Choosing a Life of Value: Arts Education and Capability Development in Four Urban High Schools

• In Event: Holistic Education as Practical Transcendentalism

Abstract

A holistic education linked to creativity, innovation, critical thinking and local/global citizenship is increasingly marginalized as schools continue to struggle with the impact of testing regimes (Beveridge, 2010; Chapman, 2007). In particular, urban youths’ access to an education that furthers their ability to choose lives they have reason to value, are circumscribed. Current discussions around the skills and capabilities necessary for youth to graduate and be equipped for meaningful lives beyond high school are aligned with research on the benefits of arts education (Robinson, 2006; Fehr, 2009). This research describes aspects of the capability approach, used to frame and examine a range of capabilities fostered through student engagement with arts education opportunities, inside and outside of school.

Author

• Cindy Maguire, Adelphi University