Our Civil Duty: Arts in the Classroom

More evidence continues to emerge on the benefits of the arts in the classroom. Most would attest, the arts are necessary. The inclusion of arts in the ESSA, Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, shows that policymakers, not only arts advocacy groups and educators, view the arts as an essential component to a well-rounded education. 

In this decade, school districts across the nation are recommitting. Private sectors in turn seeing the benefit of the arts, and investing capital in its future. When students do not have access to arts education, to disciplines such as dance, music, the­atre, and the visual arts, there are negative implications; students lack critical thinking, problem solving skills, and the ability to create with intention and empathy, to name a few. Empirical evidence presented in the Journal for Civil Society shows that: arts participation is strongly related to behaviors that contribute to the health of civil society, such as increased civic engagement, greater social tolerance, and reductions in other-regarding behavior. 

Watching the first Democratic debate impresses this strong role of the arts on education. Without continued evidence-based arts programs, future leaders will lack characteristics driven by the arts; teachers will lack the tools to effectively meet the whole student. We do not have to imagine this. Years without the arts in the classroom has taught us many valuable lessons. One lesson revealing our civic duty to arts education. As research shows, the arts increase teacher and student community involvement and their tolerance of opposing views. 

Pulse Arts sees the necessity of the arts, keenly. This year as Pulse Arts proudly celebrates its first year in operation, we note our civic duty to give arts education its grandstand.  Our accomplishments in Sonoma County this year have been varied and impactful, some of which include: the facilitation of all Visual and Performing Arts in the Windsor Unified School District to coordinate a two-week arts integration summer program for grades TK-5; 

Vertical Articulation and Scope and Sequence project with all arts disciplines based on the 2019 California VAPA standards; 

Successful implementation of several grant-funded collaborations with Sonoma County Dancers United bringing 10 weeks of dance education to over 500 elementary students county-wide; 

Establishment of new partnerships with Luther Burbank Center for the Arts and Sonoma State University dance department to support the teaching of the artists training program. 

Collaboration with Creative Sonoma and CAAE to develop a strategic plan for arts education in Sonoma county; 

And, Big Idea Arts and Education Consulting for coordination and implementation of a three day arts integration summit and development of a $20,000 arts integration scholarship program for teachers.

If it sounds like Pulse Arts cares about its civic duty, the arts, and our work to educate and merge teachers, artists, and agency to create different arts enterprises for our future, you are right. 

Find out more about Pulse Arts and how you can be apart of creating change through the arts

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