Monday, April 11, 2011

A Decline in Arts Education

By Sam Piha

We know as afterschool leaders that young people love to express themselves through the arts. Further, we know that integrating arts into learning promotes young people's motivation and engagement and aligns well to the LIA learning principles.

However, a new study issued by the National Endowment for the Arts revealed that fewer American children are getting access to arts education. "What's especially alarming is that the overall decline is only part of the story: The drop is apparently most severe for African-Americans and Hispanics," wrote Erik Robelen in Education Week's Curriculum Matters blog.

According to the study, Arts Education in America: What the Declines Mean for Arts Participation, "The decline of childhood arts education among white children is relatively insignificant, while the declines for African American and Hispanic children are quite substantial - 49 percent for African American and 40 percent for Hispanic children."

What does this study say about our responsibility to make time in afterschool programs for arts education?

To view the February 28th blog post by Erik Robelen on this study, click here. To access the full study, Arts Education in America, click here.

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