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Home › Articles › Back to School Headquarters › Advocating for the Arts

Advocating for the Arts

Building Morale, Attendance and Educational Skills With the Arts

Part One

By Kim Byrum Skinner

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nd their ideas through writing, sketching and group discussions. At year's end, the program distributes to participants and their parents a professional produced anthology of students' work.

"Response to DepARTures is extremely positive from all teachers, children and parents," Genshaft says of the 17-year program. "What we've found is that average and high-achieving students do well with the program, but that at-risk students who have problems performing in more traditional classroom situations often find success [as well]. Even those children with learning problems seem to thrive."

A smattering of feedback reveals the program's popularity and effectiveness. "It gives the classroom teacher a sanctioned reason to awaken student creativity despite the curriculum," writes one teacher. "This should be part of all school curriculum," adds another.

Asked to define poetry at program's end, fifth-graders responded: "A poem is a song without music." "A poem is a work of art that comes out in words." "A poem is what you feel inside."

"The beauty of this program is that many of the teachers who participate each year make the DepARTures materials, lesson plans and approach to learning part of their curriculum," Genshaft says. "Each year, even though particular teachers are no longer in the formal DepARTures program, they continue to enrich their students' experiences by incorporating poetry and art into their classroom and art curriculum."

Additionally, an offshoot art and poetry program empowers students to write creatively using original museum works of art as inspiration. Both programs demonstrate the success of utilizing an art-focused, integrated approach to learning.

"Many districts in Franklin County have very fine art programs," Genshaft says. "Parents of students in other situations need to let administrators and teachers know that they value art instruction and field trips to museums, so that these aspects are included in their children's education. It's unfortunate that without these lobbying efforts, the arts are often curtailed when budgets are tight and levies aren't passed."

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