Res. No. 1345

Resolution calling upon the New York City Department of Education to require that all public school students from kindergarten through grade 5 receive three hours of art and music education per school week.

By Council Member Brannan

Whereas, Art and music are core subjects in public education and promote a positive healthy lifestyle; and

Whereas, The elementary school years are a formative part of social, emotional, intellectual, and sensory development and are where children develop foundational skills that they use throughout their personal, academic, and professional lives; and

Whereas, The arts allow children to actively experiment, which fosters a deeper level of engagement and a stronger desire to acquire knowledge; and

Whereas, The arts enhance visual, verbal and non-verbal communication in children, and has been found to help with language development; and

Whereas, An education in the arts promotes action, experimentation, critical thinking, and both collaborative and individual expression; and

Whereas, An analysis of four United States Department of Education longitudinal studies by the National Endowment for the Arts found that eighth graders with high levels of art engagement from kindergarten to grade 5 received higher test scores in science and writing than students with a lower level of art engagement; and

Whereas, Among children with a low socioeconomic status, 74% of eighth graders with a high level of art engagement aspired to graduate from a college with a Bachelor’s Degree, compared to 43% of eighth graders with a low level of art engagement; and

Whereas, Education in the arts makes eighth graders more likely to engage in civic minded behavior throughout their lives including: participating in student government, volunteering at least once a month, reading the news at least once a week, and voting in local elections; and

Whereas, A report by the NAMM Foundation found that more than 88% of teachers say music education helps children express themselves, become more confident, develop better study habits, and display more self-control; and

Whereas, The NAMM Foundation report also found that the average student in the United States has only three years of art and music education; and

Whereas, Almost 80% of teacher and parents interviewed in the report said that class duration and class frequency are significant factors for a high quality music education; and

Whereas, A 2016 survey from the non-profit organization Americans for the Arts found that 88% of people believe that it’s important for students in elementary schools to receive an education in the arts; and

Whereas, The 2017 New York State P-12 Learning Standards for the Arts recommends that 20% of weekly class time in grades 1 to 3 is spent on the arts and 10% of weekly class time in grades 4 to 6; and

Whereas, According to the New York City Department of Education, public schools are required to provide 101 hours of arts education for grades 1 to 3 and 93 hours for grades 4 to 6; and

Whereas, In a school year that has a minimum of 900 hours, the New York City Department of Education’s requirements are below the recommended amount of class time stated in the 2017 P-12 Learning Standards for the Arts; and

Whereas, According to the New York City Department of Education’s most recent annual Art in Schools Report, pursuant to Local Law 123 of 2013 passed by the Council, of the 796 responding New York City schools that serve grades 1 to 5 in the 2018-2019 school year, 10% did not offer a music course and 3% did not offer a visual arts course; and
                     Whereas, The Art in Schools Report 2018-2019, pursuant to Local Law 123 of 2013 passed by the Council, also found that 22% of music classes and 10% of art classes from grades 1 to 5 are not taught by school-based art teachers; and

Whereas, Only 46% of New York City public elementary schools have a full time certified music teacher, and only 43% have a full time certified arts teacher; and

Whereas, The National Center of Education Statistics found that in the 2009-2010 school year, 35% of the nation’s elementary schools with the highest poverty concentration lacked a dedicated music room with special equipment, and 32% of the nation’s schools with the highest poverty concentration lacked a dedicated art room with special equipment; and
                     Whereas, Art and music programs are among the first to be cut in a school budget; and
                     Whereas, According to a report by Class Size Matters, “Space Crunch in New York City Public Schools,” during the 2008-2009 school year, 25% of the nearly 500 principals surveyed reported losing their art, dance, or music rooms to make more academic classroom space; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York City Department of Education to require that all public school students from kindergarten through grade 5 receive three hours of art and music education per school week.

LS #14,274

JN/MMB

6/8/20