The Arts Matter

With increased emphasis on academics across grade levels, many schools are streamlining their schedules to achieve the highest levels of academic success for their students.

Unfortunately, this streamlining often feels more like a guillotine to the arts. Staples of creativity and expression, including art, music, and recess are sometimes chopped off of schedules and replaced with more academic time. Similarly, classroom designs and also seem to have shifted their focus to including more academic tools at the expense of art supplies, toys, and free choice materials. Additionally, teachers feeling pressure to get higher test scores and improved data might feel the need to alter their schedules to focus solely on improved academics, often leading to an elimination of play and art projects.

Short term results may seem like these steps are working. But are increased test scores and more impressive data worth jeopardizing the health and happiness of both students and teacher?

Music. Art. Movement. Play. Emergent opportunities. If we truly want to create lasting and lifelong impacts to learning, the arts should be emphasized not eliminated.

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