Three skills needed by businesses of the 21st century are creativity, imagination and innovation.
“The corporate world is looking for people who see things differently,” said Jackie Cornelius, principal of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, Duval County’s arts magnet public high school.
Addressing the Rotary Club of Jacksonville on Monday, Cornelius said arts education teaches students the creative and critical-thinking skills sought by employers.
Based on research, taking arts classes also helps students stay motivated to remain in school and perform at high levels, she said, citing Douglas Anderson’s 98 percent graduation rate, compared to 76.6 percent for all Duval County public schools.
Citing a study of arts participation and academic performance conducted at Florida State University, Cornelius said art classes — including music, theater and visual arts — complement the science, technology, engineering and mathematics curriculum that’s a focus of public and private education.
According to a study of nearly 198,000 high school seniors in Florida, scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) for reading, mathematics and writing are higher for students taking arts classes compared to students who do not take them.
The study also indicated the longer students participate in fine arts classes, the less likely they are to drop out of school.
Cornelius said students who take arts classes in addition to their purely have academic courses also better attendance and discipline than those who do not participate in them.
According to Duval County Public Schools, the dropout rate is below 6 percent for students who participated for four years in music performance and visual art classes.
“When students can connect to something in school that they are good at or makes them happy, that keeps them in school,” Cornelius said.
Adding arts to the traditional science and mathematics focus is a priority for Duval County Public Schools, said Jeff Smith, director of arts.
He said there are 450 art teachers working in 160 public schools.
Arts education starts early in Duval County, he said.
Every elementary school has a full-time art teacher and a full-time music teacher. Elementary students receive at least 45 minutes of art instruction and 45 minutes of music instruction each week. In secondary schools, there are at least two fine arts teachers at each school.
Duval County Public Schools’ budget for arts education this school year is more than $22 million, including faculty, textbooks, materials and resources. The system’s total budget for 2015-16 is $1.7 billion.
In addition, the school system is developing an Arts Advisory Council to connect parents, caregivers, arts advocates and professional artists who will provide input on arts education programs. Council members are expected to be selected by March.
The public school system’s Visual and Performing Arts Department is planning an inaugural systemwide showcase of work by students, tentatively scheduled to debut in May, Smith said.
What makes arts classes different from more traditional courses is that art is experiential.
“You learn best by doing and having the flexibility to make choices and take risks,” Cornelius said.
The advantage of arts education is particularly important when it’s time for a high school senior to begin applying to colleges, Cornelius said. Each year, the admission process becomes more competitive, with more applicants than the state’s colleges and universities can enroll.
“The schools can’t take them all,” she said. “The ones that bubble to the top are the ones who took art classes.”
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