Thank you for stopping by my page. I am a graduating senior looking to continue work in advocacy and using art as a healing outlet. You can find previous work I have accomplished as a Social Justice major as well as my resume and writing samples.
Thank you for stopping by my page. I am a graduating senior looking to continue work in advocacy and using art as a healing outlet. You can find previous work I have accomplished as a Social Justice major as well as my resume and writing samples.
Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota
Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota
Africa Jam
Hecua
arts education funding and the rise of mental health: The change we need
Background Information
Adequate research shows the connection between art and healing. The ability to access and explore art in school has been shown to reduce physiological and psychological distress in students. However, the steady decrease in arts funding for public schools (over the past 10 years) is unnerving, especially when coupled with the rising rates of mental health issues among young people. Investing in arts funding provides an opportunity to curb the mental health crisis today's young people are facing. This is an issue because according to research done about the connection between art and healing, the ability and access to explore art in schools has an opportunity to reduce “physiological and psychological outcomes” for students. The research provided shows that we need more funding for arts programs in public schools which makes a positive impact on young people’s mental health.
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The usage of social media has exploded over the last decade and this high usage has played an impactful role particularly on young people and their mental health. Western media is currently saturated with things like false reality depictions, fake news, and hateful national and global issues. Due to these factors, it is clear why the increase of young people battling mental health has a link with high social media usage over the last ten years. In 2015, there was an act signed by the federal government, which gives states more control over decisions they want to make in their schools, versus having the federal government control every state. To get more specific, the only source of funding for arts education through the U.S. Department of Education’s Arts in Education (AIE) program. While this is helpful, it is not close to being enough.
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Under the Trump administration, there is an overall lack of education funding to public schools in the United States, which is then impacting extracurricular programs, such as art programs. This administration states that they would allocate no money to programs that help support for students and academic enrichment. Programs such as, mental health services, physical education, and anti-bullying initiatives. Aside from the lack of education funding in total, an education area that is not getting as much attention and has had a decrease of funding is the arts programs.
History
In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson passed The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). This was created to have more government participation in K-12 schools. This law was revised several times and ultimately turned into The No Child Left Behind law (NCLB) which was passed in 2002 by Congress under President George W. Bush. This law increased the federal role which held schools accountable for the achievement gaps, primarily of minority students. Student performance was heavily monitored through standardized testing. There was a lot of push back and criticism of this law for multiple reasons. For one, there was questioning if this was doing anything to enhance the student achievement gap. Second, focusing on standardized testing did not seem like the most successful way to monitor students. Third, similarly to the modern day funding, NCLB was underfunded. Fourth, it emphasized standardized testing versus other important education components, such as, arts or athletics.
Current Administration
The most current administration that replaced NCLB was the Obama administration in 2015. They signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a law that decreased the federal role and made it possible for states to be in charge of their school’s testing, teacher performance, and the student achievement gap. While this seemed like a step in the right direction, the Trump administration proposed a $7.1 billion budget cut to the Department of Education’s funding. This budget cut has now impacted schools like the Minneapolis Public School (MPS) District and the Wanette School District in Oklahoma. During the 2018-2019 fiscal school year, MPS had a $14 million budget cut which meant program fundings were being reduced $7 million. Not only were programs, such as art programs, cut or completely defunded, but the continuation of these budget cuts would leave high schools in the district unable to operate. Schools in Oklahoma have ended 1,100 fine arts classes in just a four-year span. Educators from these schools have noted that they noticed how the students are not thriving academically in other subjects.
Impacts & Evidence
Arts programs have not received the adequate funding it deserves and studies have proven that arts programs have a positive impact on student’s success, mental health, and communication skills. One study, done by the National Foundation for Educational Research in the United Kingdom, has several findings regarding the effectiveness of arts education in secondary schools. Not only did this study find that arts programs decreased stress and increased overall enjoyment, but it also found that arts education increased the desire of parents to participate more in their children's school. This study also found positive effects based on specific art forms. For example, music heightened listening skills, drama class increased empathy practices, and dance advanced awareness of the body and self.
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Music classes have been found to teach students how to associate their emotions with songs as an outlet and a form of self-expression. This is incredibly impactful on students' self-confidence and communication about their emotions. Writing classes have also been impactful in decreasing anxiety levels of students by giving them a platform to articulate their life stories, emotions, and struggles they may be facing in their heads. Overall, doing art has provided an outlet for students to express themselves without battling the vulnerability and anxiety that comes with being expressive about issues they are facing. Art making has been found to be stress relieving and used to help people better understand their mental health.
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Washburn High School, in the Minneapolis Public School District, has had a Black Box Theatre Program which is a safer space that allows all students a space to talk about things that are going on in their lives. Current and alum students from the program regularly reflect on how this class saved their life and taught them that art can be used as an outlet versus varying alternatives, such as drugs or negative social groups. Art programs like the Black Box give space to students that other science or mathematics spaces cannot. They encourage students to use art as an expression with the lack of stress of no right answer to be found. There is often more space for casual communication and debriefing amongst students and teachers in art classrooms. This attributes to the safe space students need in their school day so they have an opportunity to trust their teachers and feel comfortable showing up to class. These spaces also encourage parent and community participation which helps maintain family/community involvement in the lives of young people.
As of 2018, student suicides and mental health is at an alltime high. 70% have stated that their mental health is the main issue in their lives. Since there are many studies about the positive impacts art has on mental health, why would funding not be given to schools to battling this epidemic? Fortunately, there are ways to receive money for these programs until government funding towards arts education is taken seriously and increased. Grants are large financial support for these programs across the country’s public school districts. Several teachers annually apply for grants to support the supplies in their classroom or the guest artists they utilize in the space.
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Aside from funding, there are also non-profits around the country that work with youth to use art as a form of healing from their own trauma or mental health. This provides a space for young people to be safe and have community after school hours while also teaching them ways of self-expression through different art forms. An example of this happening in the Twin Cities is called Irreducible Grace Foundation.
Conclusion
Overall, it is clear that arts programs in public schools are overlooked compared to mandatory standardized testing students take. With the rise of mental health issues in young people it is obvious that something needs to be done for these students to have better and more access to art programs that can be used as a positive and progressive outlet of healing and surviving. While grants and the U.S. Department of Education’s Arts in Education, which is grant-funded, supports arts programs and education, it is clear that this is not enough help with the district levels cutting art funding. To reiterate, the research provided shows that we need more funding for arts programs in public schools which makes a positive impact on young people’s mental health. This is a change young people need in their education to be successful emotionally, mentally, and academically.
