Art Education in CPS

After spending a majority of my elementary education in Chicago Public Schools, I am surprised to see how little has changed for the city’s art education programs. In a city with so much beautiful art, why are we not teaching our youths the very same skills? Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism News Service recently posted an article that discusses why art education is so significant for an urban setting.

I remember taking a few classes in the arts, but they never were permanent. Up until the fourth or fifth grade, we had a music teacher who came to our class to teach us how to sing. However, the music education program somehow disappeared and he never came back. I had no recollection going to a separate class to learn art skills. There wasn’t even any band or dance after school programs or extracurricular activities available. I didn’t appreciate art in a school setting until I transferred to a suburban high school, where I noticed how the classes were limitless whether it was theater, art, music or dance. In December 2014, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Public Schools news that they have made a $10 million investment for this year in arts education. Why is art education so important for our young Chicagoans? We live in city filled with diverse neighborhoods and so much culture. I remember participating every year in the Assyrian Assembly, while I learned so much about the Assyrian’s culture through music and dance. There are so many opportunities for students to learn about those around them through arts and culture. Vital for child development, art education classes give students the opportunity to acquire a new set of skills and most importantly, allow them to be creative.

With this new investment, I hope to see many new changes to CPS’ art education programs for schools throughout the cities. There needs to be more art teachers and supplies available in all classes. I would love to see every CPS student receive the equal opportunity to explore the world of art despite his or her economic background. Public schools have worried so much about standardized test scores or academics that it’s almost like we’ve forgotten that many students prefer to work on the right side of their brains. Hopefully, we’ll soon see a positive change for all students to receive a proper arts educations to overall expand their learning skills for the future.