From an early age, children instinctively create art by drawing on the walls and other such creative youthful endeavors. Experts say that this expression is beneficial to children in a variety of ways.
While Athens schools offer programs, Ohio University, the center of Athens' bustling art scene, also contributes to this local education by making art accessible to students.
Crayons, creativity, and cognition
Children who are exposed to consistent and rigorous art programs excel academically compared to those who do not, according the Ohio Arts Council, a state agency that funds and supports the arts. Art benefits children because it helps strengthen their creativity, literary and social development and cognition skills.
Another important aspect of art is that it makes school a more interesting and engaging place
thereby improving attendance and ultimately improving academic performance said Mary Campbell-Zopf, the deputy director for the Ohio Arts Council.
According to Americans for the Arts, a national organization that supports the arts, some of these benefits include being four times more likely to be recognized for academic performance, three times more likely to have better attendance and four times more likely to enter a math or science fair.
Everyone is a great artist before they are a grown-up said Lena Lee, assistant professor of early childhood education at Ohio University. After our childhood
that ability to see beauty in the world tends to lessen. Art is important because it allows children to be able to see the beauty in their own lives.
Not etched in stone
Of course, crayons and scissors don't grow on trees.
Sadly
when there isn't a lot of money in a budget
art programs are usually the first to go
said Joan McMath, professor of early childhood education at OU.
Ohio schools are not required to provide any fixed amount of art education, leaving each of the 613 public school districts in Ohio to determine the actual programs offered in their respective schools.
While we do not set mandates as to how much art education an elementary student receives in a week
we believe that students get the greatest gains when they have it every day
Campbell-Zopf said.
While no specific guidelines are in place for the actual amount of art children are exposed to in schools, the Ohio Department of Education set a series of standards and expectations as to what students should be able to do on a grade-by-grade level. These skills include: knowing reasons for creating art, having the skills to critically analyze art and being able to understand art in a larger cultural and historical context.
Art in Athens
Because of budget restraints and the fact that no official mandates are in place, schools in the Athens City School District decide how much art education its students receive.
I think that the arts and music are important aspects of the total educational experience for the students
said Carl Martin, superintendent of Athens City Schools.
Specific funding is not set aside for art education in schools but is encompassed in the supply budget, said Matt Bunting, treasurer of the Athens City School District.
Each school in the district is given a supply budget based on their enrollment numbers, set at $65 per student. This budget ranges between about $14,000 and $25,000 for each school in the district and consists of funds for all supplies bought within the schools, including both art and maintenance supplies.
Parents must also pay $25 per student, which is placed into a students activities fund, used for art supplies, kindergarten classroom needs and workbooks.
Art funding decisions are determined by each of the individual schools within the district. Each elementary school in the district has an art teacher and a formal education program. The art teachers help to decide the allocation of funds used for the arts in their respective schools.
They can decide to spend it on art or not to spend it on art
whatever they choose
