President's Corner
Arts in the School Curriculum
By David R. Schuler/School Administrator, December 2015

I believe it is incumbent on us as school system leaders to appreciate and affirm the role the arts play in our public schools.

Allowing students to access opportunities in the arts can provide inspiration, engagement and participation, and arts study supports academic achievement. Consider these research findings:

» Schoolchildren exposed to drama, music and dance are often more proficient at reading, writing and math.
» Students enrolled in fine and performing arts courses have higher attendance than students who are not taking these classes;
» Arts education helps students develop critical thinking skills, such as comparing, contrasting, hypothesizing and exploring multiple perspectives; and
» Students who have studied the arts volunteer more and demonstrate greater civic engagement than other students.

AASA members should look to showcase the many talents of our students. At my school district, we’re installing galleries in our buildings as a way to continue engaging students in the fine and performing arts career pathway. These galleries will display everything from traditional art to interactive, multimedia pieces.

In addition to celebrating the works of our students, this also provides hands-on, real- world experiences for individuals who may be interested in curating a gallery or hosting visiting artists.

From the elementary classroom to the high school studio, and everything in between, the arts allow students to display creativity, innovation, intuitiveness and beauty.

The arts can provide the lens and context through which the world can be viewed, so when children are learning about music or artwork, they’re also immersing themselves into history, time periods and cultures.

Students who may not be strong writers or are introverted can still display their understanding of concepts and facts through the medium of art, be it a painting, a drawing, music or dance.

There are few things better than going to the first 5th-grade band concert of the year when the students are learning to keep a beat while playing their instrument, and then returning the following spring, after students have practiced and learned together, to marvel at the growth achieved over the course of eight months.

We also have the opportunity in public education to inspire students to follow their hearts and explore the arts for the rest of their lives.

While there may not be a national test devoted to the subject of the arts (phew!), the reality is the arts are more than a score (pun intended, former music teachers). The arts are the mosaic through which talents are pulled together to create the masterpiece that is a well-rounded individual.

It has been exciting to see the transformation taking place in our classrooms related to the impact of technology on the arts. Watching our art teachers actively explore ways to transform their curriculum through the use of technology has been awesome, creative and incredibly innovative.

One such innovator is Kent Dyer, a visual arts teacher at Rolling Meadows High School. I encourage you to check out the art and design work his students have completed.

I hope you will continue this conversation on Twitter using #leadexcellence to discuss arts education, its benefits and the impact the arts in schools have made on our students and staff. I’m looking forward to these conversations throughout the school year, and at February’s National Conference on Education in Phoenix.


David Schuler is AASA president for 2015-16. Email: david.schuler@d214.org Twitter: @DSchuler1970