Imagine a program that produced a fourfold increase in the
number of students recognized for academic achievement. What if that initiative
also resulted in three times as many students elected to leadership positions
at their schools? And imagine that these children would be four times as likely
to be in math or science fairs, and also to perform community service. On top
of all that, they would also be three times as likely to win an award for
exceptional school attendance.

If public school administrators and government officials
knew of such a program, I would demand that it be implemented in our schools
and that we invest in it immediately. Guess what? We already know of such a
program that does achieve all those benefits: It’s called the arts.

According to Americans for the Arts, children deeply involved
in arts programs receive the aforementioned benefits, and then some. Yet,
paradoxically, schools are cutting arts programs — ranging from band to
theater to painting — because of funding limitations.

You would think a field that produces such dramatic results
would be cultivated, not cut. However, school districts have had to make tough
decisions, in part because of a lack of support from state and federal
government. Indeed, with state-imposed revenue caps on local districts, schools
throughout Wisconsin have had to rely on referenda to keep up with increasing
costs of operation, according to the Wisconsin Education Association Council.
When these referenda fail in the communities, arts education is often one of
the first items eliminated.

And the federal No Child Left Behind Act has only
exacerbated the problem. The Bush administration has emphasized science,
technology, education and math, and while these fields are essential to early
education, the untested areas of arts and literature are ignored in the quest
to increase test scores. And thus, with a shift in resources to “teach to
the test,” arts don’t quite fit in the picture.

For these reasons, the money doesn’t exist right now for
arts programs in public schools. However, it is a necessary investment that
needs to be made. According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction,
every school that trimmed its arts classes ended up spending more on discipline
within three years, and also saw falling test scores.

Newly elected Dane County Supervisor Wyndham Manning,
District 5, ran on a platform that included a “public arts
initiative.” According to his campaign website, community funding for arts
programs could benefit at-risk youth and deter delinquency. Imagine the money
Dane County could save on incarceration if a small investment were made in the
arts. As the Wisconsin Assembly for Local Arts calculated, such educational
programs have an economic impact of $289 million annually in the state, and
they only cost the government $2.5 million.

Allow me to state it bluntly: Arts help students succeed in
all areas of education. They save communities money on disciplinary programs,
and they have a yield of over 100 times the initial investment. So what the
hell are we waiting for? Who in their right mind would keep cutting these
programs? Why haven’t we made this seemingly magic bullet a priority?

Thankfully, there are some government leaders who do
recognize the value of arts education. Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton and State
Superintendent of Public Instruction Elizabeth Burmaster recently launched the
Wisconsin Task Force on Arts and Creativity in Education. Designed to promote
access to arts programs in public schools, this task force will also contribute
to today’s knowledge-based economy, one that demands individuals be able to
think outside of the box. As Ms. Lawton stated in a press release,
“creativity and innovation will be the cornerstone of Wisconsin
competitiveness in the years ahead.”

Likewise, as Americans for the Arts claim, there is no
better way to stimulate creativity than through early arts education. Such
programs demand self-expression that cannot be achieved by plugging through
algebra problems or mixing chemicals in a lab. I am by no means suggesting
science and math are not vital, but the arts deserve equal treatment.

It pains me every time I hear of another school district
having to cut music or drawing or theater. I could only imagine the public
outcry if, instead of the marching band, schools were cutting the football
team. Both are essential enriching activities, and we must make an investment
in our future generations by adequately funding these programs.

I know I’ve centered my argument here on the economic
benefits of arts programs, and maybe that is what is needed to convince our communities
and our governments. But I wish it were sufficient to just use the words of the
Wisconsin Arts Board as reason enough to support such initiatives — “The
arts are basic to human life and essential to the human spirit.”

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Suchita Shah ([email protected]) is a senior
studying neurobiology.