By Russ Sperling, Director of Visual and Performing Arts
On the one hand, it seems self evident: in my two years in the Sweetwater District, everyone I've talked to agrees with me that the Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) are important for our students. There is an understanding of what we have learned through research. Students enrolled in arts courses are:
So why does it feel sometimes like we have to fight for arts education programs? I believe there are two main answers to that question.
First, the education community as a whole is focused on the federal mandates outlined in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. NCLB holds us all accountable to raise student achievement in the English Language Arts and Math.
Secondly, diminished funding from the state has made it extremely difficult to fund and staff VAPA classes and programs at school sites.
I know that our principals struggle with finding the balance between making sure our students have English and mathematical literacy, while also making sure that students receive an education that inspires their creative side. I also know there is a broad consensus that there should be a balance.
In the Sweetwater Union High School District, the commitment to the Visual and Performing Arts has not wavered. While there is no other choice but to make cuts to educational programs due to the current fiscal crisis, our Superintendent, Dr. Gandara, has consistently held firm that the arts will not be cut disproportionally to any other subject.
Personnel from other school districts marvel at our VAPA office and district support for a music library, musical instrument repairman, our district's nationally recognized mariachi program and district events such as the Sweetwater Summer Arts Academy held each year at Camp Cuyamaca.
In my coming blogs, I will show the many ways in which the arts thrive in Sweetwater and how VAPA is supporting the other academic disciplines, and I will discuss how we are leading the effort to help restore the arts in our elementary feeder districts. Please come back to see what's here.
To learn more:
http://www.suhsd.k12.ca.us/vapa/
The New York Times - "The New Untouchables"
Sign On San Diego - "Arts and the innovation gap"
The Center for Arts Education
We welcome your comments as a means of sharing your own experiences, suggesting improvements or chiming in on the conversation. To keep communication, we have set some comment guidelines.
1. Comments will not be edited, but will be reviewed by the Grants and Communications Department before being posted.
2. To ensure exchanges that are informative, respectful of diverse viewpoints and lawful, we will NOT post comments that are: Off Topic. We will exclude comments not related to the subject. Spam. Comments focused on selling a product or service will not be posted. Personal Attacks. If you disagree with a post, we'd like to hear from you. We do ask that you refrain from personal attacks or being disrespectful of others. Illegal. Laws that govern use of copyrights, trade secrets, etc., will be followed. Language. Comments including but not limited to: profane or provocative language, hateful, racially or ethnically offensive or derogatory content, threats, obscene or sexually explicit language will be excluded.