Sherron & Jim Bowen on tue 7 oct 08
Arts found to up learning ante
Study finds creativity in the curriculum boosts academic performance
By Jeremy P. Meyer=20
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 10/07/2008 06:42:26 AM MDT
More arts instruction leads to better academic performance, according to =
a study released Monday and touted by state officials.=20
Colorado high school students with more access to art courses did better =
at reading, writing and science, regardless of their ethnicity or =
socioeconomic status, according to the study funded by the Colorado =
Council on the Arts.=20
Lt. Gov. Barbara O'Brien and Education Commissioner Dwight Jones pledged =
to review state standards and assessments for arts education at a news =
conference unveiling the results.=20
Art access did not positively affect math scores. However, high schools =
with more art classes had lower dropout rates, according to the report.=20
"When we talk about educating our kids, we really have to hold onto the =
dream of a full and comprehensive education," O'Brien said. "The future =
of the American economy is really going to depend on the creativity and =
initiative of the workforce."=20
Jones said an emphasis must continue to be placed on improving =
achievement on core subjects but also must incorporate arts.=20
"I don't believe it has to be either/or," Jones said. "I strongly =
believe it can be both."=20
The survey questioned every principal in Colorado's public schools and =
found that 93 percent of the state's elementary schools have formal arts =
education. In middle schools, 86 percent offer arts, as do 83 percent of =
high schools.=20
However, about 29,000 students attend schools with no arts courses, and =
53 percent of high schoolers take no arts courses. Students in rural =
areas have the fewest opportunities for arts education.=20
Respondents said the amount of class time planned for core subjects gets =
in the way of teaching art, providing a bigger barrier than money.=20
"(The study) gives us some added ammunition in this battle that many of =
us have been having with the philosophy of the three Rs - rigor, =
regimentation and regurgitation," said State Rep. Mike Merrifield, =
D-Manitou Springs.=20
Merrifield, a former music teacher, has been arguing for more arts =
education amid "this ever increasing drumbeat of testing, testing, =
testing and forcing children into more math and science."=20
At Denver's Fairmont Dual Language Academy, first-year principal Liz =
Tencate came from teaching at the Denver School of the Arts - a =
high-performing arts-centered school - and wants to incorporate some of =
the same philosophies in her lower performing inner-city school.=20
"We can . . . make it a thematic approach, give kids a sense that these =
things can apply to so many different realms," she said.=20
Incorporating arts into core subjects helps kids stay engaged, she said. =
Employers want inventive and creative future workers, said Elaine =
Mariner, director of the Council on the Arts.=20
"We need people who can take a blank piece of paper and create," she =
said.=20
Mariner said she would like legislation to add arts requirements for =
principal credentials and arts courses to become a prerequisite at =
Colorado's universities.=20
"I am terrified that we will really lose what it is to ignite =
intellectual curiosity with students," she said.=20
Lissette Ramirez, 16, a junior at Castle View High School in Douglas =
County, which focuses on arts education, said her passion for arts helps =
her in the rest of her studies.=20
"It gives me something to look forward to," she said. "I want to get to =
school because I have art in the morning."=20
Fifteen-year-old Katy Hoyer, a junior, borrowed from her love of music =
to write a national award-winning essay, which was named the best out of =
10,000 entries in the Kaplan/Newsweek competition.=20
"I wouldn't have been able to write it without music," she said.=20
Jeremy P. Meyer: 303-954-1367 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com
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