Are art classes really beneficial to a student? What about business classes, family and consumer education, foreign language, or music? It’s been argued in recent years due to decreasing schools’ budgets that these classes are considered supplemental to a general education and should be cut to focus on the more important subjects. Yet there is a steady supply of arguments to keep these classes as they benefit students in more ways than just academically. Classes that are controversially considered extra to the school curriculum are being taken out of schools due to budget cuts and common core academic focus, but this could in turn be dropping students’ grades.
Art, music, foreign language, business education, and family and consumer education classes (otherwise known as allied classes) are considered extra at many schools. These classes are considered extra due to the fact that art, music, and family and consumer education are based on learning skills instead of knowledge. Parents argue that these skills are ones that should be taught outside of school because they aren’t essential to a general education. Business and foreign language are also being removed because they aren’t one of the core classes. It costs a lot of money to fund these classes. Although they aren’t part of the main curriculum these classes can provide students with a head start on their way into college.
Because these classes are not valued as academic they are the first to be cut due to budget restrictions. Art classes are the main area that struggles with low budgets. Supplies for art classes are quite expensive and because of that schools sometimes tend cut out art entirely. Family and consumer education classes go right along with that. Some people think that these classes aren’t even necessary and since they cost so much for supplies they’re removed. In the same way, it’s hard to track academic progress in these classes because they teach skills. Since skills aren’t labeled as academic, these classes will be removed before other classes.
Recent acts in academic progress such as the No Child Left Behind Act and new requirements for common core subjects shift priority away from individuals’ success in their own school career, but towards standards set on a national level. NCLB forced schools that don’t reach strict benchmarks to take action to be sure their students will improve to meet them. By adding a clause that schools have to put free tutoring in place, money is taken out of the budget for these extra needs. The standardized tests students are forced to take remove yet more time and money from each school’s budget. Core classes don’t want any time taken away so anything extra that isn’t a core subject gets cut. Locally, the Wausau School District changed gradation requirements for the graduating class of 2017 and after. Credits needed to graduate were upped by one from 22 to 23 and they also required an additional credit of math, an additional credit of science, one half less credit for social studies, one less credit in electives, and added one half credit for financial literacy. These results of the Wausau School District show that even in our own schools core classes take priority over elective allied classes.
Although there are many valid reasons to take away extra classes there is another side to the story. Family and consumer education classes teach essential skills to students that are going to be adults soon. Taking them away could be detrimental to their success. Similarly, art has therapeutic qualities that help students manage stress. Without art classes students can become overwhelmed and stressed and have an even harder struggle in school. Keeping allied classes can aid academic success because students have classes they genuinely want to take along with their required classes. This too can reduce stress. Keeping allied classes like music, business, and foreign language can give students a head start in their college education. Not only will they have prior experience that colleges appreciate, but they will also have a variety of experiences to write into an application or a resume.
Classes that are controversially considered extra to the school curriculum are being taken out of schools due to budget cuts and common core academic focus, and it’s up to administration to handle these hard decisions. In the end, each individual student is unique and has individual academic needs and academic successes. Dwindling budgets are not the only factor into decisions made by administration. National expectations help push these classes out of the curriculum naturally and schools are forced to find the balance between what students want and those stiff expectations.
