The Exclusion of the Creative Arts From Contracted School Curricula for Teaching the Common Core

• In Event: Roundtable Session 29
  In Roundtable Session: Perspectives on Arts Integration Curriculum Policy, Instruction, and Learning

Abstract

Learning theorists view the arts as essential to children’s education and development, and the arts have often been integrated throughout school curricula for engaging and enhancing learning. We used content analysis for analyzing contracted curricula that were developed for teaching the Common Core. Model lessons (N=126) for teaching English language arts in grades three, six, and nine were analyzed. Results indicated that only seven of these lessons included the visual and performing arts. Findings provide evidence that students who are taught with this curricula will not have the opportunity to use the creative arts for analyzing, interpreting, and communicating the meanings they perceive in texts, and this curricula will further remove the arts from children’s learning.

Authors

• Peter McDermott, Pace University

• Kathleen Gormley, The Sage Colleges