Rationale

Introduction

While the impact of the arts on learning as well as personal and social development has been well documented, the arts have not yet been consistently incorporated into school curricula across communities and states.  Research has demonstrated that the arts create a success-oriented learning environment by "fostering teacher innovation, a positive professional culture, community engagement, increased student attendance and retention, effective instructional practice, and school identity" (AEP Highlights, p. 3).

The Impact of No Child Left Behind on the Arts

With the adoption of No Child Left Behind the federal government named the arts as a "core academic subject." While this brought optimism to arts advocates, NCLB’s focus on standardized testing in a few subjects has had a negative impact on untested subjects. According to the Center on Education Policy, 44% of school districts in the nation have cut time from areas such as art and music since the enactment of NCLB.
In response to this "narrowing of the curriculum," national efforts have been aligning to position the arts as essential to developing the “whole child” and to contributing to the development of 21st-Century workforce skills in an increasingly global society.

Responses to NCLB Supporting Arts in Education

Through its "Whole Child Initiative," the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) is seeking "to ensure our children become productive, engaged citizens." ASCD calls for educational opportunities that involve academic rigor and the development of 21st-century skills of critical thinking and creativity.
The report, "Tough Choices or Tough Times," has called for an overhaul of our educational system towards one that depends on a "deep vein of creativity" and a high level of preparation in the arts, and other subjects as an "indispensable foundation."
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21), founded in 2002, brings together the business community, education leaders, and policymakers to define a powerful vision for 21st-century education and to ensure that students emerge from our schools with the skills needed to be effective citizens, workers, and leaders in the 21st century. P21's vision for learning includes the arts among core subjects, and learning and innovation skills that tie closely with arts learning such as creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, communication and collaboration.
According to the "Imagine Nation" poll, a majority of U.S. voters agree that building students’ imaginations to equip young people with the ability to innovate is as important as teaching them the academic basics. Nearly nine out of 10 respondents said an education in and through the arts is essential for cultivating the imagination.

In Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, Governor Deval Patrick's Commonwealth Readiness Project has developed policy recommendations for a ten-year education plan. New leadership at the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education seems to recognize the value of the arts as evidenced in the passing of MassCore, a recommended program of high school studies that includes one arts credit. Massachusetts Secretary of Education Paul Reville has publicly acknowledged the arts as a direct conduit for developing 21st Century skills.
Massachusetts has become a P21 leadership state and has created a 21st Century Task Force that includes several arts advocates, and published recommendations in November, 2008.

Our Collective Goal

To change public education we must find ways to broaden the curriculum to include learning in and through the arts so that the unique benefits that the arts provide can be available to all students.
We are pursuing a goal that is collective in nature and that requires both excellent programs and a sense of responsibility among educators, school administrators, teaching artists, non-profit/cultural partners, higher education, parents and funders. It is a moment when advocacy can have a great impact on the collective challenges we face and successes we have.