National Arts in Education Week
Since 2010, National Arts in Education Week brings attention to the importance of art studies in schools. This week aims to join elected officials and educational decision-makers to support equitable access to the arts for all students.
Benefits of Fine Arts Education
Students of every age benefit from studying fine arts. Music education, dance, theatre, as well as media and visual arts support creative and innovative thinking skills. Students enhance fine motor skills, learn to balance their emotions, and build social skills. They become collaborators as well as self-learners.
Studies show that education in the arts can produce higher attendance and graduation rates and higher test scores. (Missouri Arts Council Study) The study of fine arts can increase proficiency in other subjects such as math, reading, and writing. (USA Today Arts Education Study)
CTE and The Arts
One of the CTE career clusters offers a pathway for arts, A/V technology, and communications. This cluster includes a variety of fine arts options like performing arts, journalism, audio and visual technology, printing, broadcasting, telecommunications, and many types of visual arts.
Art education programs prepare CTE students for careers by building problem-solving skills, increasing strength in communication and collaboration, and growing leadership abilities.
Public schools incorporate the arts and CTE in courses like film production, graphic design, and media arts. (The Arts and CTE- Ed Note Blog)
Go Public Supports Art Education
At Go Public, we love to highlight the fantastic works of student art in our districts!
We recently held a contest for student artists to create a tote bag design, and the submissions were outstanding. Visit our Go Public Virtual Art Gallery to see the talented artwork that we received, and keep an eye out for our next art contest in March 2022. The submissions will feature something that inspires the student in order to inspire others. The goal is to create a showcase of positive and uplifting art.
Contest Winner:
Jocelyn Villegas
Byron P. Steele High School
Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD
We also featured our talented students in last year’s Holiday Spectacular Fine Arts Showcase. Tons of students and fine arts teachers submitted photos and videos of theater, music, and dance performances! We are proud to highlight fine arts again this winter with another Holiday Spectacular which will be announced as the 2021 holidays approach.
Our popular Go Public Bus Art Contest inspired student artists to create artwork for display on local busses- you may have seen some of these creatively designed busses in your neighborhood!
Participate in Arts in Education Week
Americans for the Arts provides tips on how to bring National Arts in Education Week into your community.
- Celebrate. Host a virtual celebration. Download and use the shared logo to use for promotion. Download the 5 Ways to Partner Packet for other ideas!
- Advocate. Work with your elected officials and decision-makers to highlight the value of arts in education. Check out sample resolutions and videos.
- Participate. Share stories on social media, #BecauseOfArtsEd, to bring national awareness to the importance of arts education.
The National PTA’s Reflections program provides opportunities for recognition and access to the arts. The aim is to boost student confidence and success in the arts and throughout life.
The 2021–2022 Reflections theme is I Will Change the World By…
Annually, more than 300,000 Pre-k-12th grade students create original works of art related to a student-selected theme. The program allows students to explore their thoughts and ideas, develop their artistic literacy, and increase creative confidence
Students submit works of art in one or all of the arts categories: Literature, Dance Choreography, Film Production, Photography, Music Composition, and Visual Arts.
