In school, everyone remembers doing hand paint, playing instruments in class, and even singing in class. However, as students’ progress from elementary into high school, there is a heavy emphasis on math and science classes. Obviously, math and science are important subjects which everyone should at least be proficient in, but art education is just as important as the primary core subjects. Art education is more than just paintings or drawings. It includes areas like music, performing arts, and second language courses. Overall, it is an abundance of topics for high school students to delve into. In Maryland public high schools, with the Common Core curriculum having a strong focus on Math and Science exam scores, it seems as if art education is being discouraged. This arises from the negative connotation of art education as “pointless,” when in fact, art education is very beneficial. Researcher Richard Deasy has found that there is a positive correlation between art classes and lower dropout rates, higher school attendance rates, and higher test scores. That is why Maryland should invest just as much into art education as the Common Core. Although Maryland is very supportive of art education compared to other states, as soon as budget cuts come, the first classes to go are art courses. It demonstrates how people view art classes as expendable and don’t look for their true benefit.
Art education is important for students because it invites creativity. Specifically, in high school, art classes allow students to expand their process of thinking as they grow into adolescents. As high school students mature into adulthood, they form their own views about the world, and art classes are a catalyst to these ongoing perceptions. Maryland’s Common Core curriculum is draining high school students of their creativity since it is mostly STEM-focused, to help students be “college and career ready.” However, colleges and future employers are also looking for creative individuals to drive their institutions or organizations. This highlights the essence of creativity as well as a strong foundation in the STEM areas.
The goal of this blog post is not to “scold” the Common Core curriculum and favor art education. Instead, try to demonstrate the importance of an art education as well as core classes, such as math and science found in the Common Core curriculum. Art education and STEM courses, emphasized in the Common Core, can live coherently. If anything, STEM and art courses go hand-to-hand because students can use artistic methods in analyzing technical information. Students can use an art education to hone their skills in other areas, as these abilities will spread to other subjects like Math. Just as UCLA researchers found, “art students are in the top percentiles in math and verbal test scores.”
Math and Science are vital subjects that we all need, but we also need the arts as well. As students’ progress through high school, art education does not have to stop, but it can thrive alongside the core classes of high schools. This does not imply every student should be painters or artists, but through art education, where imagination is inspired and creativity is encouraged, every student has a chance to paint their own picture. That is why the Common Core in Maryland, and anywhere else, should employ an art education curriculum along with the core STEM classes.
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