Every student in America deserves a full and well rounded education. The idea that English and math are the only important subjects in a child's education has taken over most public schools in the United States mostly due to the common core standards and the pressure of standardized testing that comes with them. These standards have pushed schools to spend more time teaching these subjects, leaving little to no time in the school day left for any other subject, especially the arts. There are many proven benefits to educating students in the arts, and standardized testing and the common core standards are robbing students of the opportunities a fine arts education would give them, especially in lower income schools . 

There are many proven developmental benefits to a fine arts education. According to Grace Lynch, the arts can improve a child's motor skills, language development, decision making, visual learning, inventiveness, cultural awareness, and academic performance. Learning to control a paintbrush or a crayon can help develop essential fine motor skills in children and just discussing art provides the opportunity for children to learn words for colors, shapes, and actions (Lynch). The Head of Art and Design Education at Northern Illinois University, Dr. Kerry Freedman, says that "art education teaches students how to interpret, criticize, and use visual information, and how to make choices based on it" (Lynch). Problem solving and critical thinking are a big part of art as well and the decisions and choices made when creating art can carry over into other parts of the child's life (Lynch). The education system is robbing children of these benefits by not caring enough about arts education. According to several different educators in an article in Education Week magazine, "arts receive relatively little attention from policymakers and school leaders" (Greene et al). These educators all agree that the art education is often overlooked, and under appreciated. It would be highly beneficial to students if arts programs were given even close to the same amount of attention as English and Math. 

The Common Core Standards and No Child Left Behind Act push schools to achieve higher in math and English and place little importance on the fine arts. According to the Council of Chief State School Officers, or CCSSO, The Common Core is designed "to ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college, career, and life, regardless of where they live."  However the Common Core Standards are only English Language Arts and Math, therefore schools are pressured to spend more time focusing on these subjects and less time on any other subject, especially the fine arts. The CCSSO believes that "the United States must become substantially more focused and coherent in order to improve mathematics achievement in this country" (CCSSO). Too concerned with improving student's achievement in math, the CCSSO is ignoring the fact that achievement in other areas will suffer because of this increased focus on math and English. According to a national survey in 2011, "two-thirds of teachers said many academic subjects had been crowded out by an increased focus on math and language arts," and "about half said art and music were being marginalized" (Walker). In this same study "more than 90 percent of teachers blamed state tests in math and language arts" (Walker). Because only math and English are looked at with any importance by the education system, students are losing their education in the fine arts which I believe are equally important. 

By taking away time from students to learn about the fine arts, we are taking away the opportunity for some students to find something they enjoy and succeed at. Not every student is going to be successful in math and English, and it is unfair to judge every student on how they achieve in only these two subjects. In addition, all children should have the opportunity to learn about the fine arts because they need a more well rounded education than one that only focuses on language arts and math. I believe that Dr. Kerry Freedman states it perfectly by saying "Children need to know more about the world than just what they can learn through text and numbers" (Lynch). Students are losing half of their education by only being taught English and math, when there is so much more to life than these two subjects. 

The benefits of arts education go far beyond any measurable quality. They are an important part of our society, and if we do not teach children their importance they will be ignored by future generations. In two studies where 11,000 students were randomly assigned to a cultural experience, in one study a play and in the other a trip to a museum, it was determined that these cultural experiences improved students' desire to consume the arts in the future, as well as affecting their values, making them more tolerant and empathetic (Greene et al). The arts are a way to communicate thoughts and emotion in a way that everyone can understand. However, many people "regard art education as a luxury" (Lynch). A fine arts education has benefits that can not even be measured and every child should have the opportunity to experience the arts. Especially at an early age, children should be exposed to the arts as much as possible. Ginger Rose Fox, a Los Angeles art teacher, says that "these early grades should be a time to discover, play, and explore" (Walker). Children should not be forced to sit in a classroom all day learning information that will improve their test scores but not their life when so much can be learned through art, dance, theater, and music. There is no reason that these subjects should be overlooked in public education. 

The education system in the United States has become obsessed with standardized testing. Standardized testing has been implemented in schools for generations, "but never have the tests been given so frequently and never have they played such a prominent role in schooling" (Kohn). This increase in testing has put more stress on schools, teachers, and students than ever. Tim Walker believes that the pressure placed on schools because of standardized tests "created a toxic environment of 'teaching to the test' in order to raise test scores." These tests are turning education into teaching students how to do well on a test instead of preparing them for the rest of their lives. Ginger Rose Fox says, "We talk all the time about making our kids 'college and career ready' -- even at such a young age. Let's make them 'life ready' first. But I guess that doesn't fit into our testing obsession" (Walker). School should not be about testing, it should be about giving children a well rounded education that will prepare them for the rest of their lives. Getting high scores on a standardized test does not necessarily make one student more prepared for life after school. Albert Einstein said "Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." Every student has the potential to be successful, but not every student will score well on math and english tests, and it is unfair to judge every child in America on these standards. 

The schools that are most affected by the loss of arts programs are those in high poverty areas. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was created to raise accountability and provide resources to struggling schools in lower income areas (Walker). However, the pressure of making "adequate yearly progress" has forced these schools to narrow their curriculum far more drastically than wealthier schools (Walker). The consequences of this are even worse for these low-income students because they often are not exposed to the arts outside of school either. Richard Milner, a professor of education and director of urban education at the University of Pittsburgh says that "they think they are being responsive to kids who are underserved. But they're clearly not looking at the lasting damage they are inflicting" (Walker). As Brian Crosby puts it "you can't educate students, especially at-risk students, by hammering reading and math all day long" (Walker). These schools have taken away "all the things about school they could attach themselves to -- physical education, arts, history. All because some adult in some office, somewhere far away, has determined that they don't need any of that in order to 'achieve'" (Walker). It is unfair to these students that they are not receiving a well rounded education simply because their school has to score high enough on a standardized test. 

One way schools have tried to keep arts in their curriculum without spending too much of the school day on them is through the integration of subjects. Schools combine subjects such as physical education with math and art with reading to keep the arts in the school while still making sure to cover all of the required curriculum. However, "tossing a ball with numbers on it isn't really physical education, and writing about Van Gogh isn't the same as developing a passion for color or practicing brush technique" (Walker). Drama teacher Tom McLaughlin states that he thinks "integration can be dangerous if any one subject becomes too consumed or morphed into reading or math. We run the risk of putting these other subjects out of business" (Walker).  Although it is better that these subjects are integrated into English and math than forgotten altogether, they are not getting the attention they need for students to fully benefit from them. The National Association for Music Education (NAfMe) has challenged "the assumption that music is merely a 'supplement' to the core curriculum, and said the organization would no longer frame the importance of music around its potential to raise test scores" (Walker). The Association wants to make the point that music is important independently of the benefits it may have on subjects such as math and English which are perceived as more important by the public education system. 

The arts are just as necessary to society as math and English. In her TED talk, Mae Jemison, an astronaut, speaks about her love for both art and science, and explains that it was "the creativity we had to have to conceive, build up, and launch the space shuttle." Without arts there would be no ingenuity or creativity in problem solving. Jemison also says "we must use the arts and sciences as humans to understand the world around us." Art is just as critical in our lives and how we live as science is. Jemison explains that "the arts provide a universal understanding of a personal experience." We can use art to communicate with other people in a way that is not possible without it. We can convey emotions and experiences that are foreign to someone else in a way that everyone can connect to. The arts are part of the human experience, and everyone should have the chance to connect with them. 

The Education System in the United States needs to focus more on giving students a well rounded education and less on raising standardized test scores in two subjects. Forcing children to sit and learn English and math all day is not going to help them be successful in life. We need to teach children to appreciate art, music, theater, and dance. The fine arts are beneficial to not just the students learning them, but the society as a whole.


