Arts and Music in Public Schools: Overview

Introduction

In the United States' public school system, education in art and music is supported and funded at the federal, state, and local levels. Under the current system, state governments determine whether art and music should be mandatory for public school students. As of 2018, the latest year for which data are available, a majority of states required arts education in elementary school and required or provided optional arts education at higher-grade levels. Arts education generally includes some combination of instruction in creative writing, dance, drama, music, and visual arts.

The issue of arts education is part of the larger debate over school funding in the US. Some educators believe that arts education is insufficiently funded and cite data showing that students who engage in artistic activities perform better in other academic areas. Critics of arts education in public schools argue that arts education is not a high fiscal priority, especially when funding is limited for other academic departments. In addition, some believe that the federal government should take a greater role in determining how state governments use funding for arts education.

Although educators have worked with legislators to create standards for art and music education, and federal laws have renewed emphasis on arts and music education as part of well-rounded schooling, he National Assessment Governing Board removed arts from the ten-year schedule of National Assessment of Educational Process (NAEP) assessments starting in 2020, which eliminated the only nationally recognized assessment of arts education in the US, besides the Advanced Placement exams.

Understanding the Discussion

Arts education: Education based on aesthetic criteria, including subjects such as music, visual arts, drama, and performance.

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA): An independent US government agency that distributes private and federal funding to individual artists and art organizations through grants. The NEA also conducts original research regarding the participation of American citizens in arts, art education, literature, and related activities.

Visual arts: Arts related to visual perception, including drawing, painting, sculpture, and decorative arts.

History

In ancient human societies, artistic ability was associated with leadership and religious roles. In Asia and some parts of Europe, for example, ability in the visual arts and music were often considered prerequisites for government service.

In medieval Europe, arts education by private tutors was common among wealthy, elite families. The middle and lower classes could seek instruction in art and music through apprenticeships to professional artists.

In the early United States, public education began in the 1800s. Boston, Massachusetts, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were among the first cities to offer art and music education in public schools. Arts education was viewed as a way to help students to develop coordination and analytical ability and was thought to help in developing morals. The book An Introduction to Linear Drawing (1825) by William Bentley Fowle was one of the first art textbooks used in public schools.

Music education also developed during this time. However, since most public schools did not have access to instruments, it was typically restricted to singing instruction and school choruses.

In the early decades of the twentieth century, child psychologists began to promote the idea that arts education should be used to help children develop creativity, a shift away from earlier practical approaches.

During the 1930s, arts education thrived in the United States. The Federal Arts Program (FAP) was established as part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal and provided work for unemployed artists and musicians in public schools. In 1947, regional arts associations around the country joined to form the National Art Education Association (NAEA), an influential group that helped public schools secure funding for art and music teachers.

Emphasis on arts education declined after the passage of the National Defense Education Act of 1958. The act was a response to the perception that American students were falling behind other countries in terms of science and mathematics education. State and federal funding for arts education was reduced in most states.

President John F. Kennedy partially restored funding for art and music education with the establishment of the Cultural Affairs Branch of the Office of Education in 1962. The office focused on elementary and secondary arts education and made recommendations for schools on the recruitment and training of teachers.

The number of students graduating with degrees in art and music increased during the 1960s, providing public schools with the opportunity to recruit college-educated teachers. In 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts became the primary organization for the distribution of federal arts funding. The NEA brings art to schools, rural areas, inner-city communities, and military bases in all fifty states. The National Endowment for the Arts' mission is to foster excellence, diversity, and vitality of the arts throughout the United States.

During the 1980s and early 1990s, funding for the NEA was reduced after the organization sponsored several controversial art exhibits. Religious and conservative groups united against the NEA, and some critics suggested that the organization should be disbanded.

In 1992, the federal government established the National Council of Educational Standards and Testing (NCEST) to examine education standards and recommend improvements to the education system. Arts educators and legislators were asked to develop standards for art and music education. In 1994, a list of basic standards for art and music education was added to the NCEST standards.

The modern debate surrounding arts education has roots in the Goals 2000: Educate America Act (1994), which outlined the educational goals and standards for the nation and provided recommendations for state and local implementation. The Educate America Act included eight education goals regarding school readiness, school completion, academic achievement, leadership in math and science, adult literacy, drug-free schools, teacher development, and parental participation. Although the Educate America Act listed arts education as part of the core curriculum, the federal government gives states the right to decide whether to make arts education mandatory.

Not all the goals of the Educate America Act were met by the intended deadline of 2000. Following the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, greater emphasis was placed on standardized testing as the basis for schools receiving federal funding. Supporters of arts education in public schools fear that the inability to assess most types of arts education through standardized testing resulted in a reduced emphasis on arts education. Additionally, school budget cuts stemming from the economic recession that marked the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century often negatively impacted arts education programs and resources more than any others. While the Every Student Succeeds Act, signed into law in 2015, allowed for more flexibility for schools than its predecessor, testing requirements remained. Results obtained from the National Assessment of Educational Progress conducted in 2016 showed that 63 percent of eighth graders had taken a music class while 42 percent had taken a visual arts class.

The US Department of Education and the NEA are the federal agencies responsible for providing federal funds for arts education. Arts education has typically been one of the lowest priorities for the Ed Department, and the executive branch repeatedly sought to defund the NEA in the late 2010s. Congress nonetheless continued to allocate budget to the NEA, with $207 million in funding for fiscal year 2024. Additionally, funding for in-school and after-school arts education has also been supplemented through several other federal programs, including Title I-A for well-rounded education programs, Title IV-A block grants, and Title II-A for educators' professional development.

Arts and Music in Public Schools Today

The COVID-19 pandemic of the early 2020s posed major challenges to all realms of education, but especially to art and music instruction. Lack of access to artistic materials, physical distancing requirements, difficulties with or restrictions on virtual instruction, and viral spread of the respiratory illness through in-person singing and woodwind instruments presented particular obstacles for arts educators. The future of art and music education remained uncertain even after the return to in-person instruction, as school districts sought to handle the devastating learning loss incurred across all disciplines and to address staff burnout and shortages.

As of 2022, all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and military education programs all had adopted arts education standards and thirty-one states had designated arts as a core academic discipline, according to the Education Commission of the States.

Critics of arts education have two main complaints. First, critics believe that school systems misuse federal funding, and have petitioned the government to take a more active role in the distribution of funding for specific academic areas. Second, critics believe that federal and state governments should not focus on arts education until the nation has met global standards in terms of the primary academic curriculum. However, research has indicated that students involved in art and music tend to exceed average achievement in other areas of the curriculum. Studies conducted by the US Department of Education have found a positive correlation between arts involvement and success in other subjects such as mathematics, science, and literature.

Advocates, such as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, cite not only such academic benefits, but also the role of arts education in fostering cultural and historic appreciation, social and emotional development, empathy, tolerance, and increased engagement in school, the community, and civic life. Following the pandemic, mental health awareness grew, and arts education was seen as one way schools could support student wellbeing. Some supporters also contended that the trend of integrating arts and music into the curricula for other disciplines devalued them as areas of study and argued that they should be taught for their own sakes.

These essays and any opinions, information or representations contained therein are the creation of the particular author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of EBSCO Information Services.

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