The detriment of removing the arts from schools
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2014 10:14 AM

In the face of high stakes standardized testing, many U.S. schools have decided to devote most of their budgets to the courses that are assessed. This includes English, math, science, foreign language and social studies. Such subjects are required for college admission, and English, math and science are tested in standardized exams. However, by doubling down on the core classes, many schools have left the arts by the wayside. 

Missing out on the arts
Take Minnesota, for example: According to a study conducted by Minnesota 2020, "enriching" courses, such as computer science, arts and business, lost 10 percent of their funding between the 2003-04 and the 2013-14 school years. The term "enriching" accurately defines such subjects. They are, for many students, an outlet that makes school exciting. Not only that, but studies have shown that the arts may improve IQ scores and the ability to focus. In fact, a study by the Dana Foundation linked cognition and attention to arts training. 

"Standardized testing has been elevated so high that it's really come at the cost of arts, music, all these programs that really draw kids to school and keep them in school," Sarah Lahm, of ACT for Education, told The Uptake. 

The Minnesota 2020 study calls for the development of the "whole" child, meaning that kids need to have access to subjects outside of those tested on standardized exams. Schools may have to reach out to the community to do that. Some Minnesota schools have held onto the arts thanks to parents' fundraising efforts. The study asks that schools take parent involvement further by including community members in budget-making decisions. 

Why keep the arts?
Music, theater and visual arts all benefit kids not just by enriching their lives, but by improving their IQs. According to a study from Boston Children's Hospital published in PLOS One, learning to play music can boost a person's cognitive abilities. The study found that playing music actually improves the executive functions performed by the brain. For instance, musically trained children showed greater verbal fluency and mental processing speed than children who weren't musically trained. 

Researchers note that replacing music with math (or other core subjects) may give students more opportunities to improve in the subject, but it won't necessarily make them more intelligent. The arts help kids learn to think faster and more critically. It's like the old saying, "if you give a person a fish, you feed him for a day, but if you teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime." Overall, such studies highlight the fact that training in the arts, in addition to teaching core subjects, will give students a well-rounded education.