Prof: Art programs need stronger emphasis in American schools
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Many aspects of visual art education programs, such as teacher workload and funding, were negatively affected by the federal government's No Child Left Behind legislation, but class enrollment and staffing were less affected, according to a Purdue University professor.
F. Robert Sabol, professor and chair of the Department of Art and Design, conducted a study in 2009 about how the 2002 No Child Left Behind legislation affected visual art education in kindergarten through 12th-grade programs. The study, which included feedback from more than 3,400 educators, was supported by the National Art Education Association and National Art Education Foundation. Sabol is president-elect of the National Art Education Association.
"One of the greatest concerns reported was that No Child Left Behind caused art teachers to use art education resources to support language arts and math," Sabol says. "For example, budgets were reduced an average of 30 percent, and essential studio time for students was reduced as a result of increased assessments and reallocating resources to other subject areas."
Teachers also taught fewer art classes because their teaching time was redirected to focus on courses in language arts and math, providing remediation or conducting test preparation, Sabol says.
The No Child Left Behind legislation emphasizes measuring student success by assessing students' learning and achievement levels. Federal funding is allocated for each state that participates, but each state determines its method of assessment. This educational legislation is expected to be reauthorized this year.
"What we need to have in the reauthorization is to keep arts education among the core of subjects identified as essential in learning in our schools," Sabol says. "Even though arts education currently is in the core, it is not being treated as an equal partner with other subject areas under the current legislation."
Some positive news from the report was that 62 percent of the teachers reported that enrollment in art has not been significantly affected, Sabol says.
Teachers also reported the legislation helped them improve their curriculum and assessment measures, and this resulted in more accurately measuring visual arts learning in classrooms.
"And, at the same time, this increase in curriculum development and assessment meant less time was available for students to work in the studio," Sabol says. "Hopefully, we can find a balance in the future."
The report's summary is available at https://www.arteducators.org/research/nclb
The Department of Art and Design is housed in the Patti and Rusty Rueff School of Visual and Performing Arts.
Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu
Source: F. Robert Sabol, 765-494-3058, bobsabol@purdue.edu