| |
Enrichment |
|
Enrichment is not a curriculum, it is not a requirement per se, however,
it is the best form of experiential learning devised to enhance curriculum
and bring the arts into public schools. According to the Massachusetts
Curriculum frameworks, the goals of public education are to teach students
to recognize the importance of education as a lifelong effort, communicate
effectively with others through reading, writing, speaking, computing, the
arts and technology, among other things.
In addition, the frameworks look to the visual and performing arts to enable students to: know and understand the nature of the creative process, the characteristics of visual art, music, dance and theatre, and their importance in shaping and reflecting historical and cultural heritage, analyze and make informed judgments regarding the arts and develop skills and participate in the arts for personal growth and enjoyment. We have all heard, as have our teachers, that education in the arts and experiential learning enhances academic ability and can increase test scores. It does, in many cases substantiated by research, do just that - by engaging the students in a creative process, by breathing real-life experience into curriculum. Americans for the Arts (www.americansforthearts.org) has compiled an extensive list of research projects with data to support that claim. And, it comes as no surprise that those school districts where enrichment is funded well and arts education preserved, test scores remain high. Enrichment is the only avenue left for such learning in this financial climate. Our curriculum-based programs are recommended by educators and brought in to enhance those subject areas. It works. However, the arts are the only academic area which has to justify its existence. Project Zero, the research center at the Harvard University School of Education (www.pzweb.harvard.edu) has done extensive research in this area. Interestingly enough, here's the conclusion the researchers drew: A Better Justification for the Arts in EducationLet's bet on history. Of course, we do not know for sure what is the best education for children to ensure that they will grow up to lead productive and happy lives. But the arts have been around longer than the sciences; cultures are judged on the basis of their arts; and most cultures and most historical eras have not doubted the importance of studying the arts. Let's assume, then, that the arts should be a part of every child's education and treat the arts as seriously as we treat mathematics or reading or history or biology. Let's remember why societies have always included the arts in every child's education. The reason is simple. The arts are a fundamentally important part of culture, and an education without them is an impoverished education leading to an impoverished society. Studying the arts should not have to be justified in terms of anything else. The arts are as important as the sciences: they are time-honored ways of learning, knowing, and expressing.(The Arts and Academic Achievement: What the Evidence Shows-Executive Summary, full Set of Articles Published in The Journal of Aesthetic Education, University of Illinois Press, Volume 34, nos. 3/4, Fall/Winter, 2000 Guest Editors: Ellen Winner and Lois Hetland) We have no choice but to ask for more, given that history has proven that a culture, a society will not be remembered for anything less.
Roberta McRae
|