It is hard to imagine a person’s education being complete without music, theater, dance and art class. In the past the United States flourished in liberal arts education in schools. Former Bennington College President, Liz Coleman, in her recent Ted Talk mentions the importance of returning to more of an integrated education system including liberal arts. The arts stimulate a more creative side to the student’s brain development, learning abilities and overall they have helped student’s enhance their daily lives outside of the classrooms. Over the years, other countries have advanced with respect to technology, therefore; Americans decided that the core of sustaining a strong country would entail that the younger generations have a more focused education in classes related to STEM, Science Technology Engineering Math, curriculum. Ever since then, there has been a drastic decline of the arts in schools because funding transitioned to the new technology and equipment needed for teaching STEM classes. Current and former United States Presidents have struggled to find the right balance of the arts within schools and allocating the budget appropriately. In comparison, a group of current congressmen view people with jobs related to the arts and humanities not as successful members of society and create substantial student loan debt. Although science and math classes stimulate the advancement of technology globally, there is still a creative aspect necessary in society. Arts education is beneficial to all students and is not mutually exclusive from the sciences. 

The benefits to having arts as part of the core curriculum means students will enhance their educational experience into their life beyond the classroom. The basic academic curriculum can integrate the arts or can separate them into individual classes. Within schools the arts help boost literacy in English language classes, advance math achievement, engages students and motivates them to learn, develops critical thinking and improves the school culture (Stevenson). Overall students become more invested in their work and their grades will improve over time. Since students have a stronger work ethic, their standardized test scores will increase as well making it more likely that they will attend higher level education. After graduation, students with a more balanced education will seek jobs. Demonstrating a stronger work ethic and a higher grade point average, students will obtain better jobs upon graduation. They are more creative, their problem solving abilities are strengthened, they build collaboration and communication skills and they improve their capacity for leadership (Stevenson). Overall their lives have been enhanced because of their exposure to the arts. Finally, this creates stronger members of society who have developed a cross-cultural understanding, built community and supports civic engagement as well as the ability to foster a creative community (Stevenson). The arts education makes well-rounded students and leads them to be more productive members to our society. 

Even though schools realize the importance of arts education for students, over the years the funding has decreased dramatically causing these schools to eliminate their programs. For example, in California’s West Contra Costa School district, Adam’s Middle School, illustrates the results of a one thriving middle school loses funding for the arts. Sabrina Holcomb shares her observations about how the school once was filled with music, dance, theater and studio arts classes. During budget cuts, these art programs where the first to be eliminated. Constantly, teachers and involved parents, have had to fight to keep even the smallest presence of the arts exposed in the schools. Many after school programs have been developed to keep the arts alive in the school, but it does pose many problems because many students are unable to stay after school since their parents are working (Holcomb). Currently, this school along with many others find arts programs to be of minor importance and provide, “visual arts and band classes just 60 percent of the time, while drama, dance, piano keyboarding, photography, and television classes have been cut entirely from the school day. Despite the cutbacks, Myrick and her colleagues have been fighting valiantly to keep the arts alive at their school.” (Holcomb). In addition, Jamie Myrick, an English teacher, and her colleges suggest other important skills are learned through arts programs. For example, “People are forgetting that math is taught when a child is playing an instrument. English is taught when a child is reading or writing a script. Critical thinking is taught when a child is analyzing art” (Holcomb). The teachers at Adam’s Middle School realized the importance of arts education for their students and have attempted to incorporate them into their classes. 

Over the past decade, the government tried to enact new laws to help make the education level equal so that students would have a higher success rate. In 2002, President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act. The act reaffirms, “the arts as a “core academic subject” that all schools should teach. It puts the arts on equal footing with the other designated core subjects: English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, history and geography. And it paves the way for the arts to be recognized both as a serious subject in its own right and as a part of a proven strategy even though the arts have been stated that they are equal by the government.” (Ruppert 6). This allows for schools to find ways to integrate the arts into their school curriculum. Along with viewing arts as a core subject, the No Child Left Behind Act is guided by four pillars which include: Stronger accountability for results, more freedom for states and communities, encouraging proven education methods and more choices for parents (Ruppert). Once more people learn about the NLCB Act, the more people can provide change in education systems. Even though they stated that the arts are a very poignant part of a student’s education, there is still the question of where should all the funding come from within the government. The effects of the No Child Left Behind Act has varied depending on the states and the schools. Some schools have had a decline in the arts and a rise in other subjects, while other schools have experienced the opposite. The government attempted to provide a well-rounded and equal education across the nation showing the schools that the arts should still be a part of their programs even though there is a lack of funds. 

More recently, former President Obama tried to reinvest in arts programs for the schools. The President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities conducted research on schools with rich arts programs and those that fell below the line. This committee was formed under President Reagan in 1982 to focus on cultural issues including these three agencies: National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. In 2008, the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities looked at the benefits and areas to advance arts education (Re-Investing in Arts Education). The goal of the study included looking at schools now to find areas for improvement and finding more ways to use their authority to make sure student’s education would be improved. Currently schools are having high dropout rates, almost to 50 percent in some areas, because the schools are no longer able to motivate their students to learn (Re-Investing in Arts Education). Through this study they have learned that, “In such a climate, the outcomes associated with arts education- which include increased academic achievement, school engagement, and creative thinking- have become increasingly important. Decades of research show strong and consistent links between high-quality arts education and a wide range of impressive educational outcomes… Most recently, cutting-edge studies in neuroscience have been further developing our understanding of how arts strategies support crucial brain development” (Re-Investing in Arts Education). This study has proven that arts are important for students and their capacity to learn. It not only helps improve their life in the classroom, but also all areas of their lives. The committee has run into the same problems all schools have reached, which is where does all the funding come from. Since there have been budget cuts, “constraints and emphasis on the subjects of high stakes testing, arts instruction in schools is on a downward trend. Just when they need it most, the classroom tasks and tools that could best reach and inspire these students- art, music, movement and performing-are less available to them” (Re-Investing in Arts Education). The goal of this committee is to find ways to reinvigorate arts programs in schools and find ways to motivate students to learn to advance their education. The President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities is willing to work with agencies at all state and federal levels to build these programs back up and maintain a well-rounded education within schools. 

On March 15th, 2017 newly elected President Trump made a proposal to cut programs including the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowments for the Humanities and the corporation for Public Broadcasting. These were first created, “in 1965 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed legislation declaring that any advanced civilization must fully value the arts, the humanities, and cultural activity” (Deb). These groups combined receive 300 million dollars compared to the total annual spending that makes up 1.1 trillion dollars. The funds that usually go towards these organizations would then be used towards the national defense, so it would only make up .004 percent of the funds needed. If President Trumps plan is enacted the arts programs in schools could disappear altogether because they rely on these programs. These agencies are a lifeline for many artists to continue on with their work since it is very difficult to make a profit. The government budgets minimal funds for the arts, but any funding schools receive through these agencies are beneficial to the arts programs, therefore; the government might want to reevaluate this decision. 

Opposed to the attempts in budgeting for the arts, a group of congressmen feel attempts to provide liberal arts educations for younger generations is unnecessary. People who hold positions in the arts and humanities fields tend to make significantly less compared to workers in engineering, math and science fields. Matt Bevin, the Kentucky governor, stated, “that students majoring in French literature should not receive state funding for their college education, he joined a growing number of elected officials who want to nudge students away from the humanities and toward more job-friendly subjects like electrical engineering.” These officials feel that students should be directed towards jobs that would benefit them most in the future and lower the debts they usually obtain when paying for universities. Recently the National Association of Colleges and Employers conducted a salary survey to find that those who graduated with a degree in STEM averaged the highest overall salary for 2016. For example, new engineers could expect to earn roughly 65,000 dollars a year compared to those in humanities who earn around 46,065 dollars a year (Cohen). These elected officials feel that before students pick their majors, they should be educated on the salaries that they could earn depending on the majors they choose. By having students choosing and graduating with STEM majors, their salaries will be higher and the debt they are left with after school will decrease unlike those who choose to graduate in the humanities, therefore; spending towards the arts should be eliminated. 

 In February of 2006, Ken Robinson presented a Ted Talk that argued for a revolution not a reform within the school systems. He proposes that there is a need for a, “radical shift from standardized schools to personalized learning-creating conditions where kids’ natural talents can flourish.” With regards to reforming, schools have broken systems of education that exist in our societies. Student’s need to be exposed to all areas of study, if not some will never find their talent or passion. Many go through lives with a poor use of their talents or not knowing that they had any at all. Some people need another outlet since the math and sciences are not their strong suit. It is always important for schools to keep a more versatile curriculum so that the students’ have a chance to test their true potential within education. As of now, schools have a more general curriculum that leaves out areas of education that may spark interest in some students. “It’s about customizing to your circumstances and personalizing education to the people you’re actually teaching. And doing that, I think, is the answer to the future because it’s not about scaling a new solution; it’s about creating a movement in education in which people develop their own solutions, but with external support based on a personalized curriculum… technologies, combined with the extraordinary talents of teachers, provide an opportunity to revolutionize education.” (Robinson). This is the education revolution, expanding what students learn in the classroom and finding their area to accomplish. The revolution entails that student’s educations are more well-rounded and they each develop their own area of study. Without the arts this revolution will not succeed and schools will continue to reform the already broken systems. 

Arts education helps student’s brain development, enhances their learning abilities within school and increases their overall quality of life. Unfortunately, over the years there have been a range of budget cuts in school funding leading to the disappearance of arts programs. The government has tried to find ways to help schools keep these programs alive, but finding the funds is a serious problem. Some of these government officials feel that the arts are an unnecessary track for the younger generations and that they should be more focused on subjects where they can get the highest income upon graduation. Luckily more people have found that the arts are beneficial for future generations and will help them be successful in the future. Many studies conducted prove that the arts help students become more engaged in the classroom and will benefit them in later life. Some students find more success with the arts than they do with the sciences and keeping students from exploring all areas of learning may end up hurting them. Brain development for children is stimulated from exposure to the arts. It is also very important to realize that the sciences and arts are not mutually exclusive. For example, students can learn numbers through learning how to play a musical instrument. It is critical for people to realize the importance of the arts and how it enhances individuals’ lives. Providing full integration of the arts into the schools’ curriculum is vital to a student’s education creating a solid foundation for the future and enhancing all areas of academics. 
