Why Have Arts in Schools? President Barack Obama once said, “The future belongs to young people with an education and the imagination to create.” In schools, one of the most overlooked and underfunded subjects are the arts. During the 1930s, art education was greatly supported in the U.S. However, as time progressed the focus of education shifted to more standardized tests, science, and math. The arts were pushed into a corner, despite being able to help students grow who they are as people, but also help them in other important areas of school. The arts are important in education and should get funding appropriately. Receiving a good education in the arts can greatly help a student’s mental well being. Many students in school are shy, reserved, …show more content…
Involvement in the arts reflects well with students in other areas of education. Shirley Brice Heath is a researcher at Stanford University and Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. She has stated that the arts can have a large influence on students. “For example, Brice notes that those students who participate in the arts for at least three hours on three days each week through at least one full year are: 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, 3 times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools, ...3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance” (Ford, Adam). Arts can promote better attendance, higher scoring, and students running for offices in their schools. These are large pieces of information that show that involvement in the arts can help with far more than just reading music or singing. Another very reliable source, the Department of Education, has also noticed this. “Studies conducted by the DOE [Department of Education] have found a positive correlation between arts involvement and success in other subjects such as mathematics, science, and literature” (Flynn). Clearly, arts have an impact on students, their core education, and even the student’s