THE COMPLETE CURRICULUM Ensuring a Place for the Arts and ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

NASBETHE COMPLETE CURRICULUMinvolved with either sports/academic or community involvementprograms.In addition to the individualfindings of each of the studies,researchers concluded, learning in andthrough the arts reaches students whoare at-risk of dropping out altogether,helping to keep them in school.Studies have also confirmed “newbrain research [that] shows not onlythat music is fun, but also that itimproves our brain development andeven enhances skills in other subjectssuch as reading and math … Musicenhances creativity and promotessocial development, personalityadjustment, and self-worth.” 4Foreign LanguagesSimilar benefits accrue to thenation and to individual students whenforeign languages are a part of thecurriculum. The advantages of theability to use more than one languageare many. At a minimum, as humanbeings, we all need to communicate,and learning another language opens astudent to communication andinteraction with a vastly greater numberof people. Languages also provideinsight into different cultures andexperiences. Foreign language educationtoday does not focus just on rulesof grammar and vocabulary, butembraces culture, history, and experienceswithin the larger humanitiescontext. With today’s ever-increasingdiversity—in the classroom, workplace,and community—it is crucial thatnative-English-speaking students have agreater understanding of the culturalbackground of their fellow classmates;and perhaps more important, to learnrespect for diverse cultures. Theexperience of developing insight intothe language and culture of othersprovides an opportunity for students toreflect on their own language andculture, thus strengthening theirunderstanding of their native languageand how the cultural perspectives inthis country are similar and differentfrom those they are learning about.Finally, one of the larger evaluationsof arts programming in recentyears focused on a 5-year program,Transforming Education through theArts Challenge (TETAC), whichbegan in 1996. 5 The $15 millionprogram was implemented in 35demographically diverse schoolsacross the country, and was designedto encourage a comprehensiveapproach to arts education. Beyondteaching students to create art,TETAC helped the school communitydevelop an understanding of therole of the arts as it relates to historyand culture. The program alsointegrated arts instruction into othersubjects. Results of the evaluationrevealed that those schools that fullyimplemented the program saw animprovement in school culture due toincreased collaboration amongteachers, most prominently thatteachers incorporated more criticalthinkingskills into their instructionalpractices. (See box on page 12 forresults from an evaluation of NorthCarolina’s A+ program.)A poster from the Joint National Committee on Languagesemphasizes the importance of foreign language training inworld affairs.8
Ensuring a Place for the Arts and Foreign Languages in America’s SchoolsThere are more concrete benefitsas well:• Some studies suggest thatstudents who begin the study of asecond language early in theirelementary school years attainhigher achievement levels inEnglish language arts. 6• One study of third-, fourth-, andfifth-grade students in Louisianafound that those who receiveddaily instruction in a foreignlanguage outperformed thosewho did not on the LouisianaBasic Skills Test, regardless ofrace, gender, or academic level.These findings were corroboratedthrough another study ofelementary students wherestudents who studied a foreignlanguage scored higher onstandardized measures of readingand mathematics, even forstudents from high-povertybackgrounds. 7• Findings from other researchsuggest that second languagestudy develops the skills andhabits essential to the learningprocess, creative inquiry, andcritical thinking. 8• Studying a second language alsoenhances problem-solving skillsand general cognitive development.9In the increasingly interconnectedworld economy, the ultimateadvantage to knowing anotherlanguage may be that it provides acompetitive edge. Indeed, a recentsurvey found that 85 percent of thepublic felt that the ability to speakanother language was very or somewhatimportant to competing successfullyin a global economy. 10 Americanstoday encounter and do business withmillions of people who speak languagesother than English—and those sameAmericans are increasingly becomingaware of the importance of communicatingin other languages besidesEnglish. Second language learningprovides a competitive edge for allstudents regardless of their chosencareer path, and addresses a shortageof workers in virtually every field thatuses languages to communicatesuccessfully.There are broader national goalsat stake as well, especially the growingneed for multilingual individuals toaddress the increased threat ofterrorism. At a time when knowledgeof languages and cultures is vital tonational security and foreign affairs,the U.S. Departments of State andDefense have both reported ashortage of candidates with foreignlanguage skills. In a post-September11 article, The New York Timesreported roughly half of the StateDepartment’s diplomatic postingswere filled with people who did nothave the necessary language skills. 11Learning a second language not onlyincreases an individual’s ability toadapt to different environments andmodes of acting and thinking, but itprovides insights into America’svalues and an appreciation of nationalresponsibilities in the world community—anecessity for matters offoreign affairs. 12Given the evidence of thebenefits of both the arts and foreignlanguage, it is perhaps surprising thatthey tend to receive short shrift incomparison with other core subjectareas. Momentum has been buildingin recent years for greater inclusionof the arts and foreign languages inthe classroom for students in allgrades, of all socioeconomic backgrounds,and of all learning abilities.However, budget shortfalls nationwideare causing policymakers andeducators to make tough decisionsabout what is in and what is outwhen it comes to curriculum.Unfortunately, the trend appears toindicate that the arts and foreignlanguages are perhaps at greater riskthan ever of being pushed to the sideas priorities are set.9
Page 1 and 2: Ensuring a Place for the Arts and F
Page 7: Ensuring a Place for the Arts and F
Page 27: Ensuring a Place for the Arts and F
Page 30 and 31: NASBETHE COMPLETE CURRICULUMAppendi
Page 32: NASBETHE COMPLETE CURRICULUMPerform

THE COMPLETE CURRICULUM Ensuring a Place for the Arts and ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?