Letter: Art ed is sorely undersupported in Ridgefield school budget
Feb. 12, 2021
FacebookTwitterEmail
To the Editor:
Ridgefield is a town that prides itself on its outstanding arts institutions and school system. Yet, art education is sorely under-supported in the current school budget and curriculum at the elementary and middle school levels, with half the staffing and instructional hours than those afforded to other essential subject areas.
National leaders agree that art is a core subject that should receive the same level of resources as others. The Every Student Succeeds Act, signed in 2015, includes the arts in its definition of a “well-rounded education.” The National Art Education Association provides further guidance on how this should play out, beginning with a strong education at the elementary level, providing equal access for students of all abilities and backgrounds, and outlining high school graduation requirements, stating they “are predicated on all elementary and middle school students having access to a comprehensive, sequential visual art education program taught by effective educators who are certified/licensed in visual art.”