Board of Ed Considers New Elementary Art Program

None by Elizabeth Ziegler

(KCPW News) Today, the Utah State Board of Education will consider adopting a new art program approved by the Legislature earlier this year. Utah Arts Council Executive Director Margaret Hunt says arts education is an important curriculum area missing from most elementary schools.

"Fewer than 40 percent of our elementary schools in the state offer any arts instruction," Hunt says. "And children are just naturally artists. They sing, they dance, they draw, they play, and we know that the creative arts really have an influence on brain development."

The Utah Arts Council will oversee the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Elementary Arts Learning Program. Schools will compete for grants to hire 50 full-time artists to teach either visual arts, music, theater or dance. However, there are more than 500 elementary schools in the state. While originally the request asked for funding to hire 100 artists, Hunt says the Arts Council is NOT disappointed with the size of the new program.

"We know this is going to be a long-term commitment," Hunt says. "And it will take us a while to ramp up to reach all 500 elementary schools. So 50 is a good starting point, it's 10 percent of the schools in the state."

However, there is no guarantee the program will secure funding after its four-year allocation dries up. The Legislature has asked the State Office of Education to monitor participating students' progress in the arts, social skills, and other core subjects to demonstrate the program's impact on student achievement.

Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom. Copyright 2009 KCPW