Take a second and think back to high school. Did you take a fine arts class in high school, if so did you enjoy that class? Do you wish you had been encouraged to take more? Art education includes the performing arts such as, dance, theatre, music, speech, and debate; the visual arts, which are traditional art classes along the lines of sculpture, photography, drawing, and painting; and the digital arts including multimedia, audio, video, animation, graphic design, architecture, culinary arts, and landscape architecture ("Why the Arts"). Many students today are not offered fine arts classes in their public high school curriculum. With many recent changes in education, funding for the arts in high schools is almost nonexistent. Students miss the opportunities fine arts offer: high school is the time where the next generation is shaped to be well rounded, passionate, and respectful citizens. Without art this may not be attainable. Students who take high quality fine arts classes in high school receive many benefits that they would not otherwise receive in their math, science, and reading classes; due to these overwhelming benefits, public high schools need funding from the government, and support from the communities to help these programs thrive and continue to make an impact on their students.

With the No Child Left Behind Act having been signed into law in 2002 the emphasis moved from a well-rounded education to one that focused only on standardized testing and core classes (Metla). Funding for public schools becomes threatened if the school does not meet the requirements for standardized test scores, so schools move from offering numerous arts classes, to cutting them allowing extended time spent in core classes. With this Act, schools are pushed to put all their time and effort into raising standardized test scores in reading, math, science, and history. There is no more time or money left for art classes. Not only does No Child Left Behind deemphasize arts in school, but forty-six states have adopted The Common Core State Standards as well (Metla). Common Core focuses on subjects that have standardized testing, without any art subjects placed in its core curriculum (Metla). These programs encourage and even threaten schools to push their funds for arts into math and science classes. What they may not realize is that art classes may actually help increase standardized test scores.

Fine arts classes improves test scores, motivates students to do well in their core classes, and can even add to their learning of core subjects. Katharen from Lincoln North Star High School says, "Art is the reason I'm passing school, art is the reason I want to go to college" ("Why the Arts"). Students involved in the arts are: "four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, three times more likely to win an award for school attendance, four times more likely to participate in a math and science fair, and three time more likely to be elected to class office" ("Why the Arts"). UCLA's Graduate School of Education and Information Studies reported that high school students with "strong involvement in theatre or music scored an average of 16 to 18 percentage points higher on standardized tests than those with low arts involvement" (Evans). Not to mention, students who take four years of art and music classes average almost 100 points better on their SAT than students who take only one-half year or less ("Why the Arts"). Education in the arts develops attention and influences cognition. Art uses all the senses, strengthening different parts of the brain, making it more complex. This strengthening could lead these students to do better on standardized tests. Art classes teach thinking skills that are not touched upon in other core classes, allowing students to develop a habit by learning to "engage and persist"; they learn how to commit to something even if they fail the first time (Evans). Now some believe that we should "let art do what art does best," meaning art should be viewed independently of core classes, and not "overemphasize the impact of arts on standardized tests" but the numerous studies that show a correlation between practice of the arts and higher test scores cannot be ignored (Evans). Art has many other benefits for students that do not include better test scores, but all are equally important. Better test scores may be even more important when considering No Child Left Behind; arguing that art improves test scores may be the only way to convince politicians that arts should be funded. A study conducted by the College of New Rochelle found that for students "who struggle in schools with curriculum and instruction based primarily on verbal proficiency, arts processes are extremely powerful. 'We saw huge changes for those with more kinesthetic, musical, and artistic tendencies'" (Dickinson). It is clear that not every student learns the same. Students have different cultures as well as different social and economic histories; every single student is unique. However, traditional high school classes only teach one way, mainly catering to auditory learners. Lynn O'Brien of Specific Diagnostic Studies found that less than 15% of the population is an auditory learner (Dickinson). These visual and kinesthetic students need to be exposed to the arts because fine arts have a unique way of incorporating all learning styles. Kinesthetic students may actually need to move in order to learn and while this may not be acceptable in a traditional classroom, it can be found in dance and theatre (Dickinson). One example of this would be at The Northwest School in Seattle that had an annual "Dance of the DNA" where hundreds of students demonstrated the complexity of DNA through movement; they understood the concept with their minds and bodies (Dickinson). Once students discover their learning style, they can then apply it to their core classes. Chris Maly, a playwright and IB English teacher from Lincoln High School in Nebraska, explains that they "take what [they] are teaching students in the classroom and give it a different venue; a different medium in which kids can express their intelligence," allowing them to "become thinkers," and breaking down "a lot of the barriers that kids come in conflict with in a standard classroom" ("Why the Arts"). 

Not only should there be a concern for learning types, but people must recognize one of the biggest issues facing our high schools; falling graduation rates. The statistics of students failing to graduate are staggering; "on average, one-fourth of the students who are currently enrolled in our high schools will not graduate. When it comes to minority students ... that percentage reaches nearly one-half" (Davis 25). The dropout rate in American classrooms is a serious issue that should be a top priority for educators and politicians. When dropout students are asked why they made this decision the top answer was that high school was "boring" and "there was nothing I was interested in" (Davis 26). If lack of interest and engagement is the biggest complaint then there is an easy fix. Engaging classes, focused and passionate teachers, and high rates of attendance are all associated with fine arts classes (Davis 28). Arts education matters because students who participate in art programs are five times less likely to drop out of school ("Why the Arts"). Fund and place arts into a required core curriculum and it could help graduation rates substantially.

A possible reason as to why students are motivated by their art class is the amount of freedom in art; to be able to create whatever comes to mind. To be able to look at a self-created work of art and make it mean something. The student makes a difference, the student makes the decisions, and the student makes the meaning. They gain the understanding that their participation makes a difference because art classes require a different kind of engagement. This personal agency is what makes students realize their fullest potential and work hard to reach it. A senior at an arts high school states, "the most important thing I have learned in my art classes is that everyone has a voice" (Davis 47). Students listen to other student's perspective of a work of art or experience another student's art, allowing for greater learning and insight into thoughts that had never crossed the their mind. They become aware of their classmate's talent first hand; they become accepting of other interpretations and expressions and develop a respect for it. This give-and-take of ideas and perspectives between students and teachers is something a science class does not offer. Students learn to respect one another, and they also learn how to communicate "not only with words, but through music, dance, and the visual arts" (Dickinson). Fine arts force students to work collaboratively to improve verbal communication skills, and help students share what cannot be spoken. They learn how to tell a story on a canvas or through movement. They express ideas through sound other than their voice. Students can say something without even speaking and these experiences are limited to fine arts classes. They use this nonverbal communication to express their emotions with themselves and one another. 

Fine arts classes also teach high school students how to handle their emotions during this time in their life. Jessica Davis states, "We need the arts because they remind children that their emotions are equally worthy of respect and expression" (Evans). Students learn to identify with others on a more humanistic level; they gain the sense of responsibility for others. Ryan, a theatre student, had his best friend's father pass away, triggering that friend to pull away from Ryan and his help (Davis 36). When in his theatre class he was assigned a monologue, taking a role and becoming a boy who had lost a parent, allowing him to feel his friend's pain (Davis 36). He explains that "playing the part, getting into someone else's skin the way we do in theatre, allowed me to feel from the inside out" (Davis 36). This depth of emotion that Ryan was able to feel can only come from this kind of class; he would have never been able to address how he was feeling in a math class. Emotions are strong and confusing, especially for high school students. They are finding their purpose, their personalities, what makes them happy. In this time of emotional overload there is a greater importance for fine arts classes in school; enabling students to find a healthy, engaging, and educational outlet for their feelings. When students share what they are feeling it allows for a connection, this type of connection with other humans can only be done through art. This allows them to further engage with themselves, their classmates, their teachers, and possibly even an audience. A study conducted by Valentin Lupu compared the emotional intelligence of students at a math-IT to the students at a fine arts school. Emotional intelligence is "the ability to perceive accurately, appraise, and express emotion" (Lupu).  Author Darwin Nelson considers emotional intelligence the most important factor when predicting personal achievement, career success, and life satisfaction (Lupu). Emotional intelligence also plays a big factor in learning, so by strengthening this trait one could perhaps be a more adept learner. When comparing the two types of students in the study, those who studied fine arts scored higher for emotional intelligence and emotional thinking than those who studied math-IT, showing that high school students that study the arts strengthen this kind of intelligence (Lupu). With emotional intelligence being a variable in predicting future success, there should be an increased push for high schools to offer fine arts classes to their students. 

Not only is emotional intelligence fostered through art classes but so is critical thinking. Inquiry-based instruction develops critical thinking in students. Educational psychologist Alison King researches inquiry-based instruction and how art education can be the perfect facilitator for this style of teaching (Lampert). It starts by asking a question to start discussion such as "What are the implications of ... ? Explain why/how ... ? What is the counterargument for ... ?" (Lampert). These questions use higher order critical thinking by having students discuss alternate perspectives and solutions for problems that do not have a clear-cut answer (Lampert). Open-ended problems arise when creating and discussing art which use critical and creative thinking skills (Lampert). This kind of lesson has students decide and solve problems for themselves rather than get directions and have to follow the steps to get the right answer like what is required in a math class. When students discover the multiple solutions and perspectives about art, they can then be encouraged to see the world the same way, drawing a clear parallel to the emotional aspect of fine arts classes. 

High school art classes are important for the immediate educational and emotional needs of students, but it will also prepare them for college and their careers. Colleges and universities often require credits in the arts for their student applicants. The College Board explains, "the arts are among the six disciplines that should be considered the 'basic academic subjects' for college admission" (Schuler). Seventy percent of the nations major universities, including Harvard and Yale, have expressed the importance of art credits for applicants saying that art classes are significant when deciding admission to their university (Schuler). Colleges recognize the importance of fine arts and so do our nation's businesses and economy. Our global economy requires more than what can be measured in a standardized test. It is also to be noted that the "majority of the best engineers and technical designers in Silicon Valley are practicing musicians" (Dickinson). This is because music enhances spatial reasoning abilities that are imperative for higher brain functions like mathematics and chess (Dickinson). To put on a theatre performance requires a huge amount of problem solving, concentration, analytical thinking, compromise, cooperation, and commitment. These skills, acquired in a theatre production of this kind, are vital in any work environment. This allows them to stand out in their future careers, whether they are still participating in theatre or a part of a large company. In fact, The Education Commission on the States "concluded that one-third of all children in today's classrooms will eventually work in an arts-related job at some point in their employment career" (Schuler). There have also been studies showing that students who studied arts in high school were more successful in the business field (Shuler). 72% of business leaders surveyed say that creativity is the #1 skill they are seeking when hiring ("Why the Arts"). Even if a job seems to have no art component at all, the skills art fosters will still be essential to succeed. High school students must study the arts to prepare to enter this twenty-first century workplace. 

To make art a priority in our high schools, without taking away from any other core classes, schools need to make arts a requirement for graduation, provide school schedules that allow students to take an art class and still take all the other necessary classes, and provide school counselors that will encourage the scheduling of arts for their students (Schuler). The National Standards for Arts Education calls for "all students to achieve the 'proficient' level  --  equivalent to two years of high school study  --  in at least one art form" (Schuler). This kind of requirement will push students into taking a fine arts class that they would not have otherwise taken. That would open them up to the many benefits that an art class fosters and they could discover a new skill and passion they would not have otherwise known. To provide schedules that will be conducive to the inclusion of the arts, high schools need to adopt an eight period schedule (Schuler). This is the only way a students packed schedule will allow room for art considering the list of required courses including, physical education, health, vocational classes, computer and technology, foreign language, and science labs (Schuler). But for students to even know the array of arts courses their school offers, guidance counselors must inform and encourage students to take arts classes. Art not limited to specific fine arts classes, but teachers for core subjects can also incorporate arts into their lessons. One way teachers can integrate music into their core classroom is to play soft music in the background as students enter class or as they are working to improve focus or encourage creative thinking (Dickinson). Teachers can incorporate theatre into their core lessons by acting out historical events, algebraic equations, or literature (Dickinson). Students can "become" the people they are learning about, giving them an even greater understanding of the scientist, mathematician, historical figure, or the literary characters (Dickinson). To incorporate painting in science, students can create salt-watercolor paintings that illustrate the water cycle or any other process taught in science (Cooper). If an arts program is going to be implemented there must be an understanding of what the program must contain for it to make a difference in the lives of students. A study conducted by The Center for Arts Education in New York found the top qualities an art program needs to uphold for it to have the most impact on graduation rates and student success in general (Israel). These findings include; certified arts teachers, dedicated arts classrooms, appropriately equipped arts classrooms, external funds to support the arts, performances for arts students, and school sponsorship of art field trips (Israel). These standards outlined need to be met by every public high school and to meet these rigorous standards, art has to be one of the top priorities for schools and for the government. Our nations art programs need support; they must be the best they can be so the benefits for the students are greater. 

Teachers, principals, school districts, politicians, and everyday citizens need to understand why arts education is so important to high school students and then they need to fight for funding and support from communities. In a 2006 Gallup poll, "85 percent of Americans believed participation in school music was linked to better grades and higher test scores" (Evans). So the majority of the population is convinced already of one of the benefits that come with an arts education. Now is the time to act, the knowledge is accepted and now schools, politicians, and all the other members of the community need to push for arts education in our nations high schools. Even just as citizens of this world there needs to be an effort made to respect art and bring it into your life. Go out and see art, once a month; the poetry slam, the gallery, the recital. Support our artists and show our children that this is something they can aspire to, that they can have a career not only in math and science but also in music and dance. Students can only embrace their full cognitive potential when their core classes are coupled with fine arts classes in the high school curriculum. 

