what work or life skills require education in the arts

What is Art Education: Exploring its Purpose and Impact

What is art education.

Are you curious about the power of art education? Have you ever wondered why it’s so important to have art in the classroom?

Join us on this journey as we discover the true value of art education and how it can make a difference in students’ lives everywhere. Get ready to be inspired and amazed!

Key Takeaways

The disciplines in art education.

It includes performing arts such as dance, music, theatre, and visual arts like drawing, painting, sculpture, and design.

Through art education, students are exposed to diverse artistic practices, where they can develop their creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

Furthermore, it provides opportunities to explore cultural heritage and appreciate the importance of creativity in society.

Integrating arts into education allows learners to express themselves and discover their talents.

Understanding Art Education

Art education is a vital educational experience that fosters creativity and artistic expression and offers various cognitive and emotional benefits.

Whether it is music, dance, visual arts, or theatre, arts education is crucial in broadening your perspective and nurturing your imagination.

This helps you better understand various cultures, traditions, and histories, fostering empathy and respect for others.

Moreover, exploring, creating, and appreciating art can be therapeutic, enabling you to manage stress and emotional turmoil effectively.

So, embrace the world of arts, experience art education’s benefits , and appreciate the richness it brings to your life.

Importance of Art Education

As you explore the importance of art education , you will find numerous benefits that contribute to the overall development of every student.

One of the primary reasons art education is essential is because it helps students engage with school and reduce stress.

Incorporating art education into your curriculum aids in developing social-emotional and interpersonal skills .

A robust arts-learning environment enriches your educational experience by stimulating critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Art education challenges you to view the world differently and develop innovative solutions to complex problems.

Partaking in art education equips you to handle constructive criticism. In the creative process, receiving feedback and refining your work is integral.

In conclusion, art education is vital to creating a well-rounded academic experience.

With numerous benefits, ranging from stress reduction to the development of interpersonal skills, it is clear that art education plays an essential role in every student’s overall growth.

Pedagogy in Art Education

Choice-based pedagogy is a popular approach in art education, where you, as the art teacher, design learning activities that support students as artists and provide them with authentic choices to respond to their ideas and interests through art-making  [1] .

Another critical aspect to consider in your pedagogy is culturally responsive teaching. As an art teacher, you must acknowledge and respect the diverse backgrounds of your students.

By incorporating their unique cultural experiences into your teaching and adapting your methods to ensure that all students can connect with the material, you are contributing to an inclusive art education environment.

Your coursework and professional development should emphasize art history , contemporary artistic practices, and various media and materials.

This helps you introduce students to a wide range of artists and movements, enabling them to critically engage with the world of art.

Your pedagogy might need to be flexible while working as a teaching artist, adapting to the unique needs and goals of each project or setting.

Doing so contributes to developing a new generation of artists and creative thinkers.

The Role of Art Educators

Your role goes beyond teaching the techniques and skills required to create art. It would help if you also instilled in your students an appreciation for and understanding of the cultural , historical , and social contexts in which different art forms have evolved.

In addition to being knowledgeable in your subject matter, as an art educator, you should cultivate a creative and supportive learning environment for your students.

This includes encouraging experimentation, curiosity, and self-expression while providing constructive feedback to help students grow as artists.

In summary, as an art educator, your role encompasses teaching a variety of art forms , nurturing creativity , fostering critical thinking , and advocating for the importance of an arts education in students’ lives.

Visual and Performing Arts

You’ll explore various disciplines in art education, including visual, performing, media , and  contemporary art .

Visual art encompasses traditional fine arts such as drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, and sculpture.

On the other hand, performing arts consist of disciplines like theatre, dance, and music. These fields emphasize movement, expression, and storytelling, often utilizing the human body as the primary instrument.

This can involve exploring the works of present-day artists, situating them within a broader cultural context, and critically analyzing their messages and methodologies.

Art Education Programs

Art education programs play a crucial role in developing well-rounded students.

As a part of these programs, you’ll find courses encompassing various disciplines such as dance, music, theatre, and visual arts like drawing, painting, sculpture, and design works.

Many  art education programs  focus on building stronger communities and fostering strategic alliances that propel the arts forward as a solution.

As the demand for art education rises, it is essential to understand the benefits it offers to students.

In  community arts programs , participants often collaborate on art projects, emphasizing community involvement and social change. These programs aim to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Enrolling in a reputed  art school  can help you access top-notch facilities, dedicated faculty members experienced in various art forms, and networks of fellow artists and creative professionals.

Arts Integration in Education

Arts integration is a teaching approach where content standards are taught and assessed equitably in and through the arts.

This creative process connects an art form with another subject area, meeting evolving objectives and fostering a well-rounded educational experience.

This method focuses on the desired outcome, like your culminating event, exhibition, or final artwork , and builds the curriculum to achieve that goal.

This approach ensures all subject areas are effectively woven together and essential content is included in the learning process.

Connecting subject areas through the arts can create a more inclusive, diverse, and stimulating learning environment for all students.

Student Outcomes in Art Education

In art education, students experience various improvements in their learning outcomes.

By honing their creative skills, students become more capable of generating new ideas and adapting to different situations.

This more profound understanding of artistic meaning helps students develop a more nuanced approach to interpreting the world around them.

Problem-solving is another critical learning outcome associated with art education. Students who engage in art projects often face complex challenges that require them to find solutions by experimenting with various techniques and materials.

Students learn to communicate effectively , listen to others, and contribute to a larger goal by engaging in these collaborative activities.

Students can experience growth in these essential skills by participating in art education.

Art Practice and Learning Opportunities

Studio practice.

In art education, studio practice is a crucial component that enables you to develop your technical skills and artistic abilities.

Practical Experiences

Practical experiences in art education provide invaluable opportunities to apply your artistic knowledge in real-life situations.

Art Making and Creativity

Art-making and creativity go hand-in-hand in the realm of art education. By actively participating in creative activities, you develop a stronger sense of self-expression and expand your ability to generate innovative ideas.

Embracing art-making and creativity fosters a lifelong love of learning and enriches your educational experience.

The Impact of Art Education on Early Childhood Development

In early childhood education, the integration of art plays a significant role in the development of young artists.

Various studies have demonstrated the value of incorporating artistic practices into early childhood education programs  [6] .

Encouraging young learners to engage in imaginative activities can improve social interaction, self-expression, and emotional regulation skills.

Children develop a sense of curiosity and wonder that translates into a lifelong love of learning by participating in diverse artistic experiences, such as painting, drawing, sculpture, and music.

In conclusion, as an advocate for your child’s education, it is essential to consider the impact of art education on their early childhood development .

Art Education Beyond the Classroom

Museums are a great place to expose yourself to various art forms and expand your understanding of different artistic styles and periods.

While in-person art classes offer a distinct experience, joining art organizations can provide valuable knowledge and opportunities to network with other artists and professionals .

These groups often provide workshops, events, and resources to help you grow as an artist.

Art education can also benefit non-arts fields by fostering creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration skills.

Brainstorming techniques, like collaborative sketching and mind-mapping, can be used across various industries to generate new ideas and improve decision-making.

Take advantage of the opportunities available, explore new avenues, and let your art flourish beyond the classroom.

Future Perspectives in Art Education

One key aspect of future perspectives in art education is how it prepares students for the evolving world.

Moreover, the integration of new concepts and innovations in the field of art education will provide unique opportunities for students to thrive.

The embrace of technology in art education will significantly enhance how you approach creative projects, equipping you with the necessary tools to master emerging forms of artistic expression.

Furthermore, the future of art education aims to focus on the importance of art in addressing social and emotional well-being.

By being involved in this ever-evolving field, you will be better prepared for the challenges ahead, fostering creativity and innovation that can significantly impact the world.

Final Thoughts on What is Art Education

As we conclude our exploration of art education, we are left with a deep appreciation for the power of creativity and self-expression.

It’s about preparing students for a future where innovation and creativity are more crucial than ever before.

We are a team of creatives dedicated to sharing tips, tricks, and step-by-step guides on all things related to art and design. Check out our blog for a list of all the awesome things we post!

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New evidence of the benefits of arts education

Subscribe to the brown center on education policy newsletter, brian kisida and bk brian kisida assistant professor, truman school of public affairs - university of missouri daniel h. bowen dhb daniel h. bowen assistant professor, college of education and human development - texas a&m university.

February 12, 2019

Engaging with art is essential to the human experience. Almost as soon as motor skills are developed, children communicate through artistic expression. The arts challenge us with different points of view, compel us to empathize with “others,” and give us the opportunity to reflect on the human condition. Empirical evidence supports these claims: Among adults, arts participation is related to behaviors that contribute to the health of civil society , such as increased civic engagement, greater social tolerance, and reductions in other-regarding behavior. Yet, while we recognize art’s transformative impacts, its place in K-12 education has become increasingly tenuous.

A critical challenge for arts education has been a lack of empirical evidence that demonstrates its educational value. Though few would deny that the arts confer intrinsic benefits, advocating “art for art’s sake” has been insufficient for preserving the arts in schools—despite national surveys showing an overwhelming majority of the public agrees that the arts are a necessary part of a well-rounded education.

Over the last few decades, the proportion of students receiving arts education has shrunk drastically . This trend is primarily attributable to the expansion of standardized-test-based accountability, which has pressured schools to focus resources on tested subjects. As the saying goes, what gets measured gets done. These pressures have disproportionately affected access to the arts in a negative way for students from historically underserved communities. For example, a federal government report found that schools designated under No Child Left Behind as needing improvement and schools with higher percentages of minority students were more likely to experience decreases in time spent on arts education.

We recently conducted the first ever large-scale, randomized controlled trial study of a city’s collective efforts to restore arts education through community partnerships and investments. Building on our previous investigations of the impacts of enriching arts field trip experiences, this study examines the effects of a sustained reinvigoration of schoolwide arts education. Specifically, our study focuses on the initial two years of Houston’s Arts Access Initiative and includes 42 elementary and middle schools with over 10,000 third- through eighth-grade students. Our study was made possible by generous support of the Houston Endowment , the National Endowment for the Arts , and the Spencer Foundation .

Due to the program’s gradual rollout and oversubscription, we implemented a lottery to randomly assign which schools initially participated. Half of these schools received substantial influxes of funding earmarked to provide students with a vast array of arts educational experiences throughout the school year. Participating schools were required to commit a monetary match to provide arts experiences. Including matched funds from the Houston Endowment, schools in the treatment group had an average of $14.67 annually per student to facilitate and enhance partnerships with arts organizations and institutions. In addition to arts education professional development for school leaders and teachers, students at the 21 treatment schools received, on average, 10 enriching arts educational experiences across dance, music, theater, and visual arts disciplines. Schools partnered with cultural organizations and institutions that provided these arts learning opportunities through before- and after-school programs, field trips, in-school performances from professional artists, and teaching-artist residencies. Principals worked with the Arts Access Initiative director and staff to help guide arts program selections that aligned with their schools’ goals.

Our research efforts were part of a multisector collaboration that united district administrators, cultural organizations and institutions, philanthropists, government officials, and researchers. Collective efforts similar to Houston’s Arts Access Initiative have become increasingly common means for supplementing arts education opportunities through school-community partnerships. Other examples include Boston’s Arts Expansion Initiative , Chicago’s Creative Schools Initiative , and Seattle’s Creative Advantage .

Through our partnership with the Houston Education Research Consortium, we obtained access to student-level demographics, attendance and disciplinary records, and test score achievement, as well as the ability to collect original survey data from all 42 schools on students’ school engagement and social and emotional-related outcomes.

We find that a substantial increase in arts educational experiences has remarkable impacts on students’ academic, social, and emotional outcomes. Relative to students assigned to the control group, treatment school students experienced a 3.6 percentage point reduction in disciplinary infractions, an improvement of 13 percent of a standard deviation in standardized writing scores, and an increase of 8 percent of a standard deviation in their compassion for others. In terms of our measure of compassion for others, students who received more arts education experiences are more interested in how other people feel and more likely to want to help people who are treated badly.

When we restrict our analysis to elementary schools, which comprised 86 percent of the sample and were the primary target of the program, we also find that increases in arts learning positively and significantly affect students’ school engagement, college aspirations, and their inclinations to draw upon works of art as a means for empathizing with others. In terms of school engagement, students in the treatment group were more likely to agree that school work is enjoyable, makes them think about things in new ways, and that their school offers programs, classes, and activities that keep them interested in school. We generally did not find evidence to suggest significant impacts on students’ math, reading, or science achievement, attendance, or our other survey outcomes, which we discuss in our full report .

As education policymakers increasingly rely on empirical evidence to guide and justify decisions, advocates struggle to make the case for the preservation and restoration of K-12 arts education. To date, there is a remarkable lack of large-scale experimental studies that investigate the educational impacts of the arts. One problem is that U.S. school systems rarely collect and report basic data that researchers could use to assess students’ access and participation in arts educational programs. Moreover, the most promising outcomes associated with arts education learning objectives extend beyond commonly reported outcomes such as math and reading test scores. There are strong reasons to suspect that engagement in arts education can improve school climate, empower students with a sense of purpose and ownership, and enhance mutual respect for their teachers and peers. Yet, as educators and policymakers have come to recognize the importance of expanding the measures we use to assess educational effectiveness, data measuring social and emotional benefits are not widely collected. Future efforts should continue to expand on the types of measures used to assess educational program and policy effectiveness.

These findings provide strong evidence that arts educational experiences can produce significant positive impacts on academic and social development. Because schools play a pivotal role in cultivating the next generation of citizens and leaders, it is imperative that we reflect on the fundamental purpose of a well-rounded education. This mission is critical in a time of heightened intolerance and pressing threats to our core democratic values. As policymakers begin to collect and value outcome measures beyond test scores, we are likely to further recognize the value of the arts in the fundamental mission of education.

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Arts Integration and 21st Century Skills What knowledge and skills do students need to be successful in the 21st century? Arts integration provides answers.

“Educators across our country are opening young minds, fostering innovation, and developing imaginations through arts education. Through their work, they are empowering our Nation's students with the ability to meet the challenges of a global marketplace. It is a well-rounded education for our children that will fuel our efforts to lead in a new economy where critical and creative thinking will be the keys to success.” 1  -- President Barack Obama

“Arts learning experiences play a vital role in developing students’ capacities for critical thinking, creativity, imagination and innovation. These capacities are increasingly recognized as core skills and competencies that all students need as part of a high-quality and complete 21st-century education….one that includes learning in and through the arts…” 2  --The National Task Force on the Arts in Education

21st Century Skills

With the vast social, cultural, technological, and economic changes our nation is experiencing, as well as those we have yet to imagine, many are reconsidering what knowledge and skills students need to be successful in the 21st century. The question under consideration is how to create “a new learning environment consistent with the cognitive and expressive demands of the 21st century.” 3

Answers are coming from various places. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) has been working since 2002 with educators, civic and community groups, and business leaders to define and advocate for the knowledge and skills they perceive as essential for 21st century success. In 2011, there are sixteen P21 Leadership States 4  and numerous organizations such as Pearson, Apple, and Blackboard, involved as Strategic Council Members 5 . The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development/ASCD developed a position statement in 2008 titled “Educating Students in a Changing World” 6  and in 2009 dedicated an issue of  Educational Leadership  to teaching for the 21st century 7 . Other groups have been examining the needs of 21st century learning, including The College Board’s National Task Force on the Arts in Education 8  and The American Institutes for Research with the Metiri Group and the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory 9 .

What are 21st Century Skills?

Many organizations have described 21st century skills. This article focuses on the skills articulated in P21’s  Framework for 21st Century Learning 10 . The  Framework  identifies four overarching Student Outcomes as well as the Support Systems needed 11 . The Student Outcomes include (1) the Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes; (2) Learning and Innovation Skills (also known as the 4Cs - communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity); (3) Information, Media, and Technology Skills and (4) Life and Career Skills.

How do the arts/arts integration contribute to the development of 21st century skills?

The arts are one of the core subjects in 21st century learning. To demonstrate how learning in and through the arts builds 21st century skills, P21 has also collaborated with six arts education professional organizations to create a Skills Map for the Arts 12  that provides examples of how the four arts areas (dance, music, theatre, and visual arts, which collectively include the media arts) help develop many 21st century skills and outcomes including curiosity, imagination, creativity, and evaluation skills. The introduction to the Skills Map states:

“Collectively, the examples in this document demonstrate that the arts are among society’s most compelling and effective paths for developing 21st Century Skills in our students.” 13

The Arts Skills Map also describes how all the 21st Century Themes (global awareness; financial, economic, business and entrepreneurial literacy, civic literacy, health literacy and environmental literacy) are supported by arts learning.

One of P21’s central goals is to fuse the core subjects with the 4Cs: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. This “fusing” suggests an interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning.  Arts integration  is inherently interdisciplinary; it demonstrates ways to accomplish this “fusion.” Through arts integration, students develop dual content knowledge (in both an art form and another area of the curriculum) as well as develop skills in the 4Cs.

Communication

The first C in the P21  Framework , learning to communicate, is central to arts integration. Students communicate their emerging understandings through an art form. The medium for communication is the art form itself. Each art form has a language and symbol system through which students interpret information and communicate their ideas. For example, acting, storytelling, puppetry, and performance poetry develop skills in oral communication. Students develop written communication skills through such art forms as playwriting and poetry and develop non-verbal communication skills through dance, music, theater, and the visual arts. Additionally, arts integration engages students in metaphorical thinking, which enlarges the power of their communication.

Collaboration

The  Framework’s  second C is collaboration. When students engage in arts integration they usually collaborate in small groups to solve problems. Even when students work individually, they also draw on peer input. In all cases, students enlarge their understandings when they see how others think and react to their thinking. Arts integration provides opportunities for students to learn to be open and responsive to diverse perspectives, work respectfully with their peers, make necessary compromises, and share and accept responsibility.

Dennie Palmer Wolf’s research has documented the extensive collaboration (and communication) inherent in arts experiences. The research found that when students create original operas they were engaged in “more sustained and coherent collaboration over time” 14  than when they were involved in other curriculum areas.

“…students progressively develop judgments about how well their work is expressing what they want to say and they find ways to talk to one another about it and to make decisions about how to adjust the work to enhance the quality.” 15

Critical Thinking

The  Framework’s  third “C” is the ability to reason effectively, make judgments and decisions, and solve problems, among other things. When students are involved in arts integration, they develop critical thinking skills as they make judgments about how to solve problems that have no single right answer.

Creating in the arts involves critical thinking and “sophisticated intellectual engagement:” 16

“The arts are not just expressive and affective. They are deeply cognitive. They develop essential thinking tools: pattern recognition and development; mental representations of what is observed or imagined; symbolic, allegorical, and metaphorical representations; careful observation of the world; and abstraction from complexity.” 17   –David Sousa

The  Framework’s  fourth “C” is the ability to think creatively, work creatively with others, and implement innovations, among other things. Creativity is a hallmark of arts integration. Students engage in the creative process as a way to construct and demonstrate what they know and understand. The creative process requires students to solve problems by imagining a wide range of solutions; by exploring and experimenting with the most promising solutions; by creating a product (e.g., dance, musical composition, collage, digital story, poem); by reflecting on, assessing and revising their products; and sharing them with others.

Judy Willis, in her Whole Child blog, points to research that shows that creativity correlates with the brain processing associated with the highest forms of cognition. She states:

“…neuroscience and cognitive science research are increasingly providing information that  correlates creativity with  intelligence; academic, social, and emotional success; and the development of skill sets and the highest information processing (executive functions) that will become increasingly valuable for students in the 21st century.” 18

Although the creative process exists in many fields, the arts are one of the most accessible and powerful ways to build the creative mind in the classroom. Stanford University’s Elliot Eisner makes the case that our encounters with the arts are critically important because the arts are a way to cultivate our imaginative abilities, offer a variety of means for representing our imagination in material form (inscription), and provide opportunities to edit and adjust the representation to achieve the quality, precision, and power for effective communication. 19

The arts include the use of media and technology as means of communication. When students are engaged in arts integration, they develop skills in accessing and evaluating information (in both the art form and the other curriculum area). They communicate their developing understandings using a variety of ways including digital media and technology.

The P21  Framework  identifies Life and Career Skills which include various dispositions or habits of mind 20 . These dispositions are aligned with those developed through arts integration. Students have opportunities to:

• Solve problems having more than one right answer. Through arts integration students engage in the creative process which develops flexibility in thinking, tolerance for ambiguity, and a perspective that experimentation involves missteps which are a natural part of learning.
• Develop initiative and self-direction to solve problems and manage their work with increasing independence. When students are engaged in arts integration, they make choices and direct their own work with ongoing feedback from the teacher or other students. Over time they accept increasing responsibility for their learning.
• Work collaboratively and develop social skills. Through arts integration, students gain experience in clearly stating their ideas, and listening to and respecting their peers’ ideas.
• Be both productive and accountable. In arts integration, students learn manage their projects so they can produce results within a limited timeframe. They learn to set and meet goals, prioritize, and engage in a process that leads to a product.
• Take on leadership roles. Arts integration is student-centered learning. As a result, students have many opportunities to lead as well as to be a responsible group member. Since arts integration thrives in a supportive learning environment, students learn to encourage others to do their best.

Arts integration makes a significant contribution to the development of 21st century knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Through the development of critical thinking, creativity, imagination and innovation, arts integration offers a powerful way to create “a new learning environment consistent with the cognitive and expressive demands of the 21st century.” 21

Lynne B. Silverstein

Editors & Producers

Amy Duma Kenny Neal

Works Cited

• Presidential Proclamation -- National Arts and Humanities Month, 2011, October 3, 2011 http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/10/03/presidential-proclamation-national-arts-and-humanities-month-2011
• The National Task on the Arts in Education,  Arts at the Core: At the Core of Civilization, at the Core of Education , (The College Board, 2009) 9. http://advocacy.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/arts-at-the-core.pdf
• Peter W. Cookson, Jr., “What Would Socrates Say?”  Educational Leadership , September 2009, Vol. 67 No. 1, (Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development/ASCD) 10.
• Current P21 Leadership States include Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
• Full list of P21 Strategic Council Members is listed at http://www.p21.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=508&Itemid=192
• 21st Century Skills: Educating Students in a Changing World (ASCD Position Statement 2008). http://ascd.org/research-a-topic/21st-century-skills-resources.aspx
• Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, “Teaching for the 21st Century,”  Educational Leadership , September 2009, Vol. 67, No. 1.
• National Task Force on the Arts in Education,  Arts at the Core: Recommendations for Advancing the State of Arts Education in the 21st Century , (The College Board, 2009).
• Metiri Group,  enGauge 21st Century Skills: Literacy in the Digital Age . http://www.metiri.com
• It should be noted that some individuals and groups have raised questions about the P21 approach, pointing out that there needs to be more focus on content knowledge, that these skills are not new but have been a part of the progressive education movement since the early 20th century, and that equity is an issue, especially for disadvantaged students. It should also be noted that this article does not examine Information, Media and Technology skills (although the media arts are a part of all the art forms).
• P21 Mission Statement. http://www.p21.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=188&Itemid=110 The Support Systems include standards and assessments, curriculum and instruction, professional development, and learning environments.
• Partnership for 21st Century Skills,  21st Century Skills Map: The Arts , (Tuscon, AZ: Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2010). http://www.p21.org/documents/P21_arts_map_final.pdf
• 21st Century Skills Map: The Arts , 2.
• Gail Burnaford with Sally Brown, James Doherty and H. James McLaughlin, Arts Integration Frameworks, Research & Practice,  A Literature Review , (Washington DC: Arts Education Partnership, 2007), 32.
• Lauren M. Stevenson and Richard J. Deasy,  Third Space: When Learning Matters , (Washington DC: Arts Education Partnership, 2005), 44-45.
• David A. Sousa,  How the Brain Learns , 3rd ed. (Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2006), 40.
• Ibid., 217.
• ASCD The Whole Child Blog,  The Brain Learns Creatively When the Arts are in the Picture , October 13, 2010. http://whatworks.wholechildeducation.org/blog/the-brain-learns-creatively-when-arts-are-in-the-picture/
• Eisner, Elliot W.  The Arts and the Creation of Mind , (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002) 4-9.
• Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick,  Habits of Mind Across the Curriculum: Practical and Creative Strategies for Teachers , (Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 2009).
• Eric Booth,  The Music Teaching Artist’s Bible . (NY: Oxford University Press, 2009), 70-73.
• Lois Hetland, Ellen Winner, Shirley Veenema, Kimberly M. Sheridan,  Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education , (NY: Teachers College Press, 2007), 6.
• Peter W. Cookson, Jr. “What Would Socrates Say?” 10.

January 14, 2020

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Arts Integration in School: 10 Reasons Why It’s Important

It was not long ago that arts education in schools was thought to be a luxury, and arts classes were cut from the curriculum to make room for more time to prepare for standardized tests. Currently, there is more and more information available that shows how crucial arts integration is to creating well-rounded, well-prepared learners and leaders. Articles with titles such as “ Teachers are using theater and dance to teach math — and it’s working ,” and “ Arts-Based Education Will Power the Creative Economy ” discuss the theory and research behind such claims.

At Seneca Academy, the arts (fine arts, drama, music, movement) have always been an integrated part of our curriculum . We weave the arts into our core classroom curricula as well as teach specific artistic skills and abilities.

Here is what we’ve learned through experience about why arts integration is so important:

• Working in the arts helps learners to develop creative problem-solving skills.
• Teaching through the arts can present difficult concepts visually, making them more easy to understand.
• Art instruction helps children with the development of motor skills, language skills, social skills, decision-making, risk-taking, and inventiveness.
• Visual arts teach learners about color, layout, perspective, and balance: all techniques that are necessary in presentations (visual, digital) of academic work.
• Integrating art with other disciplines reaches students who might not otherwise be engaged in classwork.
• Arts experiences boost critical thinking, teaching students to take the time to be more careful and thorough in how they observe the world.
• The arts provide challenges for learners at all levels.
• Art education connects students with their own culture as well as with the wider world.
• A report by Americans for the Arts states that young people who participate regularly in the arts (three hours a day on three days each week through one full year) are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, to participate in a math and science fair, or to win an award for writing an essay or poem than children who do not participate.
• A study of Missouri public schools in 2010 found that greater arts education led to fewer disciplinary infractions and higher attendance, graduation rates, and test scores.

Learn More About Seneca Academy Curriculum

Read More About Arts Integration:

Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning

Early Childhood Arts Education Improves Vocabulary, Communication, and Memory in Young Children

High Arts Involvement Among Disadvantaged Students Is Related to Finding a Better Job, Earning Degrees, and Volunteering

Students with High Levels of Art Involvement Are Less Likely to Drop Out of School

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Why Arts Education Matters

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Why an education in visual arts is the key to arming students for the future

Professor, Chief Cultural Officer, Cultural Precinct, The University of Western Australia

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Ted Snell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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Visual skills are essential for a sophisticated workforce, yet we offer so little education in the vital skills of learning to see and developing the ability to interpret and critique our image-saturated world.

In the global marketplace, the economy of the cultural industries is growing in importance, and visual expression is part of everyday communication. For Australia to compete in this marketplace, visual acuity, visual literacy and the ability to communicate visually must be recognised as an equally fundamental skill to those of language and numeracy. These can all be taught through grounding in the visual arts.

There is a growing body of international and Australian research that demonstrates a direct link between an arts-rich education from an early age and an increase in students’ confidence, their intellectual abilities across all learning areas, problem-solving skills, and general life skills.

The visual arts provide a vital cultural component and deliver on a range of important skills otherwise missing from the curriculum. They also provide a platform for addressing the important issues of our times; they build self-reflective, empowered communities; and, let’s not forget, they also bring great joy and reassurance in times of anxiety.

Future skills

As the 2016 World Economic Forum report on The Future of Jobs predicted, the top necessary skills required for the fourth industrial revolution will be complex problem-solving, critical thinking and creativity, alongside emotional intelligence and cognitive flexibility.

Read more: Fourth industrial revolution: sorting out the real from the unreal

Highly specialised, rigidly structured degree courses aimed at a specific job outcome will be redundant in this emerging environment. But degrees with a strong visual arts foundation will ensure individuals will flourish, not flounder, under the impact of disruptive technologies and when confronted by new ways of working.

Steve Jobs said he employed people at Apple with passion , particularly for problem-solving, “having a vision, and being able to articulate it so people around you can understand it, and getting a consensus on a common vision”. It’s why Jobs also said he wanted to see applicants’ drawing portfolios before he employed them.

Work in the visual arts also generates new images and develops new ideas. These have the potential for commercialisation at a time when the government is pursuing its agenda on innovation and promoting the creative industries. For instance, several of the residencies through the Australian Network for Art and Technology Synapse program have led to further research and potential commercialisation.

Ever-expanding digital platforms will also need more and more creative content, requiring that all employees in every profession have opportunities to develop these skills.

We must then ensure that the creative arts are a core component of the curriculum so that all students will become more resourceful and better equipped to successfully manage change.

As well as teaching us vital skills, the arts also enrich, enhance and transform individual lives. This is the intrinsic benefit of the arts, which also has a value to the wider community.

It’s not just about individual pleasure, though. The arts change attitudes, and by so doing they can transform society. An education in the visual arts provides students with a better chance of achieving these shifts in our collective consciousness.

Read more: Friday essay: can art really make a difference?

Embedding arts at universities

Studying the visual arts provides the hothouse environment that brings the instrumental and intrinsic benefits of the arts into unison. It becomes a forum in which to explore new possibilities and critique existing presumptions and preconceptions about art and life.

Our challenge is to find ways of integrating the visual arts into the core curriculum and at the heart of the student experience. This includes an object-based learning approach to teaching (for instance, including study of artworks and artefacts).

Internships, courses that integrate the arts within other disciplines, and collaborative projects designed for students across discipline areas are just some examples of strategies already employed at universities.

That is our challenge, to work collaboratively across academic disciplines to re-imagine the role of the visual arts in the 21st century university.

This article is an edited extract from a keynote address to the Australian Council of University Art & Design Schools (ACUADS) annual conference being held in Perth on September 27-28.

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By submitting my email address. i certify that i am 13 years of age or older, agree to recieve marketing email messages from the princeton review, and agree to terms of use., the importance of arts education for high school students.

Art is an essential part of the human experience. It enables us to communicate with one another, express ourselves, and get new perspectives on the world. Arts education can help high school students develop their creativity, critical thinking skills, and problem-solving abilities. It can also help build self-confidence and resilience.

What is arts education?

Arts education is a broad term that encompasses all of the different ways that students can learn about and engage with the arts. This can include classes in painting, drawing, sculpture, music, dance, theater, and more. Arts education can also be more informal, such as taking part in an art club or attending a museum or concert.

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Why is arts education important for high school students?

For high school students, arts education is crucial for a variety of reasons. Here are a few examples:

Creativity: By allowing students to express themselves in a variety of ways, arts education can aid in students’ creative growth by generating fresh ideas and problem-solving techniques.

Critical thinking: Analyzing and interpreting different works of art can help students better understand the world around them and make informed decisions.

Problem-solving: As students develop skills to come up with solutions to creative challenges, they can better deal with challenges in their everyday lives.

Self-confidence: Arts education can help students to develop self-confidence by giving them the opportunity to succeed in a challenging environment. This can help them believe in themselves and their abilities.

Resilience: Teaching students how to cope with failure and disappointment can help them bounce back from setbacks and persevere in the face of challenges.

Growth mindset: This is the belief that you can learn and improve with effort. Arts education can help students develop a growth mindset by providing them with opportunities to challenge themselves and learn new things.

Well-rounded individuals: Many students can explore and discover their interests and talents outside of the classroom. This can make them more well-rounded individuals and give them a competitive edge in college and the workforce.

Concrete Benefits for Students

Arts education can benefit high school students in many ways. Here are just a few examples:

A student who is struggling in math may be able to better understand the concepts by creating a visual representation of them.

A student who is shy may be able to come out of their shell by participating in a drama class.

A student who is struggling with their self-esteem may be able to boost their confidence by learning to play an instrument or by participating in a dance class.

A student who is interested in pursuing a career in the arts may be able to get the training and experience they need through arts education.

A student who is interested in a particular field, such as science or business, may be able to use the skills they learn in arts education to better understand that field.

A student who is simply looking for a way to express themselves creatively may find that arts education provides them with the outlet they need.

The Benefits of Arts Education for the Individual

In addition to the benefits that arts education can have for students' academic performance, there are also many personal benefits that students can gain from participating in the arts. These benefits include:

Increased self-esteem: Arts education can help students develop a positive sense of self-worth by giving them opportunities to express themselves creatively and to achieve success.

Improved social skills: Arts education can help students develop their social skills by requiring them to work together with others and to communicate effectively.

Reduced stress and anxiety: Arts education can help students reduce stress and anxiety by providing them with a creative outlet and by helping them to relax and de-stress.

Improved mental health: Arts education can help improve students' mental health by providing them with a sense of purpose and belonging.

Increased happiness: Arts education can help increase students' happiness by giving them a sense of joy and satisfaction.

The Benefits of Arts Education for Society

The benefits of arts education extend beyond the individual student. Arts education can also benefit society as a whole. These benefits include:

A more creative and innovative society: Arts education can spark creativity and enrich the community by encouraging people to think outside the box.

A more tolerant and understanding society: Arts education can help create a more tolerant and understanding society by exposing people to different cultures and perspectives.

A more civic-minded society: Arts education can help create a more civic-minded society by teaching people about the importance of civic engagement.

A more economically vibrant society: Arts education can help create a more economically vibrant society by producing skilled workers and by attracting businesses and tourists.

The Importance of Arts Education in High School and Future Planning

Arts education is especially important in high school, when students are making important decisions about their future. Arts education can help students explore their interests and talents, and it can also help them develop the skills they need to succeed in college and the workforce.

How to Get Involved in Arts Education

There are many ways to get involved in arts education. You can take classes at your school, join an arts club, or attend a museum or concert. You can also volunteer your time at an arts organization.

The Future of Arts Education

The future of arts education is bright. There is growing recognition of the value of arts education, and there is a movement to make arts education more accessible to all students. There have been efforts to promote additional funding for arts education as well as advocacy to provide more support for the proliferation of the field.

Arts education is an essential part of a balanced education. It can help students develop their creativity, critical thinking skills, and problem-solving abilities in order to make them well-rounded individuals and prepare them for a bright future ahead. If you are a high school student, it would be wise to get involved in arts education, an investment in your personal growth and future.

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What you need to know about culture and arts education

Despite the obvious essential linkages between culture and education, they are still not sufficiently integrated into education policies and school curricula in many countries globally. These two fields are often considered as separate policy entities and trajectories. Culture and arts education, the result of the two complementary ecosystems, has the potential to bridge this gap.

UNESCO convened the World Conference on Culture and Arts Education in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from 13 to 15 February 2024 where the first-ever global framework in this area was adopted. Here is what you need to know about this essential issue. 

Why is culture and arts education essential?

Learners engaged in culture and arts education have better academic and non-academic learning outcomes.  Engagement in various art forms , such as music, dance, and visual arts, can enhance academic achievements, reading skills, creative and critical thinking, agility and collaboration skills. Engagement in such education also correlates with improved attendance, stress reduction, resilience, perseverance, and classroom behaviours.

Culture and arts education expands the essence of learning and makes it fun by going beyond classrooms and traditional educational approaches from lifelong learning, to technical and vocational education and training (TVET).  The theatre stage can be a learning space, NFT art can be a promising career, and indigenous ways of knowing and being can, and should, find their way in the curriculum.

Culture and arts education makes learning meaningful by connecting rural with urban, local with global. It plays a crucial role in valorizing and preserving one’s own culture, heritage and traditions while at the same time reflecting on them in the modern world, in the digital era, understanding everyone’s contribution and uniqueness. 

What are the forms culture and arts education can take?

Culture and arts education encompasses learning about, in and through culture and the arts. Therefore, it can occur across subjects, at all levels of education and in various settings. For example, this process is no longer confined to classrooms: museums, art galleries, libraries and cultural heritage sites are considered equal places of learning, whereas artists, cultural professionals and practitioners play an essential role in transmitting knowledge. Culture and arts education engages learners with built and natural heritage, living expressions, and the cultural and creative industries, promoting intercultural dialogue and linguistic diversity, both online and offline.

By incorporating indigenous knowledge and practices, arts education validates and enlivens diverse cultural perspectives. In Indonesia, school students on Java Island can learn more about their heritage from arts education programmes that familiarize them with the traditional art of shadow puppet storytelling called  wayang kulit , from UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list. 

How can culture and arts education build skills for the future?

Culture and arts education opens up new employment opportunities.  50 million jobs are created by cultural and creative industries worldwide, and more young people are now employed in the sector than in any other economic activity. While not its primary focus,  culture and arts education cultivates skills such as observation, collaboration, and reflection that are conducive to creativity and adaptability, which are increasingly valued in the modern job market. 

It also builds vital socio-emotional skills to thrive in the world of tomorrow. Research shows that such education fosters compassion for others and empathy. It allows learners to introspect, take different perspectives and develop different ways of understanding the world. Participation in arts activities has also been linked to higher civic engagement, social tolerance, and respectful behaviours towards diversity. 

How can culture and arts education contribute to peace and sustainability?

By connecting local with global and fostering dialogue among generations and cultures, culture and arts education can contribute to peaceful, just, inclusive and sustainable societies. It also offers transformative avenues for reimagining ways of living harmoniously with the earth and preserving social cohesion, which is paramount during times of interrelated global challenges, such as social isolation or environmental crises. For example, freely accessible digitized archives of the leading museums helped learners in different parts of the world connect with other cultures and enrich their learning experiences.

How does arts education address socioeconomic disparities in education?

Integrating culture and arts education into education systems  can help bridge the achievement gap between higher and lower-income students. Research indicates that students from low socioeconomic backgrounds who engage in arts education demonstrate higher academic performance, graduation rates, and motivation to pursue further education.

Culture and arts education can unveil new opportunities and career paths for learners of all ages. For example, technical and vocational education and training in arts and crafts could be a critical social lift, opening new employment opportunities in the context of persisting social inequalities and crises. For example,  UNESCO’s Transcultura program me awards scholarships to young cultural professionals in 17 countries so that they can gain new skills and pursue careers in cultural and creative industries. 

What is the role of UNESCO?

Since its creation, UNESCO has been championing major forward-looking policy transformation processes in culture and education, reaffirming them as global public goods at the forefront of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Some of the key highlights include the UNESCO  MONDIACULT Conference, initiatives within the  Transforming Education Summit and the revision of  the Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development.

As a logical next step after the adoption of the 2006 Lisbon Road Map on Arts Education and the 2010 Seoul Agenda, UNESCO convened the  World Conference on Culture and Arts Education to mobilize political commitment around culture and arts education as a powerful lever to transform learning and shape critical skills for future generations. 

As a result of the Conference, UNESCO Member States adopted the new UNESCO Framework on Culture and Arts Education . This guidance document provides a set of principles all stakeholders can follow for shaping and further institutionalizing culture and arts education. It outlines specific goals such education should pursue and concrete dimensions where synergetic links between culture and education should be fostered for the benefit of all learners.

• World Conference on Culture and Arts Education  
• UNESCO’s work on  Culture and Education  

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10 Real-World Ways Art Class Can Impact Your Life

Recently I was asked to speak about the importance of art education. I had my talking points, but believed the best people to ask about art education would be my former students. I reached out and asked them what they learned in art class and how it continues to impact their lives. It was exciting to reconnect and dive deeper into why art education is such an important discipline.

We all know the arts are fun for kids, but the arts also help with fundamental development.

Let’s take a look at 10 ways the arts help kids learn and develop valuable characteristics they will need as adults.

1. Creativity

We know the arts are all about creativity because they allow kids to express themselves. Math and science are important, of course, but the visual arts push kids’ creativity and divergent thinking skills to the next level. If children practice thinking creatively, it will come naturally to them now and in their future careers.

Here is what my student, Mori Haynes, Class of 2010 had to say:

“My high school art education constructed invaluable foundations for me as a creative professional. Just the very idea that I could take my innate drive as a maker to work creatively in any field of my choice has had a tremendous impact on my life. Having someone foster and promote my creative growth and ability to solve complicated design problems, think critically, and work collaboratively on creative projects has shaped my journey as a sculptor, as an art outreach educator, as a marketing professional, and most recently as a Master of Architecture student.”

2. Improved Academic Performance

The arts don’t just develop a child’s creativity. The skills they learn often spill over into their academic achievement. A report by the Americans for the Arts states, “A student involved in the arts is four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement.” I think most of us know this, too.

Here is what my student, Ha Troung, Class of 2012 and Gates Scholarship Awardee had to say:

”I’m a second-year graduate student pursuing my Master of Public Health in Global Epidemiology degree at Emory University. I’m interested in the causes, trends, and methods for the control and prevention of health outcomes, particularly in global health and the social determinants of health. Studying the visual arts provided invaluable skills and a strong foundation for the education I’m pursuing today.

As an art student engaged in several art projects during a semester, I developed skills in research, project design and implementation, and time management. The creativity and innovation I sought for my art projects came from using my research and critical thinking skills to incorporate multiple influences into my art projects. These skills apply to academic or professional experiences and disciplines beyond the visual arts.

However, my favorite part of being an art student was learning about a variety of artworks and the time periods, historical events, and social issues that could have influenced the artist and the message they wished to convey through their art. As a public health student, I remain very interested in studying how history and societal issues shape health outcomes. Like the artists I’ve studied, I’m always aspiring for a better way to communicate and showcase the results of a project I’m working on so it will enlighten someone, make someone think differently about a topic, or bring attention to an issue I care deeply about.”

3. Fine-Tuning Fine Motor Skills

For younger kiddos, simple things like holding a paintbrush, making marks with pens, pencils or crayons, and cutting with scissors are important for the development of fine motor skills. Developmental milestones around age three should include drawing a circle and beginning to use safety scissors. Around age four, children may be able to draw a square and begin cutting straight lines with scissors. This continues throughout the years where students begin to merge their technical skills with their creative skills.

Here’s what my student, Alicia Burgum, Class of 2013 had to say:

“Today, I am a teacher and a freelance artist. I continue to do about ten orders a year along with my full-time job as an educator. My high school art classes have prepared me for my work today by giving me a broad range of skills and techniques that I still use. In my high school classes, I also developed my overall art style which I believe has not deviated much from what I produce today. As a teacher, art is a great way to make some extra money on the side. I’m grateful to have the training working with various mediums and designs in high school, that have provided me with a strong foundation to make me the artist I am now.”

4. Confidence

While mastering a subject certainly builds a student’s confidence, there is something special about participating in the arts. Using materials that turn into visual stories is magical, and it helps students feel more confident. As they improve and see their own progress, their self-confidence continues to grow.

Here’s what my student, Elizabeth Hamilton, Class of 2014 had to say:

“The first time I felt a truly fulfilling sense of accomplishment was during all of my art classes at North Gwinnett High School under the guidance of Ms. Kim and Ms. West. Early on, I didn’t understand the effect art would have on my future. Creating was more like a game to me then. I took it seriously, but nothing compared to what I view it as today. Not until my junior year of high school did I fully understand the potential my future had in art. The art classes and after school activities taught me patience and determination to finish any task brought to me.

To this day, I always look back at my early art career and think ‘look how far I’ve come.’ My confidence continued to grow, and since then I’ve finished my degree in Visual Communication at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and I am now waiting for my internship with Adult Swim’s Creative Group to start in the summer. Art is my life, and I’ll never regret the choices I made early on while in art class.”

5. Visual Learning

Drawing, painting, and sculpting in art class help to develop visual-spatial skills. As art educators, we know children need to know more about the world than just what they can learn through text and numbers. Art education teaches students how to interpret, criticize, and use visual information, and how to make choices based on that information.

Here’s what my student, Mary Truong, Class of 2016 had to say:

“I am currently a junior at Northwestern majoring in visual arts and computer science. I like building computational art installations that allow viewers to participate in the artwork. I think these works create a more transformative art experience than passively looking at paintings, and I hope groups interacting with my art have a connection through shared participation. The art I did in high school gave me a technical, artistic foundation that prepared me to build these complex works.”

6. Decision Making

We know the arts strengthen problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Learning how to make choices and decisions will certainly carry over into our students’ education and other parts of life.

Here is what, Jabari Parker, Class of 2008 had to say:

“Art classes give many students a first chance to explore their creative potential and gauge how it could relate to future careers and higher learning opportunities upon graduating. The possibilities are endless as long as you focus on your gifts! With social media and the Internet, you truly have the power to reach the world with a point of view only you can bring! As a printmaker and prepress technician, my high school art classes laid the foundation for the creative person that I am.”

7. Perseverance

As we are all aware, the arts can be challenging. I have always said, it’s called art work for a reason! Successful artists don’t quit. They learn that hard work and perseverance pay off. This mindset matters as they grow. As artists choose their career paths, they will be asked to continually develop new skills and work through difficult projects.

Here’s what, Doo Lee, Class of 2011 and student body president had to say:

“I graduated from Yale in 2015 and currently work as a Product Researcher at Google. My team and I produce qualitative data that informs strategic changes to Google’s advertising products. I’m so glad that I took art in school because it instilled in me a habit of creativity and pushed me never to quit. I exercise the same brain muscles that I use to draw when I try to problem-solve a difficult work issue or when I’m thinking of ways to present dense information in an easy-to-understand way.

Knowing the principles of design and practicing artistic creativity can help you distill large ideas into concise forms and organize scattershot thoughts into a compelling narrative. Additionally, taking art throughout high school allowed me to succeed academically in all my other classes by forcing me to utilize all aspects of my mind. This success in high school paved the way for subsequent success in college and beyond.”

8. Concentration Skills

As artists persevere through a painting or a drawing, focus and concentration are imperative. We know concentration skills are also vital for studying and learning in class as well as completing professional tasks later in life.

Here’s what Allison Eddy, Class of 2011 had to say:

“I graduated from NGHS in 2011, went on to SCAD to major in animation and now I am an (Expat!) 2-D animator, working and living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. High school art classes were vital to me because, although I wanted to be an artist, I didn’t know what that path might look like, or even where I should start. My parents were discouraging; though it came from a place of love because no other family members were successful artists, we had no roadmap. High school art classes gave me the foundation and the language to start to figure out what being an artist might look like for me. Nowadays, I work in kids’ television often animating the characters I grew up with for clients like Disney, Amazon, and Boomerang.”

9. Collaboration

Many of the visual art projects I’ve had my students do require them to work together. They must share responsibility and compromise to achieve their common goal. I think the arts teach kids their contribution to the group is integral to its success.

Here’s what my student, Brandon Whitman, Class of 2010 had to say:

“One of the most influential skills I learned from my high school art days that I still use today is perspective. I work at a credit union as a mortgage loan originator. While this career is pretty far from a career in the arts, I have found that a lot of skills that drive my success as a loan originator were derived from my experiences and lessons learned in my high school art classes.

For example, in art class, we were taught that a single piece of art could be interpreted or viewed differently depending on where you stand, what kind of mood you are in when viewing it, etc. In my role when I am presented with a request, I have significantly better options for them when I take a step back and look at the request from several different angles. This also gets the creative juices flowing and allows me to come up with multiple options that my clients can choose from. I believe that this sets me above similar individuals in my field who lack the perspective or ‘drive’ to think outside the box and provide more than one way to cross the finish line.”

10. Accountability

Just like collaboration, kids in the arts learn they are accountable for their contributions to the group and to their individual artmaking. Mistakes are a part of life, and learning to accept them, fix them, and move on will serve students well as they grow older.

Here’s what my student, Lexi Wood, Class of 2009 had to say:

”I currently live in Brooklyn, NY and work in Soho as an Industrial Designer for a retail company. We do pop-up stores, store displays, and promo accessories for brands around the world. I’m creative, but also highly ambitious. I can actually accredit this independence to my high school art classes. When I was in high school, I was confused and felt pressured to pick what I needed to do the rest of my life way too early. Then I started taking art classes, and I had an outlet for my frustrations that I eventually figured out was my passion. It opened a whole new world to me that I never knew existed, and led me on a path of creativity and worldly-preparedness. I have artistic influences and insights on past designers and artists that have helped shape my personal style to the designer I am today.”

These are a few “real-world” ways the arts impact our students’ lives.

The arts matter, maybe now more than ever. I think my student, Brandon Park, Class of 2015 said it best when he talked about the importance of a strong foundation:

“I am a senior at Parsons School for Design in New York. I have interned at companies and agencies like Viacom (Times Square), MTV (Times Square), and 26FIVE (Flatiron). Even now, I still get freelance job offers. Right now I plan on interning again during the spring of 2019.

How have high school art classes helped me? Foundation, foundation, foundation. I cannot stress enough how important foundation is for any striving art and design student. You would be surprised how many students misunderstand the importance behind knowing the basics as they breeze by it thinking that they’re going to be fine in the long run, when in the end they tend to forget the most simple techniques. My experience during my art journey in high school was the first step to becoming a professional artist and designer. Knowing the ‘basics-of-the-basics’ can exponentially help with every project that you start with and holding tight to the foundations of art is a reminder to consider the importance of the foundations for life!”

Why do you think art class is important?

How are your past students using art in their lives today?

Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

Debi West is one of AOEU’s adjunct instructors and a former AOEU Writer and NBCT art educator. She loves sharing with others and enthusiastically stands behind her motto, “Together we ART better!”

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How Art Education Fosters Critical Thinking and Why It Matters

These days, the ability to grasp the logical connection between ideas is a necessary skill.

Unless you’re a hermit living in a cave, there is so much information coming at all of us at any given moment.

Being able to discern which information is of worth – and which is not based in reality – requires critical thinking.

So What Exactly Is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is often synonymous with reflective and independent thinking. It means knowing how to take in the data and then come to a reasonable conclusion. 

Those who engage in critical thinking are constantly questioning ideas and assumptions rather than just accepting what’s being peddled to the masses.

Critical thinkers want to know that the incoming information is representative of the bigger picture. If they determine that it’s not, they’ll take the necessary measures to get that additional information.

Critical Thinking Versus Being Critical

Critical thinking is not the same thing as being argumentative or critical/judgmental of other people. Sure, critical thinking can expose errors or poor reasoning.

But it’s also crucial for cooperative reasoning and then moving toward constructive tasks. Because acquiring more knowledge improves and strengthens one’s theories and arguments. And this subsequently leads to enhanced work processes.

How Art Improves Critical Thinking

Because critical thinking tends to incorporate logical and rational thinking and veers from instinct, many people see it as a hinderance to creativity.

After all, creativity requires breaking the rules, right? (Well, yes and no .)

Still, critical thinking truly requires out-of-the-box thinking. Rather than just taking popular approaches and swallowing them whole, critical thinkers challenge the consensus. This means they often have to pursue less popular thoughts or approaches.

So if you think about, critical thinking is an absolutely necessary component of creativity. Without it, how can the creative person continue to evaluate and improve upon his or her ideas?

It’s this very process of observation and study that teaches students of the arts to more intensely observe and analyze the world. And it gives them the skills that build the foundation of critical thinking.

But Why Does It Matter?

You might think that if your path leads you to work in research, law, education, management, finance or medicine, then you’ll absolutely need this skill. And you’re right.

But no matter what you   choose to do with your life, the ability to think clearly and rationally is important.

Knowing how to receive information, clearly consider it and then use it to systematically solve problems is an asset for any career. Especially in light of this new knowledge economy. To be successful in such an economy requires one to able to handle changes quickly and effectively.

There is an increased demand for workers to be able to analyze a lot of information from diverse sources, then integrate it in order to find solutions. Critical thinking promotes these skills.

It also enhances language and presentation skills. The simple act of learning to think in a more systematic and logical fashion can also improve the way one expresses ideas.

Furthermore, in having to analyze the structure of different information sources, critical thinking also improves one’s ability to comprehend.

And as we mentioned above, critical thinking actually promotes creativity. Coming up with creative solutions is more than just having new ideas. There has to be an understanding that the new ideas are useful and relevant to the required task.   Critical thinking plays an important role in this.

That’s right. Critical thinking is even important for this. It’s nearly impossible to structure a meaningful life without the ability to justify and reflect on our own values and decisions. And critical thinking provides the tools for this process.

So yeah, it’s safe to say that critical thinking definitely matters.

Learning Critical Thinking with an Arts Integration Education

Arts integration education merges the important skill of critical thinking achieved through art education and blends it in with academics.

There’s no disputing the importance of STEM. The above mentioned knowledge economy requires students to understand facets of science, technology, engineering and math.

With arts integration though, there’s the added importance of art – hence the term STEAM. Arts integration isn’t looking to bypass STEM. It strives instead to create an integrated program that includes all of those, while teaching the application of skills learned through the arts – such as critical thinking.

Arts integration helps students see the world from multiple angles, and to take a design-thinking approach in finding solutions.

Teaching young people to be careful and deliberate observers can go miles toward expanding their worldview. And this, in turn, can create a stronger democracy.

Do You Want to Explore An Arts Integration Education?

So take a look at what our students have to say . And/or request a tour of our school and see what we have to offer.

Then get ready to put those critical thinking skills toward a higher purpose.

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Why Art Matters: Understanding the Importance of Art Education

• by Team Varthana
• Posted on January 6, 2023
• in Classroom Management

Although there’s a lot of information available on how important arts integration is in creating well-prepared learners and leaders, a lot of institutions consider arts education a luxury and skip it from their curriculum in order to focus on or complete the syllabus. 

However, there is also a visible trend of many other schools turning their focus onto overall student development, with art being an integrated part of the curriculum. Arts education helps students think outside the box and explore topics in an unfamiliar way. 

What is Art Education in School?

Students who receive an arts education have access to a creative outlet that can help them solve problems more effectively. It encompasses a variety of disciplines, including drawing, painting, sculpture, music, theater, dance, photography, and digital media. They acquire the ability to think creatively and approach subjects in different ways while also fostering their cognitive, emotional, and social development.

What is the Aim of Art Education?

Art education plays a vital role in a student’s overall development. It goes beyond just learning artistic techniques to contribute to various aspects of personal and intellectual growth. Here’s how art education benefits students:

Stimulate Original Thought

Art education aims to spark original thinking in students. By engaging with different art forms, students learn to generate and explore new ideas, enhancing their ability to innovate and create.

Foster Analytical Skills

Art encourages students to assess their creations and those of others critically. This evaluation process helps them develop analytical skills that are useful in various problem-solving scenarios.

Facilitate Emotional Understanding

Art serves as a medium for students to explore and articulate their emotions. It helps them better understand and express their feelings, contributing to their overall emotional development.

Improve Manual Coordination

Participating in art activities improves students’ manual coordination. Tasks like painting or sculpting refine their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, which are valuable in everyday activities.

Expand Global Perspectives

Through art, students are introduced to different cultures and artistic traditions. This exposure helps them gain a broader view of the world and fosters a greater appreciation for diverse cultural expressions.

What are the Objectives of Art Education?

Art education serves several important purposes beyond simply creating visually appealing works. It plays a key role in the holistic development of students, offering a range of benefits that contribute to their overall growth. Here are the main objectives of art education:

Cultivate Imagination

Art education encourages students to explore their imagination and think creatively. By experimenting with various artistic techniques and media, students learn to envision and realize their ideas in innovative ways.

Enhance Critical Thinking

Art helps students develop their critical thinking skills by requiring them to analyze their work and make decisions about design and technique. This process fosters problem-solving abilities and thoughtful evaluation.

Improve Emotional Expression

Art provides a constructive outlet for students to express their emotions and feelings. This supports emotional development and helps students manage and communicate their emotions effectively.

Develop Fine Motor Skills

Engaging in artistic activities like drawing, painting, and sculpting enhances fine motor skills. These activities improve hand-eye coordination and dexterity, which are important for various everyday tasks.

Encourage Cultural Awareness

Art education exposes students to different artistic styles and cultural traditions, helping them appreciate diverse perspectives and understand the historical and cultural context behind various art forms.

Support Academic Achievement

Art education can positively impact other academic areas by improving skills such as observation and attention to detail. Engaging in art can boost concentration and problem-solving abilities that benefit students across the curriculum.

What is the Importance of Art Education in Student Life?

Art plays a crucial role in education by enhancing students’ creativity and critical thinking. Here’s how:

Enhances Creativity

Art enhances creativity, which in turn fosters problem-solving skills. By participating in arts and learning activities, children develop confidence in their abilities and learn new things. Arts also promote risk-free exploration, and it is this freedom that inspires confidence. It allows children to see things from their viewpoint.

For instance, Students tasked with creating a mural for their school use their imagination to design a piece that represents their school environment or community. This project encourages them to think outside the box and develop original ideas. 

Improves Academic Performance

Students who study arts show improved language, reading, and math skills, as well as a greater ability for higher-order thinking skills such as analysis and problem-solving. Students also develop skills such as resilience, courage, and an improved mindset to help them learn professionally, perform well academically, and have a successful life after high school. 

Learning art is not only through creativity but also improves learning in fields such as mathematics and science and in the field of literature. Any skill that students learn through art education allows them to apply the same in academics, resulting in improved academic performance.

For example, when a student learns to play an instrument, they are not just developing their reading comprehension skills but also enhancing spatial-temporal skills, which are crucial for understanding complex mathematical concepts.

Self-Reliance

Students become self-reliant when they start depending on their own strengths, knowledge, skills, and resources rather than the strengths of others. Creating art can confirm one’s uniqueness while also providing a sense of accomplishment and self-esteem. Furthermore, arts education has been proven to support a sense of social identity, encourage goal-directed behavior, and increase social resilience.

For example, offering access to a variety of resources, such as art books, online tutorials, and materials, and encouraging students to pursue independent research projects. A student interested in digital art might explore different software programs and techniques on their own time.

Also Read : How teachers can use the best tools and resources available to create a modern classroom?

Educates Them about Teamwork

A unique approach to teaching teamwork and communication skills is the use of visual, and performing arts. The larger the creative team, the more valuable the art project is for open-minded people who are willing to learn, expand, integrate, and succeed. 

Collaboration creates a sense of comradeship and belonging to the community as young artists work towards a common goal. Researchers have found that students who worked collaboratively on an art project and engaged in a discussion were more thoughtful than those who worked alone.

For example, a theater production requires students to work together, from actors and directors to set designers and stagehands. This collaborative effort teaches them to communicate effectively, resolve conflicts, and appreciate teamwork.

Helps Them in Decision-Making

Art education is how children can be encouraged to choose their own subjects, colors, and interpretations of art. This allows children to make their own decisions in various areas of life. It will open up children’s imaginations and ensure that they have plenty of time to practice their decision-making skills. They may make mistakes, but they will learn to overcome them and move on from their failures. This will help the child develop the courage to make decisions without developing the fear of failure.

For example, during a painting project, students might be given the autonomy to select their materials and designs. They learn to make decisions about which materials best suit their vision and how to execute their ideas effectively.

Enhances Leadership Skills

When children are encouraged to make their own decisions, they begin to understand that they can update and interpret the world around them. These skills will make the child a leader rather than a follower. Arts education encourages higher-level thinking to explore academic subjects and life outside of school. No matter what profession or career the child chooses when they grow up, leadership qualities will ensure that they succeed in their chosen field. 

For instance, in a visual arts class, students analyze famous paintings, learn to observe details, question techniques, and interpret meanings. This practice sharpens their ability to think critically and solve problems creatively.

Improves Motor Skills

Motor skills in the classroom give students the ability and skill to work independently. Drawing lines, picking up small objects, tearing paper, and holding a pencil are examples of their importance. This is especially true for young children, because art classes exercise and strengthen the small muscles in the child’s fingers, hands, and wrists, making it easier to learn to write.

For example, activities like drawing, painting, or sculpting improve hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, which are essential for younger students as they develop physically.

Understanding the Crucial Role of Arts in Education 

Understanding the importance of art in education, the focus on creativity becomes vital to a comprehensive learning experience. Art offers students a distinct way to express themselves, promoting critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Beyond its visual appeal, incorporating art into education enhances students’ communication abilities, stimulates innovation, and fosters a greater appreciation for different viewpoints. The inclusion of art not only adds depth to the academic journey but also develops skills necessary for navigating the complexities of the modern world, making education a dynamic and well-rounded journey. 

This table highlights the crucial role of arts in education and emphasizes why arts are a necessary and fundamental part of education, focusing on the broader educational goals and purposes.

Benefits of Art Education for Students

Involving students in diverse art forms goes beyond fostering creativity, but acts as a driving force for refining observation, interpretation, and evaluation skills, empowering students to approach challenges with a thoughtful and smart mindset. Art education aspires to develop students capable of navigating complexities, thinking independently, and making meaningful contributions to society. Let us understand what students gain from arts education. Here are the positive outcomes and benefits that result from engaging with the arts.

• Improved ability to brainstorm and come up with unique solutions in various contexts.
• Better grades and understanding in subjects like math and science due to improved cognitive abilities.
• Enhanced ability to analyze complex situations and develop creative solutions in everyday life.
• Increased confidence in presenting and defending their ideas in various settings.
• Better hand-eye coordination and dexterity.
• Reduced stress and better emotional management through creative expression.
• Improved teamwork and communication skills in group settings.
• Increased personal joy and fulfillment from participating in artistic activities.
• Greater cultural sensitivity and appreciation for diversity.
• Preparedness for careers in fields such as design, music, theater, and visual arts.

How does Art Education Help Students?

For school leaders aiming to enhance the educational experience, art education offers significant benefits that support overall student development.

Boosts Creative Problem-Solving

Art education encourages students to tackle challenges from diverse perspectives. By exploring different artistic techniques, students learn to innovate and solve problems creatively, which is valuable across all subjects.

Enhances Communication Skills

Art projects help students convey their ideas visually. This practice strengthens their ability to communicate clearly and effectively, improving their overall expression in both written and verbal forms.

Builds Confidence

Completing art assignments fosters a sense of achievement. This success boosts students’ self-confidence and motivates them to take on new academic and personal challenges.

Fosters Collaboration

Group art activities promote teamwork. Students learn to work together, share ideas, and respect differing viewpoints, enhancing their collaborative skills which are essential in any school environment.

Encourages Personal Reflection

Art provides a medium for students to reflect on their emotions and experiences. This reflection supports personal growth and helps students develop a clearer understanding of their own identities.

Supports Academic Growth

Participating in art can improve focus and attention to detail. These skills benefit students in other academic areas, as they apply the discipline and concentration gained through art education to their overall learning.

What is the Relationship between Art and Education?

Art and education are deeply interconnected, with art playing a significant role in enhancing various aspects of students’ development. By integrating art into the educational experience, students benefit in multiple ways that support their overall growth. The following table highlights key areas where art and education intersect:

Art is a vital component of education because it enriches students’ learning experiences in numerous ways. It encourages creativity, enhances critical thinking, and provides a valuable outlet for emotional expression. Additionally, art activities support the development of fine motor skills and foster cultural awareness. By integrating art into education, schools can offer a more comprehensive and engaging curriculum that supports students’ overall growth and prepares them for diverse future opportunities.

1. Why is art education important in the classroom?

By engaging with the arts, students enhance their cognitive abilities, improve academic performance, and develop fine motor skills. It is important in the classroom because it fosters creativity, critical thinking, and emotional expression, essential skills for holistic student development. It encourages students to explore diverse perspectives and histories and supports social and emotional learning by providing outlets for self-expression and collaboration. 

Art education is important because it encourages creativity, enhances critical thinking, and provides a healthy outlet for emotional expression. It helps students develop a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them through various artistic mediums.

2. What are the benefits of integrating arts into the curriculum?

Integrating arts into the curriculum offers numerous benefits that enhance students’ overall educational experience. It encourages creativity and imagination, allowing students to think outside the box and develop innovative solutions. Academic performance improves as it enhances cognitive abilities and supports learning in subjects like math, science, and literacy. It also fosters critical thinking and problem-solving skills, essential for navigating complex challenges. Social skills are strengthened through collaborative projects, while exposure to diverse artistic traditions promotes cultural awareness and sensitivity. 

3. How does arts education contribute to overall student development?

It enhances critical thinking and problem-solving abilities through the analysis and creation of art, encouraging students to explore various perspectives and solutions. It fosters emotional intelligence by providing a safe space for self-expression and emotional exploration, promoting mental well-being. It cultivates cultural awareness and appreciation, broadening students’ understanding of diverse cultures and histories. Finally, arts education shapes well-rounded, creative, and empathetic individuals prepared for both academic and life challenges.

4. What role does creativity play in arts education?

Creativity plays a crucial role in arts education, serving as the driving force behind exploration, innovation, and expression. It encourages students to think imaginatively and approach problems with a vibrant perspective, fostering originality and inventive thinking. Through creative processes in various artistic disciplines such as visual arts, music, theater, and dance, students learn to experiment, take risks, and adapt to new ideas. This strengthens their problem-solving skills and adaptability in other areas of life. Creativity allows students to express their individuality and emotions, contributing to their personal and emotional growth.

5. What impact does arts education have on student engagement and motivation?

It captures students’ interest through hands-on, creative activities that connect with their personal experiences and passions. Engaging with the arts allows students to express themselves freely and see tangible results from their efforts, which boosts their confidence and enthusiasm for learning. Moreover, arts-integrated lessons often involve collaborative projects that foster a sense of teamwork and shared purpose, further motivating students to participate actively. It has a profound impact on student engagement and motivation by making learning more dynamic, interactive, and enjoyable.

6. How can children benefit from learning art?

Learning art helps children enhance their creativity and problem-solving skills. It also supports emotional expression and improves fine motor skills, contributing to their overall development. 

7. What are the five teaching strategies in teaching arts?

Five effective teaching strategies in art education include using visual aids, encouraging hands-on activities, integrating art with other subjects, providing constructive feedback, and fostering a supportive classroom environment.

8. What is the scope of art education?

The scope of art education includes teaching students various artistic techniques, styles, and cultural contexts. It encompasses activities like drawing, painting, sculpture, and digital media, aiming to develop students’ artistic skills and appreciation.

If you’re running a school and need to enhance teaching methods or introduce new technology, Varthana can assist. We process loans quickly, typically within 5 to 7 business days once we have all the necessary documents. We offer various collateral options and flexible repayment plans to meet your financial needs. Contact us today to see how Varthana can support your school’s progress!

9. What is the role of teachers in art education?

The role of a teacher in art education is to guide students through artistic techniques, inspire creativity, and provide constructive feedback. Teachers also create a supportive environment that encourages exploration and self-expression. If you’re a school leader looking to improve teaching methods and use modern technology, Varthana can help with your school’s development. We quickly process loans, usually within 5 to 7 business days after receiving all required documents. We also provide different collateral options and flexible payment plans to fit your financial needs. Reach out today to see how Varthana can support your school’s progress!

10. What is the nature of art education?

The nature of art education is experiential and exploratory, focusing on developing students’ artistic skills and creativity through practical activities. It emphasizes individual expression and understanding of various art forms and cultural perspectives.

11. What are the 7 fine arts?

The 7 fine arts are painting, sculpture, architecture, music, dance, theater, and literature. These art forms are valued for their beauty and ability to convey deep emotions and ideas.

12. What are the 7 different forms of art styles?

The 7 different art styles include realism, impressionism, expressionism, abstract, surrealism, cubism, and pop art. Each style has its own unique approach to representing subjects and expressing emotions.

13. What are the 7 most common elements of art?

The 7 most common elements of art are line, shape, form, color, value, texture, and space. These elements are fundamental in creating and analyzing artworks, helping to understand how art is composed and interpreted.

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Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who’s Doing It Best

Art and music are key to student development.

"Art does not solve problems, but makes us aware of their existence," sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz has said. Arts education, on the other hand, does solve problems. Years of research show that it's closely linked to almost everything that we as a nation say we want for our children and demand from our schools: academic achievement, social and emotional development, civic engagement, and equitable opportunity.

Involvement in the arts is associated with gains in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skill. Arts learning can also improve motivation, concentration, confidence, and teamwork. A 2005 report by the Rand Corporation about the visual arts argues that the intrinsic pleasures and stimulation of the art experience do more than sweeten an individual's life -- according to the report, they "can connect people more deeply to the world and open them to new ways of seeing," creating the foundation to forge social bonds and community cohesion. And strong arts programming in schools helps close a gap that has left many a child behind: From Mozart for babies to tutus for toddlers to family trips to the museum, the children of affluent, aspiring parents generally get exposed to the arts whether or not public schools provide them. Low-income children, often, do not. "Arts education enables those children from a financially challenged background to have a more level playing field with children who have had those enrichment experiences,'' says Eric Cooper, president and founder of the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education .

It has become a mantra in education that No Child Left Behind, with its pressure to raise test scores, has reduced classroom time devoted to the arts (and science, social studies, and everything else besides reading and math). Evidence supports this contention -- we'll get to the statistics in a minute -- but the reality is more complex. Arts education has been slipping for more than three decades, the result of tight budgets, an ever-growing list of state mandates that have crammed the classroom curriculum, and a public sense that the arts are lovely but not essential.

This erosion chipped away at the constituencies that might have defended the arts in the era of NCLB -- children who had no music and art classes in the 1970s and 1980s may not appreciate their value now. "We have a whole generation of teachers and parents who have not had the advantage of arts in their own education,'' says Sandra Ruppert, director of the Arts Education Partnership (AEP), a national coalition of arts, business, education, philanthropic, and government organizations.

The Connection Between Arts Education and Academic Achievement

Yet against this backdrop, a new picture is emerging. Comprehensive, innovative arts initiatives are taking root in a growing number of school districts. Many of these models are based on new findings in brain research and cognitive development, and they embrace a variety of approaches: using the arts as a learning tool (for example, musical notes to teach fractions); incorporating arts into other core classes (writing and performing a play about, say, slavery); creating a school environment rich in arts and culture (Mozart in the hallways every day) and hands-on arts instruction. Although most of these initiatives are in the early stages, some are beginning to rack up impressive results. This trend may send a message to schools focused maniacally, and perhaps counterproductively, on reading and math.

"If they're worried about their test scores and want a way to get them higher, they need to give kids more arts, not less," says Tom Horne, Arizona's state superintendent of public instruction. "There's lots of evidence that kids immersed in the arts do better on their academic tests."

Education policies almost universally recognize the value of arts. Forty-seven states have arts-education mandates, forty-eight have arts-education standards, and forty have arts requirements for high school graduation, according to the 2007-08 AEP state policy database. The Goals 2000 Educate America Act , passed in 1994 to set the school-reform agenda of the Clinton and Bush administrations, declared art to be part of what all schools should teach. NCLB, enacted in 2001, included art as one of the ten core academic subjects of public education, a designation that qualified arts programs for an assortment of federal grants.

In a 2003 report, "The Complete Curriculum: Ensuring a Place for the Arts and Foreign Languages in American's Schools," a study group from the National Association of State Boards of Education noted that a substantial body of research highlights the benefits of arts in curriculum and called for stronger emphasis on the arts and foreign languages. As chairman of the Education Commission of the States from 2004 to 2006, Mike Huckabee, then governor of Arkansas, launched an initiative designed, according to commission literature, to ensure every child has the opportunity to learn about, enjoy, and participate directly in the arts.

Top-down mandates are one thing, of course, and implementation in the classroom is another. Whatever NCLB says about the arts, it measures achievement through math and language arts scores, not drawing proficiency or music skills. It's no surprise, then, that many districts have zeroed in on the tests. A 2006 national survey by the Center on Education Policy , an independent advocacy organization in Washington, DC, found that in the five years after enactment of NCLB, 44 percent of districts had increased instruction time in elementary school English language arts and math while decreasing time spent on other subjects. A follow-up analysis, released in February 2008, showed that 16 percent of districts had reduced elementary school class time for music and art -- and had done so by an average of 35 percent, or fifty-seven minutes a week.

Some states report even bleaker numbers. In California, for example, participation in music courses dropped 46 percent from 1999-2000 through 2000-04, while total school enrollment grew nearly 6 percent, according to a study by the Music for All Foundation . The number of music teachers, meanwhile, declined 26.7 percent. In 2001, the California Board of Education set standards at each grade level for what students should know and be able to do in music, visual arts, theater, and dance, but a statewide study in 2006, by SRI International , found that 89 percent of K-12 schools failed to offer a standards-based course of study in all four disciplines. Sixty-one percent of schools didn't even have a full-time arts specialist.

Nor does support for the arts by top administrators necessarily translate into instruction for kids. For example, a 2005 report in Illinois found almost no opposition to arts education among principals and district superintendents, yet there were large disparities in school offerings around the state.

Reviving Arts Education

In many districts, the arts have suffered so long that it will take years, and massive investment, to turn things around. New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has made arts education a priority in his school reform plans, and the city has launched sweeping initiatives to connect more students with the city's vast cultural resources. Nearly every school now offers at least some arts instruction and cultural programming, yet in 2007-08, only 45 percent of elementary schools and 33 percent of middle schools provided education in all four required art forms, according to an analysis by the New York City Department of Education , and only 34 percent of high schools offered students the opportunity to exceed the minimum graduation requirement.

Yet some districts have made great strides toward not only revitalizing the arts but also using them to reinvent schools. The work takes leadership, innovation, broad partnerships, and a dogged insistence that the arts are central to what we want students to learn.

In Dallas, for example, a coalition of arts advocates, philanthropists, educators, and business leaders have worked for years to get arts into all schools, and to get students out into the city's thriving arts community. Today, for the first time in thirty years, every elementary student in the Dallas Independent School District receives forty-five minutes a week of art and music instruction. In a February 2007 op-ed piece in the Dallas Morning News , Gigi Antoni, president and CEO of Big Thought , the nonprofit partnership working with the district, the Wallace Foundation , and more than sixty local arts and cultural institutions, explained the rationale behind what was then called the Dallas Arts Learning Initiative : "DALI was created on one unabashedly idealistic, yet meticulously researched, premise -- that students flourish when creativity drives learning."

The Minneapolis and Chicago communities, too, are forging partnerships with their vibrant arts and cultural resources to infuse the schools with rich comprehensive, sustainable programs -- not add-ons that come and go with this year's budget or administrator.

In Arizona, Tom Horne, the state superintendant of public instruction, made it his goal to provide high-quality, comprehensive arts education to all K-12 students. Horne, a classically trained pianist and founder of the Phoenix Baroque Ensemble, hasn't yet achieved his objective, but he has made progress: He pushed through higher standards for arts education, appointed an arts specialist in the state Department of Education, and steered $4 million in federal funds under NCLB to support arts integration in schools throughout the state. Some have restored art and music after a decade without them.

"When you think about the purposes of education, there are three," Horne says. "We're preparing kids for jobs. We're preparing them to be citizens. And we're teaching them to be human beings who can enjoy the deeper forms of beauty. The third is as important as the other two."

Fran Smith is a contributing editor for Edutopia .

More on Arts Education:

• Schools That Work Package: School Transformation Through Arts Integration
• Watch This Video: Sir Ken Robinson on the Power of an Imaginative Mind
• Blog: Use Music to Develop Kids’ Skills and Character

What Are the Benefits of Art Education for Children?

The entertainment value of art education leads some administrators and community members to overlook the other benefits of the class. Art programs are sometimes scaled back or eliminated when budget cuts are necessary. The enjoyment of art education is only one beneficial aspect for kids. Skills developed in art education often transfer to other areas of life and school work.

Hand-Eye Coordination

Art projects often require kids to use their fine motor skills to complete tasks. Holding a narrow paint brush, cutting with scissors and sculpting clay are a few examples of art activities that use fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. By participating in open-ended art projects, the kids get a chance to practice those skills without being judged on the outcome. The more often they practice the fine motor skills, the more improved they become. The improved fine motor control carries over to other situations that require hand-eye coordination and other precise movements.

Art education is a creative opportunity for kids, according to Abrakadoodle, a national art education program. Some children may not have access to art supplies or creative activities at home. By offering art education in the school system, all children get a chance to stimulate their imaginations, as well as their cognitive and problem-solving skills. After, they have to think through how they are going to make their imagined creations real. These problem-solving skills enable them to think creatively in other situations, which can boost their academic results.

Concentration

The enjoyable nature of art projects engages most students. Because they enjoy the artwork, they are better able to concentrate on the task, sticking with it from beginning to end. Finishing the project gives the kids a sense of accomplishment, which can be particularly empowering for kids who have struggled in other areas of school.

Self-Expression

Most subjects in the educational system are based on facts, with correct and incorrect answers. Art education offers a more open approach and celebrates the differences in finished products. Kids learn that there is more than one way to complete the art project. They are able to express themselves and their emotions through the artwork. Students also have the opportunity to interpret other artwork, either from classmates or in famous works of art.

Risk-Taking

The open-ended nature of art education also allows kids to take more risks in their projects. Because there is flexibility in the outcome, kids don’t feel as much pressure as they create. They know that the finished product will be accepted even if it doesn’t look exactly like all of the others. This can help kids build a sense of confidence that may carry over to other areas.

The Arts, Creativity, and Learning: From Research to Practice

• First Online: 16 November 2019

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• Mariale M. Hardiman 7  

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The need for a workforce capable of innovative, creative thinking and problem-solving must drive critical changes in how educators view schooling at every level. While teachers are encouraged to design teaching activities that promote creative thinking, little information exists on how they are to design and measure creative instructional strategies. This chapter focuses on how the arts, infused into instruction in all subjects, can foster deeper learning and creative thinking. True educational reform will require measurements of creative thinking, informed by the latest research from the learning sciences. Aligning the measurement of creative academic outcomes with arts-based pedagogical approaches can be an effective way to realize the goal of all learners becoming the innovative citizens of tomorrow.

Art is not the possession of the few who are recognized writers, painters, musicians; it is the authentic expression of any and all individuality . —John Dewey, Moral Principles in Education

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to acknowledge several colleagues from the Johns Hopkins University School of Education’s Neuro-Education Initiative. The following individuals contributed valuable time and expertise to various components of this book chapter: Ranjini JohnBull, Assistant Professor; Clare Grizzard, Arts Integration Specialist; Joe Meredith, Executive Specialist; Kara Seidel, Research Assistant.

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Art Careers: What You Need to Succeed in Any Career Option

Art and design have significant implications in many art careers. A wide array of industries are now in need of professionals who have a background in art. If you have a knack for creativity and impressive design skills, then maybe an art career is right for you. Read on to discover what education, skills, and knowledge you need to pursue an art career.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the growth rate in arts and design occupations has declined slightly due to the outbreak of COVID-19 this year. However, this has only been a slight drop since art professionals are still essential in the booming industries of animation, multimedia artistry, and graphic design.

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Moreover, the median annual wage in art and design occupations was $48,130 in May 2019, which was higher than the median annual wage across all occupations, which stood at $39,810 at the time.

In this article, we’ll tell you about the best career paths in art and the top featured programs and schools that will help you work toward a degree in art. These are the academic and professional tools that you need to succeed in any art career.

Which Arts Degree Should I Get?

Since there are a plethora of different career paths available to art majors, your educational goals will depend on your interests. Though earning a graduate degree is a fine option, a bachelor’s degree in this field is also sufficient to secure a high-paying job. Certain arts jobs may even require only a high school diploma or associate degree. 

With an associate degree, you will be prepared for entry-level art and design positions. This degree will give you a solid foundation of applicable skills and concepts in your field of choice, which can be useful for further study. 

Although this degree seldom leads to advanced positions, it will allow you to seek employment in a wide array of fields like fashion, photography, and graphic design. 

There are numerous associate degrees available in the arts. The two main options include an associate of applied business (AAB) and an associate of applied science (AAS). With an AAB, you can pursue a job in fashion design, graphic design, and interior design. With an AAS, you may prefer to seek employment in areas such as illustration, multimedia technology, or recording arts technology. 

The main advantage of an associate degree is its minimal cost and relatively quick completion time. An associate degree is the first step in many professional and academic journeys and can help you decide if you want to commit to a career in the field. Many schools also offer associate programs that are available entirely online, which allows for greater flexibility. 

Below are some of the best affordable online associate programs in art:

• Gateway Technical College – Kenosha, WI
• Community College of Vermont – Winooski, VT

Bachelor’s Degree

With a four-year bachelor’s degree in hand, you will become a highly sought-after candidate for many jobs. A bachelor’s degree is the minimum education requirement for most design-related careers. 

If you pursue this degree, you will learn the skills needed to gain a position that will offer you the potential for career advancement. It can also function as the next step toward a graduate degree, such as a master’s degree or doctorate.

A bachelor’s degree curriculum will provide you with extensive knowledge in your field of study. Though a master’s degree may be ideal for higher-level jobs, you may still acquire a lucrative role in a managerial capacity with a bachelor’s degree.

Many colleges offer bachelor’s programs that are taught partially or fully online, which means you will have the option to continue working while pursuing a degree. Some schools also offer special tuition discounts for students who choose to complete their degree online. Remember that earning a bachelor’s degree is also an essential step for those who later want to earn a master’s degree.

At the bachelor level, you can expect to earn a salary of $50,000 to $100,000 per year, with many opportunities to advance your career. You may choose to pursue a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Art and Design.

The former option is offered in fields such as art history and with the latter, you may specialize in fields such as web design and development. Some of the jobs you can secure with a bachelor’s degree include industrial design, architecture, multimedia artistry, and many more.

Below are some of the best online bachelor’s programs in art available:

Southern New Hampshire University Online – Manchester, NH

Lindenwood University – Saint Charles, MO

Central Michigan University – Mount Pleasant, MI

Master’s Degree

Master’s degrees come highly recommended as they are a great way to enhance your chances of being hired in an exciting and lucrative role. These degrees are recommended for those who want to break into a high-level art or design career, as they offer advanced knowledge and skills training in several areas. 

For instance, if you wish to fill an executive role, like an art director, animation supervisor, or executive producer, then a master’s degree is the way to go. 

Most master’s programs require two years of full-time study, though they may be completed faster in an accelerated format. Many programs emphasize leadership skills and build on the skills learned in a bachelor’s program. 

Some master’s programs are offered partly or fully online and offer a flexible, high-quality education. As mentioned above, accelerated programs are also available for students who wish to obtain their degrees quickly. 

Master’s programs usually provide practical, professional experience in your area of interest. For example, you might intern at an art museum as part of an art history program or at an animation studio as part of an animation program.

An MA (master of arts) can be obtained in many concentrations, including integrative design, fine arts, and graphic design.

Below are some of the best online master’s programs in art:

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Northwestern State University of Louisiana – Natchitoches, LA

Minneapolis College of Art and Design – Minneapolis, MN

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What Skills Do I Need to Pursue a Career in Art?

Apart from education and training, almost every industry requires professionals to possess an impressive skill set that makes them a good fit for their desired role. This is especially true for art careers since artists rely more on creativity and personality traits than scientific knowledge. 

When considering an art career, you should consider improving the following skills.

Creativity and Passion

Creativity is a foundational skill when it comes to art and design. The field extends beyond just traditional art and blends concepts of technology, marketing, and even psychology. Knowing how to integrate these topics into a captivating product requires immense creativity. 

Having a sincere passion and curiosity for art is a big help. If you love what you do, it won’t seem like work. With that in mind, you should always seek to improve and increase your knowledge in your area of expertise, as this will undoubtedly help further your career.

Communication and Teamwork

It’s important to be able to articulate what you’re trying to create, whether artistically or interpersonally. Being a good communicator is essential whether you’re working with your peers or trying to attract patrons. The most important soft skills in the field of art and design are networking, time management, and listening. 

Most of the best inventions and breakthroughs in science have been achieved through collaboration and teamwork. The same is true for art and design. Being in a room with creative, open-minded people is seldom a bad thing, and it can help you immensely as you learn more about product/service design.

Technical Knowledge

As an artist, having transferable skills such as those mentioned above is important, but the foundation of your career will rest on your technical knowledge. Whether it’s art history, design principles, or computer-aided artistry, being well-versed in all concepts within the field will dictate your success. Not only will you be able to expand your job prospects, but you’ll also be able to impress others with your knowledge.

You should also remember to stay curious and learn as much as you can about the job you want. Try reading books, taking extra classes, or watching films or videos that excitingly discuss art. Reach out to professionals involved in the field. Furthermore, you should ask instructors for tips that will help you succeed. 

Business Savvy

An important yet overlooked facet of many artists is their keen business sense. Artists create enticing products, but they also need an audience that is accepting of their work. This is why it is essential to advertise your talent to the world. You should network with popular artists and promote your content through social media and in person.

For instance, Instagram and Facebook have become increasingly popular tools for promoting businesses and content. If you prefer to promote your art traditionally, you can hang flyers, host social events, and communicate face-to-face with potential clients.

Attention to Detail 

One last important skill that you should hone is your attention to detail. This applies not only to the art you create but also to the way you promote it. Being a critical thinker will help you investigate problems and setbacks that are holding you back from a successful career. 

If you think your content is not good enough, ask for opinions to try to break down the nature of the issue. If you feel your product is excellent but not taking off like it should, ask yourself what you can do to enhance your success. Being a meticulous thinker will be very beneficial in a field as unpredictable and exciting as art and design.

Most Popular Art Careers

The following list of the most popular art careers is based on data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Art Directors 

Median Pay in 2019 : $94,220

Number of Jobs in 2019: 99,100

Art directors are responsible for the visual style and images seen in magazines and newspapers, on product packaging, and in movie and television productions.

Fashion Designers

Median Pay in 2019: $73,790

Number of Jobs in 2019: 28,300

Fashion designers create clothing, accessories, and footwear.

Graphic Designers 

Median Pay in 2019: $52,110

Number of Jobs in 2019: 281,500

Graphic designers create visual concepts, using computer software or by hand, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate consumers.

Multimedia Artists and Animators 

Median Pay in 2019: $75,270

Number of Jobs in 2019: 67,500

Multimedia artists and animators create images that appear to move, as well as visual effects for various forms of media and entertainment.

Median Pay in 2019: $80,750

Number of Jobs in 2019: 129,900

Architects plan and design houses, factories, office buildings, and other structures.

FAQs About Art Careers

I’m Not Sure What Career I Want in Art. What Should I Do?

It is common to be perplexed about exactly what career path you should pursue, especially in a field as vast as art. Here are some questions you should ask yourself when looking for the right career:

• What am I looking for out of a career – monetary gain, or fulfilling work?
• What type of work environment do I thrive in?
• How far am I willing to push myself to achieve my goals?

How Should I Start My Career as an Artist?

Though there are no rules, here are some tips that may help you get your career off the ground:

• Develop your artistic knowledge and skills: Take courses or consider going to art school; practice and hone your craft; learn from your mentors or idols; seek advice from experienced artists.
• Promote yourself and your work: Develop a social media network; make friends with artists and seek mentorship; enter art competitions and go to galleries.
• Learn how to monetize your product: Consider taking business-related courses in conjunction with your art courses; budget your time and money efficiently; explore new ideas and modalities on how to create and sell your art.

Are There Other Resources Available to Help Me Make a Decision?  At Career Karma, we provide academic and professional advice to help you make informed choices. If you want to learn more, here is an article that discusses the best careers in technology and design , and another that talks about the top tech design careers . If you’re passionate about art, these articles will help your decision-making.

About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication .

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A Handbook for Emerging Artists

On Art, Business and Life

What talents or skills do I need to become an artist?

The main skills required by artists is willful curiosity, and the endurance to establish your own work processes, based on this curiosity. Specific knowledge about predefined artistic processes is not essential (but can be exciting and enriching).

Sometimes it feels as if certain people are meant to be artists, while others could never ever become one. A lot of people still believe in the notion of preexisting talent or excellence; according to them, artists are often thought of as rare geniuses. This is outdated. In actuality, the idea of talent is mostly used as (self-)mythologizing marketing strategy – or even as defense strategy by those who don’t want to fail, or even start trying: “ If I can’t do something today, for sure I’ll never be able to do it. After all, others can do it so well already: why bother starting? ” If this was true, life would be static; we wouldn’t ever be able to learn something new: another language, a new hobby or craft. People couldn’t ever change jobs or raise children – simply because ten years ago they didn’t know how to do it either. Life wouldn’t feature change.

At the same time, people rarely talk about talent when discussing less romanticized, more down-to-earth activities (like learning to cook or how to ride their bike). Yet in the arts, especially by outsiders, it’s often used as metric of excellence. Considering the many hours required to master any complex craft, the reality of “talent” becomes obvious: while it can be a kickstarter, it will never outweigh someone’s sheer power of will: whoever truly wants to become a chef, skateboard pro or jazz guitar player, for sure won’t be hindered by their perceived lack of initial talent. Rather, they’ll approach the new field according to their character, and find ways to turn alleged shortcomings or flaws into their signature style – with a mixture of humbleness and boldness. In addition, remember that talent can at times be problematic: if it creates arrogance and a wrong sense of security about a field’s complexity, and one’s position within it.

What About Talent?

If discussing talent and arts, here’s a controversial idea: Contemporary art is an especially amazing field for those without talent, simply because it doesn’t feature a unique, static set of expectations towards content or form. Resultingly, there isn’t (and can’t be) a specific set of skills required to become an artist. If you’re blind but want to paint, if you want to film but can’t afford camera or editing software, if you’re insensitive but want to sculpt, then for sure there can’t be a better place than the arts. Don’t misunderstand: the arts are not a place for dilettantes. Amateurism and incompetence will always stand out as signs of bad quality – but the arts even have room for these: Since tastes are subjective and temporary, what might be perceived as “bad” by someone at some time, will feel like actual bliss to others, or the same person at another time. For an artist to make proper “bad art”, they need to embrace and expand on specific ideas of that quality – which is far away from operating naively. As long as you pursue your work authentically, continuously questioning and expanding it, and ignoring destructive criticism, then your work can thrive – entirely independently of preexisting talent or skills.

That’s why in today’s world, the most general requirements to becoming an artist are 

• your will to be curious, and 
• the endurance to establish your own work processes, based on your curiosity.

For these to exist, you need to show up – there can be no art without it. Instead of cliché sufferings, artists should expect the hardships experienced by anyemerging entrepreneur or business person: slow recognition and sales, a lack of structure, all sorts of financial worries, the requirement to do side jobs, the doubt of whether it’s all worth it. The beginning artist’s journey brims with ambivalence: to be faced with one’s inadequacies and lack of competences, a general joy that frequently gets mixed with frustration; unexpected learning curves, the depth of the medium’s history far exceeding one’s previous expectations, surprise about the field’s lack of diversity, anger about the field’s unfair distribution of wealth, etc.

What an Openness..

Because of fine arts being such an open field, with such a myriad of qualities to experience, it can be hard to understand whether your work is “good” or “good enough” – and even whether you yourself are succeeding or failing. How to know such things? A frequent strategy in the world outside is to compare ourselves to others: if we are similar to specific aspects of successful people, then surely we are in some way successful as well? Because of the open nature of art though, you are not likely to answer these questions through comparison; art simply doesn’t offer comparison metrics like e.g. sports, where you can judge excellence by comparing numbers.

We often start making art because of the impact that other people’s had on us – so on a certain level, it makes sense to compare our work to the one we love. While these comparisons can fuel your artistic imagination, it’s tricky to compare yourself to others; their surroundings, socialization, their culture and spirit usually cannot easily be compared with yours. No two people swing their brushes identically, mix their colors identically, use the same techniques in their modelling software.

The challenge instead is to create the best work you can, and this work will always be the consequence of your surroundings and socialization, culture and spirit. It’s a consequence of the tools and infrastructure available to you. That’s why it’s better then to compare yourself with (a) yourself from the past, or with (b) your potential; the former focuses on what you already achieved since (focus on past), while the latter focuses on what you still haven’t managed yet (focus on future) – and to use other people’s art mostly as inspiration.

Otherwise, you risk experiencing art through a tainted, stained, maybe even cynical filter – to start despising the art world you crave to get accepted by, as much as potentially your work and yourself. It can then become difficult to appreciate or enjoy someone else’s works and achievements – even your own. By seeing this potential dynamic, it becomes a choice: it’s possible for you to instead engage the world with a realistic kind of positivity. One way to do so is to not compare your work (and yourself) naively.

It might make more sense then to take some distance, to take a breath, and to not define the artist’s job by what you might like and enjoy about it – but by the hardships you’re willing to endure: are you up to face the challenges listed above, and find your own path through them? Sometimes  it’s not about what you want from art, but what art wants from you. While this book suggests many strategies, the meta-advice is to 

• stay utopian (“ I know I can manifest this feeling/thought/idea! ”),
• while firmly being rooted in the realities of our world (“ I know I have to work hard doing x/y/z to make my work visible! ”).

Artistic skills and traditional notions of talent really have nothing to do with these.

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Public Safety Officer II at Mount San Antonio College

Application Deadline

8/28/2025 11:55 PM Pacific

Date Posted

Number of openings, length of work year, employment type.

Public Safety Officer II

Position Number: CM-128-2024

Department: Police & Campus Safety

Job Category:

Time (Percent Time):

Term (months/year):

Current Work Schedule (days, hours):

Salary Range:

Salary: Steps 1 - 6: $6,288 - $8,025 monthly

Shift Differential: Shift differential eligibility based on the current collective bargaining agreement.

Open Date: 02/21/2024

Initial Screening Date: 03/13/2024

Open Until Filled: Yes

Application Procedure:

Health & Welfare:

• Mt. San Antonio College offers a competitive and excellent benefits package providing medical, dental, and vision benefits to eligible employees and their dependents. Lifetime supplemental medical benefits are also available for eligible retirees.

• The College contributes an annual premium up to the family coverage amount equivalent to Kaiser Permanente $15 office visit medical, DeltaCare HMO dental, VSP vision and life insurance plans for eligible employees.

The District participates in the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS), State Teachers' Retirement System (STRS) retirement programs, and National Benefit Services.

*Note: The District does not cover Medicare expenses. Please visit the https://www.mtsac.edu/hr/benefits/index.html for further information. Salary and Health & Welfare Benefits are subject to change based on the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Basic Function/Overview:

Essential Duties/Major Responsibilities:

Other Duties:

Knowledge Of:

Skills and Abilities:

1. Advocate for and communicate the College's vision and commitment to creating a diverse, equitable, inclusive, socially just, anti-racist, and accessible academic and work environment.2. Participate in addressing gaps in diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, anti-racism, and accessibility in the recruitment and retention of staff.3. Participate in providing resources and support towards the goal of a diverse, equitable, inclusive, socially just, anti-racist, and accessible academic and work environment.4. Learn, interpret, apply, explain, and ensure compliance with Federal, State, and campus policies and procedures, laws, codes, regulations, and ordinances.5. Properly use authorized tactics, equipment, and techniques including the appropriate use of force.6. Obtain necessary information from individuals in stressful or emergency situations.7. Assess and respond to situations that may put public safety at risk.8. Analyze situations and identify possible problems/issues; collect relevant information; evaluate realistic options; and recommend/implement appropriate course of action.9. Observe accurately, recall faces, names, descriptive characteristics, facts of incidents, and places.10. Operate radio communication equipment.11. Operate a patrol vehicle and patrol emergency equipment in a safe and effective manner.12. Conduct investigations and interviews concerning crime, traffic, and related incidents.13. Encourage adherence to safety standards.14. Perform basic first aid and CPR procedures, including the operation of an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED).15. Prepare clear, comprehensive, and concise reports and other information related to observed violations.16. Work confidentially with discretion.17. Understand scope of authority in making independent decisions.18. Operate modern office equipment including computer equipment and specialized software applications programs.19. Use English effectively to communicate in person, over the telephone, and in writing.20. Learns and applies emerging technologies and, as necessary, to perform duties in an efficient, organized, and timely manner.21. Review situations accurately and determine appropriate course of action using judgment according to established policies and procedures.

Minimum Qualifications/Education & Experience:

Equivalencies:

Any combination of training and experience which would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications is listed in the Minimum Qualifications section.

Preferred Qualifications:

License(s) & Other Requirements:

Examination Requirements:

Working Environment:

Physical Demands:

Incumbents work indoors and outdoors, and are frequently exposed to dust, fumes, and allergens and occasionally exposed to loud noise levels, inclement weather conditions, chemicals, mechanical and/or electrical hazards, and hazardous physical substances. Incumbents may interact with staff and/or public and private representatives in interpreting and enforcing departmental policies and procedures.

Conditions of Employment:

The person holding this position is required to be present on Mt. San Antonio College's campus to perform all essential duties and responsibilities.

Official offers of employment are made by Mt. San Antonio College Human Resources and are made contingent upon Board approval. It is also required that a final offer of employment will only be made after the candidate has successfully been live-scanned and clearance for employment is authorized by Human Resources. Costs for live-scan services shall be borne by the candidate.

Notice to all prospective employees - The person holding this position is considered a ‘mandated reporter' under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in Administrative Procedure 3518, titled Child Abuse Reporting, as a condition of employment.

As required by the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the Mt. San Antonio Community College Annual Security Report is available here: https://www.mtsac.edu/safety/pdf/asr-final-2020.pdf.

The person holding this position is considered a ‘Responsible Employee' under Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972 and is required to report to the College's Title IX Coordinator all relevant details reported to him or her about an incident of alleged sexual misconduct including sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating and domestic violence and stalking.

Typing Certificate Requirements:

Special Notes:

Foreign Transcripts:

Transcripts issued outside the United States require a course-by-course analysis with an equivalency statement from a certified transcript evaluation service verifying the degree equivalency to that of an accredited institution within the USA. This report must be attached with the application and submitted by the filing deadline. Accredited evaluation agencies can be found on the https://www.naces.org/members.

Inquiries/Contact:

Human Resources

1100 N. Grand Avenue, Walnut, CA 91789-1399

Phone: (909) 274-4225

E-mail: [email protected]

Selection Procedure:

A committee will evaluate applications, taking into account breadth and depth of relevant education, training, experience, skills, knowledge, and abilities. The screening committee reserves the right to limit the number of interviews granted. Meeting the minimum qualifications for a position does not assure the applicant of an interview.

Interviews may include a writing sample, committee presentation, and/or performance test. The start date will be following Board approval and receipt of live scan clearance.

Special Instructions to Applicants:

EEO Policy:

Conflict of Interest:

Mt. San Antonio College employees and the Board of Trustees members shall not engage in any employment or activity that is inconsistent with, incompatible with, or in conflict with Mt. San Antonio College's Administrative Procedures (AP 2710 Conflict of Interest, AP 2712 Conflict of Interest Codes).

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Equipped for equity: WHO-IPC Paris 2024 Paralympic Games campaign

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) are launching the "Equipped for equity" campaign during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, running from 28 August to 9 September 2024. The Paralympic Games, renowned for showcasing the extraordinary talents of athletes with disabilities, highlight the critical role of assistive technology in their achievements. This campaign aims to celebrate the transformative impact of these technologies, not only in sports but also in daily life. Through this initiative, we advocate for global action to break down barriers to access to assistive technology, ensuring that everyone can benefit from the tools that facilitate participation and independence.

Read the WHO press release here.

Campaign overview

Assistive technology plays a crucial role in enabling Paralympic athletes to compete at the highest level, showcasing their extraordinary skills and inspiring millions. However, global inequities in access to these essential health products remain a significant challenge. The "Equipped for equity" campaign calls for global action to address these disparities and ensure that everyone, regardless of their location, has access to the assistive technology they need to live full and independent lives.

The campaign aims to:

• Highlight the impact of assistive technology on the lives of those requiring them.
• Urge governments to remove barriers, such as high taxes on assistive products, and integrate access into Universal Health Coverage.
• Showcase national initiatives, like tax exemptions in Zimbabwe and pre-Paralympic tax reductions in France and Japan, as models for global adoption. 

Calls to action

The "Equipped for equity" campaign is more than a spotlight on the Paralympics—it's a call to action for governments worldwide. We urge policymakers to:

• Remove barriers: reduce or eliminate taxes on assistive technology.
• Invest in access: integrate assistive technology into primary health care and Universal Health Coverage.
• Champion equity: ensure that everyone, everywhere, has access to the assistive technology they need.

Daily highlights

Throughout the Paralympic Games, WHO and IPC will feature daily posts on the role of assistive technology in sports and beyond. Follow us as we share:

• What assistive technology is, including devices like wheelchairs, prosthetics, and hearing aids, and learn how these tools support individuals in competitive sports as well as in their daily lives.
• Personal stories from Paralympic athletes about how assistive technology empowers them to achieve their best, both on and off the field.
• Examples of national efforts to improve access to assistive technology, such as recent tax exemptions and policy advancements.

Follow the campaign

Stay engaged with our daily posts on WHO’s and GATE's X , LinkedIn , Instagram , and Facebook channels. 

Join the conversation using #ATChangesLives and #Paralympics

WHO thanks the Government of Ireland for their support in making the 'Equipped for equity' campaign possible and helping to promote better access to assistive technology worldwide through their partnership with WHO .

Why assistive technology matters

Assistive technology is crucial for empowering individuals and enhancing their quality of life, as showcased by the remarkable athletes competing in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. These technologies enable athletes to excel and inspire millions around the world. However, access remains a significant challenge:

• In some low-income countries, only 3% of people have the assistive products they need, compared to up to 90% in some high-income countries.
• Just 5-35% of those needing wheelchairs and 10% of those needing hearing aids have access to them.
• With an ageing population and rising chronic health conditions, 3.5 billion people will need assistive technology by 2050.

Assistive technology is particularly vital for:

• Older adults, to maintain independence and improve daily life;
• Children and adults with disabilities, to fully engage in education, work, and daily activities;
• People with long-term health conditions, such as diabetes, stroke, and dementia, to manage their health effectively and independently.

As we celebrate the incredible achievements at the Paralympics, it’s clear that access to assistive technology transforms lives. Integrating these technologies into universal health coverage is essential. This step will not only enhance individual lives but also foster a more inclusive and equitable society for all.

Explore more

Assistive technology fact sheet

IPC, WHO sign MOU to cooperate in the promotion of diversity and equity in health and sports

Stay engaged with our daily posts on WHO’s and  GATE's X ,  LinkedIn ,  Instagram , and  Facebook  channels. 

Join the conversation using  #ATChangesLives  and  #Paralympics