Proposed 2008-09 Contracts for Excellence Plan

Good Evening. I am Doug Israel, Director of Research and Policy for The Center for Arts Education. Thank you for the opportunity to provide comment on the 2008-2009 Contracts for Excellence plan. 
 

The Center for Arts Education (CAE) is dedicated to ensuring that all of New York City’s public school students have quality arts learning as an essential part of their kindergarten-12^th grade education. Over the course of more than 10 years, CAE has witnessed the power of arts education to engage students in learning and to provide alternative avenues for achievement.

 

Research indicates that learning in the arts enhances learning in other subject areas and contributes to a student's overall development. Learning in and through the arts also provides students with opportunities to work collaboratively, develop creative and critical thinking skills, and develop innovative solutions—all 21st century skills that employers in New York City and around the world are looking for.

 

The Contracts for Excellence acknowledge the benefits of arts education through the specific inclusion of arts programs under the list of approved Program Option expenditures for before-or-after-school programs or summer school. It is likely that arts education programming could be approved for time-on-task initiatives during the school day as well, including programs designed to improve achievement for Limited English Proficient or English Language Learners.

 

However, despite the recognized benefits of arts education, it is still quite common for arts to be one of the first subjects cut when principals and school districts have to make tough budgetary or scheduling decisions. In fact, not only are we hearing just such reports from schools, but as reported by the DOE, less than 4 percent of all elementary schools are providing the minimum state requirements in the arts and only 29 percent of middle school students are completing the New York State Education Department requirements in the arts. Compounding the problem, according to a recent survey conducted by Class Size Matters, 25 percent of principals reported losing their art, music, or dance rooms to academic space during their tenure. 

 

Based on our experience in schools as well as research in the field, investing in our children’s future through the creation or expansion of quality arts education learning opportunities can help meet the goals laid out for the Contracts for Excellence and should be vigorously pursued by principals and staff and encouraged and facilitated by the Department of Education. We also urge that as schools and the Department of Education strive to reduce overcrowding and meet class size reduction goals that spaces dedicated to the arts are both created and preserved.