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Calif. Arts Education Receives Bad Review

Although California legislators have long supported more rigorous standards for teaching visual and performing arts in public schools, a report released last month suggests that the state is falling behind in implementing these goals on the elementary, middle and high school levels.

The study was commissioned by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation of Menlo Park, Calif., an organization that lists support for education and the performing arts in its statement of values. Analysts from independent research institute SRI International examined 1,800 randomly selected schools in 13 districts across California, as well as various statewide databases and written policies.

“”Beyond developing rigorous standards and calling for instruction in the arts as part of the required course of study, California historically has done little to develop, implement and sustain comprehensive arts programs that provide all students with access to and opportunities in the arts,”” the report said.

According to the study, 89 percent of K-12 schools lack a standards-based curriculum in the disciplines of visual art, music, theater and dance – failing to meet goals established in the state’s “”Visual and Performing Arts Framework,”” modified in 2004 to support alignment with previously established instructional criteria. Sixty-one percent of schools fail to employ even one full-time equivalent arts specialist.

Marinee Payne, a theater teacher at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego, said that although her school is among the 11 percent offering standards-based classes in all four disciplines, administrative apathy toward the performing arts is a consistent problem for her and her fellow arts teachers.

“”I’m convinced that for the most part, [district officials] don’t see the creative element as an essential component to education,”” Payne said.

The fact that the state does not mandate implementation of content standards poses a significant problem for improving the quality of arts education, the report found.

“”The state does not require schools to follow the standards for the various content areas identified in the Education Code, and the visual and performing arts content standards are no exception,”” the summary report said.

Elementary schools in California fare the worst in terms of adhering to the content standards, with only 10 percent offering instruction in the four key areas. Researchers also found that many schools also lack adequate facilities and materials for arts instruction, and that this deficiency is not reflective of the health of other arts programs across the nation.

The researchers found that although more students receive arts education in middle school than in elementary school, “”it is limited in duration and frequency and often does not prepare students for more advanced arts courses in the higher grades.””

Middle and high schools typically have more “”intense and substantial”” arts education, but participation in these programs is often limited, especially in low-income areas. Four out of five surveyed principals agreed that lack of funding creates a barrier to offering arts instruction.

According to Payne, her program receives some arts funding from the San Diego Union High School District, but that the majority of the funds come from campus theater ticket sales and a parent-initiated foundation that raises money to donate to various campus organizations.

“”It’s that same neglect,”” she said. “”[Administrators] look at it and say, ‘They make due with what they’ve got, so let’s not give them any more money.’ We’re the stepchildren.””

The report also addressed the fact that many art teachers lack proper credentials in their respective areas. Some elementary teachers lack discipline-specific training, and two of the four mediums – theater and dance – are not available as single-subject credentials.

Teachers wishing to specialize in theater must have a credential in English, while dance teachers must be credentialed in physical education, according to the California Department of Education.

“”The state of California has been dragging its feet in getting credentialed teachers for theater,”” Payne said.

The report’s authors presented several proposals for state legislators, school and district leaders as well as individual parents in order to alleviate these problems – among them increasing state funding for arts education, enforcing the recommended content standards, establishing planning programs to support the arts and fostering dialogue between parents, teachers and administrators about the importance of these subjects in students’ lives.

While the authors acknowledged that their findings are provisional, they also contended that conclusive data is not necessary to determine that children become excited about learning in various ways, including creatively.

Payne agreed that the importance of visual and performing arts on cognitive development is often overlooked.

“”Creativity teaches students to follow through on problem-solving skills that are outside the box,”” she said.

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