Image Via Values.com
Even though the benefits of Art education are clear, there are some who rebuke the arts. In Florida International University’s student article section, there is an article that undermines the value of art education. The writer, Neda Ghomeshi, stresses the value of “textbook education” while advocating that art is just a luxury and not a real asset. Ghomeshi’s claim is on the basis that American students are lagging compared to Asian countries in STEM areas. Her article’s approach is applaudable, but she rejects the true value of art education which weakens her overall thesis.
Math, Science, and STEM majors are vital aspects that every student should have, but art education is also an important piece of the public-school curriculum. Neda Ghomeshi states in her article that “Unfortunately, the continuously disappointing public education system in the United States promotes the arts while losing focus on textbook education.” Ghomeshi claims that the arts are distracting students from “textbook education” yet many schools and politicians take art education for granted. With the Common Core curriculum being implemented in every state, public school art education is losing the battle as it focuses more on STEM courses. There is no art curriculum in the Common Core because people view it as expendable. It is understandable that Ghomeshi and others are worried about American students in the STEM fields but that does not mean art education is to blame.
Another aspect of Neda Ghomeshi’s article is that art is not education. Ghomeshi and many others don’t see art as educational but instead as entertainment. There are tons of benefits by researchers which highlights art education as beneficial to students in various areas of Math and Science. Art education is especially significant to poor areas and minority driven regions. In Prince George’s County, Maryland art education is largely supported because the benefits are undeniable. With Prince George county being majority African-Americans, art education helps boost attendance rates and test scores. Neda Ghomeshi’s main argument is flawed because of this fact; she fails to consider the benefits of art education on minority groups. You cannot teach an urban public school student the same way as a student from the suburb. And art education has been proven to be a medium for minority students in the STEM fields because art inspires creativity that allows public school students to find solutions in their own unique ways. There is room for both art education and STEM courses, even though in reality they are both halves that make one. Would Larry Page and Sergey Brin have created Google without STEM and a great imagination? Maybe America does not have a STEM issue but a creative one. That is why art education is very important as it provides students with the creativity to employ in other areas like STEM to solve world issues. Just as Danny Gregory states “We need to make sure that the kids of today (who will need to be the creative problem solvers of tomorrow) realize their creative potential and have the tools to use them.”
Public Schools Matter 