TheArtsareFundamentaltoaQualityEducationforallStudents.pdfVIP

The?Arts?are?Fundamental?to?a?Quality?Education?for?all?Students? By?Dr.?Kathie?Kratochvil? ? Standards‐based,?sequential?arts?instruction?is?fundamental?to?a?well‐rounded?education? for?all?students.??When?a?student?envisions?and?creates,?imagination?is?engaged,?creativity? begins,?and?the?student?enters?a?world?of?conceptualization?and?complex?problem‐solving,? which?leads?to?the?development?of?cognitive?skills?essential?for?learning.??This?is?true?in?all? four?arts?disciplines:?Visual?Arts,?Theatre,?Dance,?and?Music.??The?arts?reflect?and?shape? cultures,?encourage?people?to?exchange?diverse?views,?promote?cultural?understanding,? and?build?healthy?communities.??For?these?reasons,?the?arts?are?part?of?the?core?academic? curriculum?and?are?listed?as?such?in?the?federal?NCLB?Act?of?2001.? ? The?arts?reflect?the?human?condition?and?have?done?so?for?centuries,?as?they?are?concerned? with?the?examination?and?reflection?of?the?human?experience.??Throughout?the?centuries,? the?arts?have?played?a?critical?role?in?helping?to?shape?and?define?societies?and?have? provided?much?in?the?way?of?historical?documentation?of?our?global?and?cultural?heritage.??? ? Charles?Fowler,?(1931‐1995),?renowned?arts?educator?and?author,?articulated?the?agenda? for?a?growing?educational?movement?and?illuminated?the?most?pressing?issues?affecting? its?advocacy.?Through?his?writing?he?voiced?the?challenge?of?change?and?reform,? accumulating?a?body?of?commentary?as?fresh?today?as?ever.?He?consistently?urged? teachers?to?experience?their?work?with?students?as?creative?encounters:?alive,?inventive,? and?filled?with?mutual?discovery.?In?reference?to?his?own?career,?he?commented?in?1993?on? the?occasion?of?donating?his?papers?to?the?University?of?Maryland,?College?Park:??I?was? not?satisfied?as?a?teacher?with?merely?passing?on?the?culture.?I?wanted?a?role?in?creating?it.? The?classroom?is?not?just?a?place?for?learning?about?yester