Liberal Arts In Education Essay

There is no doubt that we, as a society, place high emphasis on finding the most efficient ways to prepare high school students for a future packed with technology and science. As we move away from industrial and hands-on jobs and instead seek out methods of automation and heightened productivity, it is universally accepted that the core STEM classes (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) are indeed crucial for educating the next generation. But this almost desperate race to push exclusively for technical courses has resulted in the complete monopolization of school budgets and the elimination of liberal and fine arts courses from a high school education. This is a short-sighted move that has serious long-term consequences. These classes

But Martin’s study brings up a crucial note to challenge this idea. Just as research shows that the liberal arts have a massive impact on a student’s education, the location of these studies may also have a large impact on the effect it will have on the student. Interestingly enough, not all students are necessarily going to opt to be as invested in an external arts program as they may be in a school program. Martin suggests this when he states, “the essential elements (e.g., engagement, active participation) of external arts tuition… must be present to yield a quality experience.” (Martin, p. 722, The Complexity of External Arts Tuition, par. 1) This statement means that unless there is already a firmly established sense of intrinsic motivation in the particular student, there may not be many rewards to reap from an external arts program, seeing as there may not be as much incentive for the student to succeed. An in-school arts program not only teaches important values and skills, but also does so while integrating social aspects such as communicating and working with classmates. This social development and encouragement provides further incentive for a student to become involved, and will only increase class participation and academic