Lackluster: Cheating American Students

Date: June 29, 2009

On June 15th, the federal government released a national report card on achievement in the arts among 8th graders. This long-awaited report finds that since 1997, our nation's students have not made significant progress in developing their skills and knowledge in the arts. A nationally representative sample of over 7,900 eighth grade students from public and private schools participated in the NAEP Arts Assessment in 2008. Students were measured on their ability to create and respond to the visual arts; whereas, the study scaled back on music questions and only measured a student's ability to respond and identify music. As reported in the New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, and USAToday, the findings are "mediocre," "lackluster," and "may make America's arts instructors kind of blue."

However, new U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan gave a strong reaction in support of arts education, "This Arts Report Card should challenge all of us to make K-12 arts programs more available to America's children ...We can and should do better for America's students."

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Dean Estabrook on June 29, 2009 2:20pm

In view of the fact that arts, and music curricula in particular are the first victims of economic woes in public schools, it is not particularly amazing that only about half of our eight graders recognize the sound of a clarinet when they hear it. I have personally administered NAEP Assessments in grades 4, 8, and 12, but never have done the Arts one. I found that the younger the student, the more likely it is that the test is taken seriously ... and by the time 12th graders are involved, the data harvested are of no value what so ever. Eighth graders may provide some meaningful data in the "3R's" instruments, but I would take the results with a dash of salt, as it were. The Arts Assessment may be more valuable in terms of reliability ... I hope so.

Dean

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