Thinking back to elementary school, you should be able to pick out a few memories of events, classes, or friends.  You probably have no recollection of sitting and doing multiplication tables or fractions, but you would remember your favorite papier-mâché creation (and you might still have it) or how proud you were of the pottery ashtray you made for your mom’s birthday.   The first musical instrument you picked up was most likely a recorder, and the off key strains of ‘Bah, Bah, Black Sheep’ still ring in your mind.  Imagine an education without visual arts, without music class.  It’s not a very appealing prospect, but it has been a reality for many school age children due to budget cuts and a lack of focus on the Arts.  

How do we, as a Country, be sure that our schools are implementing Arts program with as much focus as Science and Math?  Organizations such as The New Jersey Arts Education Census Project have been created for just this purpose.  The project’s goal is to gather and analyze statistical data with regard to the Arts education programs in New Jersey schools.  The data will then be used to provide cold, hard facts about Arts programs in one State and sent to Washington to be used as guidelines for further research and recommendations.  Information gathered about Arts in the schools will be cross-referenced with demographics and school’s report cards, therefore providing a comprehensive look at the education of New Jersey students. 

Recently the U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, asked educators and schools to remember that the Arts are a core part of any school's curriculum.  This reminder is not surprising considering that one of the key facts the Census Project found was that only 2 out of the 4 core Arts subjects were routinely implemented in the schools.  Out of the core subjects, music, dance, theatre, and visual arts, only visual arts and music were offered 9 out of 10 times in elementary schools.  These findings suggest that, although there is State education and funding for the entire core Arts programs, schools are bypassing them on a regular basis.   The thought of a child attending a school with no Arts subjects is staggering, but it was found that over 75,000 children attend school with no access at all to these core subjects on a daily basis.   

Teachers were assessed by the Census as well, and while 95% of the schools use Certified Arts Specialists, the deficiency continue to lay in the instruction of the visual and performing arts.  Perhaps the issue lay in funding, as the Census found 42% of funding for these programs comes from outside sources.  Schools need to be aware when planning their budgets that a fair portion is dedicated to the core Arts classes.  If there is a deficiency in budget for any of the Arts subjects, schools should strive to partner themselves with non-profits in an effort to expose school aged children to different types of music, theatre, dance, or the visual arts. 

One of the goals of The New Jersey Arts Education Census Project is to provide valuable information to Washington, DC administrators in a better effort to create a countrywide model of information collection.  The future generations of this country can only benefit from a continual focus on Arts education, and as the Census Project has proven, it is the job of the State as well as the schools to ensure children have adequate exposure to these important subjects.