A recent study showed that students who engage in art class for three hours a day for three days a week, are four times more likely to get an academic achievement such as honor roll or valedictorian (Lynch, 2014). Art classes help students develop new types of thinking, and give them and escape from the stress of school which may prove beneficial in terms of student’s success in core subjects. “Art in school gave me a break from all the other craziness that happened and from the Math and Science and English” states Ian Lundin (personal communication, October 4, 2016) owner of CXXII Apparel and Right Brain Graphics. “When you can put a paintbrush in a kids hand and allow them to paint they don 't need to worry about being perfect or learning some math equation but just to express themselves on the canvas” he explains. This short escape from the craziness of core classes can actually help students excel in other classes, especially those classes that are seen in the eyes of the state as more …show more content…
Many of our schools have been hit hard by the recession and cannot continue to fund these classes. They are seen as less important in the eyes of school boards, and state governments because they don’t see how art education can benefit businesses in the workplace. One may argue that art classes should be first to be cut because they take up too much time out of the school day. A typical school day in the U.S is about 8 hours. Even if it is difficult to incorporate a 90-minute art class into the daily schedule, it would be beneficial if schools could incorporate some sort of artistic expression into other subject areas. In many cases, art education is being cut even before extracurricular activities. Others will say that art education takes up a large portion of the budget and argue that it takes away from the core subject areas. They think the funding that is available should be used for core classes because art curriculum will not help the student in the long run. The problem with this is that art can provide material that is just as important as subjects covered in core classes and it will definitely help them in whatever field they decide to pursue. Students learn how to develop creativity, and also learn about many different cultures that opens them up to the world. You can’t get that same knowledge taking a STEM class.