Do Kids Really Need An Arts Education?

In this economic and academic climate, where schools are struggling for funds and receiving tremendous pressure to increase their pupils’ reading and math test scores, is it really essential that primary and high school students are taught about the arts? Yes, says a panel of New York City educators and administrators. During “The Essential Role […]

In this economic and academic climate, where schools are struggling for funds and receiving tremendous pressure to increase their pupils’ reading and math test scores, is it really essential that primary and high school students are taught about the arts? Yes, says a panel of New York City educators and administrators. During “The Essential Role of Arts and Architecture Education in K-12 Education,” a roundtable discussion organized by the New York Foundation for Architecture and Metropolis Magazine, participants from both the public and private sectors explained how art education teaches kids to think three-dimensionally, to use their imaginations, and to connect to their communities, cultures, and place in the world.

Among the event’s speakers were Stanley Bosworth, former headmaster of Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn, NY; Jaimie Cloud, director, Sustainability Education Center; Sharon Dunn, senior instructional manager for the arts, New York City Department of Education; Julie Maurer, design educator and consultant, director of education, Gotham Center for New York History; Andrew Ordover, author and executive director of curriculum, Kaplan K-12 Learning Services; and Yves Roger, architect, built environment educator, and head of ArchiKids. The discussion was moderated by Metropolis editor in chief Susan S. Szenasy.

The full transcript of the talk, rendered as a PDF, is available here.

Recent Programs