“Even though the arts is part of the No Child Left Behind bill, since we don’t test like we do for reading and math, it’s not on our base radar screen, “ said the director of Magnet Schools and Fine Arts with Hamilton County Schools in Tennessee, Karla Riddle, in an article in Chattanooga’s Times Free Press.
How can we reverse this trend?
It is clear that U.S. schools’ focus on rote memorization and basic math and reading skills is not doing much to improve student outcomes. Graduation rates remain low, college matriculation rates are stagnant and the numbers of students that need remediation are high, and college completion rates are dismal.
As we’ve blogged before, research suggests that the arts enhance learning. So why continue to cut programs?
Our high-performing competitors like Finland, Hong Kong, and Canada haven’t cut the arts out of their curricula; these countries, and others, recognize the importance of a comprehensive curriculum. Why don’t we?