Submitted by NALCED on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 10:00.
The Massachusetts Arts Education Collaborative (MAEC) has taken a keen interest in the new recommendations to reform education in Massachusetts for the development of 21st-Century Skills. We commend the Task Force for including the arts as an important domain of learning for advancing many of these critical skills. It is widely recognized that the current accountability system for education rests primarily upon the MCAS test, which is a limited vehicle for assessing educational progress. Areas superbly developed through artistic training and not easily assessed on MCAS—such as creativity, analytical thinking, leadership, self-direction, teamwork, media literacy, oral communication, and problem solving—are needed for high-school graduates to prepare for the work place as well as college. Additionally, the arts can play a significant role in opening new windows onto other curricular areas (English, math, science, etc.) as well as demonstrate and document student learning—particularly for non-traditional learners and students with learning disabilities, cognitive disabilities, or other learning challenges. With these thoughts in mind, MAEC makes the following six policy recommendations.
Recommendation 1—Sequential Arts Instruction by Licensed Instructors. MAEC strongly endorses regular, sequential, and rigorous instruction during the school day by licensed arts instructors in music, dance, visual art, and theatre. MAEC lauds the 21st-Century Task Force’s recommendation to place 1000 scientists and artists in classrooms; however, it cannot be in lieu of having professional arts educators teaching every child on a regular basis.
