Arts Education: A Fundamental Right for Youth in the United States of America

art education;arts advocacy;education policy;civil rights;K - 12 education;legalrights;art education;sociology;arts management;Arts Administration

Whitney, BarbWagonlander, Charles ;

University of Michigan

关键词: art education;    arts advocacy;    education policy;    civil rights;    K - 12 education;    legalrights;    art education;    sociology;    arts management;    Arts Administration;   

Others  :  https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/146547/Whitney2017_Correct.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

瑞士|英语

来源: The Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship

【 摘 要 】

A significant body of research supports the benefits of curricular, sequential arts instruction, which includes each of the interdependent roles of certified arts specialists, certified non-arts specialists, and community arts education providers. Additionally, a wealth of research recognizes the integral role of visual culture in our technology-based lives within contemporary society. Taken together, these factors justify a paradigm shift recognizing the value of the arts in the development of children’s learning, educational experiences, and future prospects as US citizens.Public education is recognized as a legal right for all citizens in the United States of America, and the Every Student Succeeds Act passed in 2015 includes arts education within the definition of a well-rounded education. To reiterate, the legal right of arts education for all youth in the USA is currently guraranteed by law, and the right to equal treatment in education is also guaranteed by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Despite legal recognition of the vital role of the arts in appropriately educating the nation’s students, a review of relevant scholarship and state surveys indicate that students throughout the country have not received equal access to the arts over the past two decades. This trend of unequal access relates to valuation and resources, disproportionately affecting rural and inner-city youth. Unequal access to the arts underscores the need for advocacy measures to ensure arts education access for all students. This research establishes the basis for the arguments in the following chapters: arts education in America; addressing inequality in arts education for youth; arts education: a value proposition; and arts education as a human right.By synthesizing research and policy regarding arts education for youth in the USA, this thesis reveals a critical need for those who are preparing students for success in the twenty-first century to recognize the vital role the arts play in doing so. By examining arts education in the context of human and civil rights from a sociological perspective, this thesis outlines the injustice perpetrated by withholding the rights to arts education from particular youth populations. Recognizing arts education inequity and the importance of policy in driving measures toward arts education equality for all students, I assert that arts advocates can engage stakeholders to collectively improve the lives of students, our communities, and our society.