Role of Art in Schools

“When two researchers published a study a few years ago concluding that arts classes do not improve students’ overall academic performance, the backlash was bitter.  Some scholars argued that the 2000 study’s authors, Ellen Winner and Lois Hetland of Project Zero — an arts-education program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education — had failed to mention some beneficial effects of arts classes that their research had revealed. Others cited findings that reached the opposite conclusion, indicating that students who take high-quality art classes indeed do better in other courses. Some even accused the authors of devaluing arts education and the arts in general.”  Find out more about the debate about the role and value of Art in schools in this interesting article by Robin Pogrebin.

Why Arts Education Must Be Saved

“Almost every one of us can point back to a creative pursuit, in or out of school, that enhanced our skills, knowledge, or understanding. Yet the majority of secondary school students in the United States aren’t required to enroll in arts courses, many elementary schools nationwide lack art classes or activities, and arts and music instruction is often the first thing to go when schools feel the pressure to improve test scores.

Happily, from this admittedly grim background spring many rays of hope. In our special report on arts education, Edutopia paints a bright picture of how schools are forging innovative community partnerships to bring rich, academically integrated arts curriculum to their students.”  Read more from Edutopia’s collection here.

The Social and Emotional Benefits of Being Weirdly Creative

“As one science teacher reports, “With the vast majority of my students, I am truly facilitating big chunks of their learning by focusing them on diverse artistic expressions of their knowledge. They do the expressing, not me. And because I am not commanding them, I think they like me better. I know I like me better.”  Read more about how ‘the social and emotional benefits of being weirdly creative are incredible.