The affluence of a community and the level of arts education in N.J. schools

Laura Waters:

Last week the New Jersey Arts Education Census Project issued its "NJ Arts Education Census," a report and database that measures the level of access to and participation in art and music programming offered to N.J. public school students in each of our 591 districts.

Most educators - in N.J. and elsewhere -- agree that the study of art and music is a boon to children's intellectual and creative development. However, in the last few years school boards and administrators hear not the melodious tones of Mozart but the siren song of testing and accountability. There are, after all, no current accountability measures in place for a student's mastery of art history, no statewide assessments of music appreciation.

Districts are further distracted from well-rounded programming by relentless fiscal and political pressure to decrease costs, not add courses. And if you do add a course, it's more likely to be another section of algebra rather than a survey of Abstract Expressionism.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at May 19, 2012 4:39 AM
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