WAEA Art Education Advocacy Statement
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A high quality visual art education has never been more critical for the development and success of Wisconsin K-12 students! With the increase in youth mental health issues, our global economy, our highly visual digital world, declining student engagement, creativity limiting “teach to test” academic curriculums, and increasing opportunities in creative careers, visual art’s importance and relevance has never been so apparent.
Additionally, students in the Midwest are already the least likely to have access to a full time visual art teacher in the U.S. (New NAEP Data: Deep Rifts in Access to Arts Education 2017) Political and educational leaders regularly strive to make improvements and address problems in education at the expense of art education when art education has been quietly addressing these problems and boosting academic achievement all along. It’s not surprising the less art education students are exposed to (due to all of the added initiatives) has led to less engaged, less creative students who struggle with more mental health issues. Our Wisconsin youth need more time spent in art class, more arts integration in their academic courses, more certified art educators, and more CTE connections/pathways to funding and support to prepare students for creative careers. Thank you for your support of visual art and Wisconsin students! |
Jennifer Handrick
Wisconsin Art Education Association Advocacy Chair WI State and National ResourcesVisit these articles to learn more.
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SMART Strategies
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