, can be found at www.k12.wa.us/curriculumInstruct/arts/.
In Washington State, the EALRs are helping to establish the arts as central in local districts by setting clear benchmarks for achievement in arts content knowledge and skills. Washington also is among a handful of states committed to making assessment a companion to the arts standards. With the support of the legislature and leadership from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Washington Classroom-Based Assessment, which begins next school year with voluntary assessments in local districts, is off to a very promising start. In addition, starting with this year's ninth graders, Washington State students will graduate from high school with at least one full year of study in the visual or performing arts.
Third, there must be acceptance of the arts by teachers and administrators, combined with efforts to ensure that they have the knowledge and skills to plan and carry out a comprehensive, quality arts education program. And to do so, it will take the continued commitment of higher education, the state's associations of school policymakers and administrators, business and corporate interests, the philanthropic community, and other stakeholders in public education.
Doug Herbert is Special Assistant for Teacher Quality and Arts Education, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C.
Contact information:
Doug Herbert
Special Assistant
Office of Innovation and Improvement
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Room 4W343
Washington, DC 20202
202/401-3813
Fax: 202/401-4123
doug.herbert@ed.gov
Posted March 2005 by permission
New Horizons for Learning
http://www.newhorizons.org
info@newhorizons.orgFor permission to redistribute, please contact the author.