California districts are cheating students out of music and art classes

By Michelle Castillo, especially for CalMatters

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What if I told you there was an art form that could address the root causes of teacher leave? What if I told you that the same topic could improve your child’s mental health, physical health, and behavior, with results lasting into adulthood?

What if I told you that it can improve a student’s IQ, school attendance, and test scores, that students who study it are less likely to drop out of school, and that it is believed to give students the persistence and drive they need to face life’s obstacles?

You would want to include it in the core curriculum, wouldn’t you? right

Science has been heralds the benefits of music education for decades. Yet school districts gut school music departments whenever there is even a hiccup in finances. They blame budget problems and the need to double subjects such as English and maths.

That change has its roots in the No Child Left Behind Act, a federal law signed in 2002 that changed the way public schools receive federal funding, tying some of it to test scores. Ironically, there is coincided with the decline of students’ results in English and mathematics.

Adding to this irony is the fact that studies show quality music education actually boosts test scores. And some schools provide quality music education – for a privileged few. It just happens to be out of reach for blacks, Hispanics, immigrants, and low-income communities. I wonder why?

School districts like to blame financial constraints for their inability to provide quality music education. Studies have proven this not to be the case. A 2021 study done on behalf of the NAMM Foundation—the charitable arm of the National Association of Music Merchants—found that the cost of large districts providing quality music education was just $251 per student, or nearly 2% of the district’s per-pupil spending of $13,214.

California voters took their concern a step further in 2022 and passed Proposition 28 to make up for the supposed funding shortfalls. That money was must be additionalwith 80% used to hire new art teachers to start new programs and 20% for supplies.

But only 11% of schools actually do. The Los Angeles Unified School District is currently in litigation led by students, parents and a former principal Austin Boettner. The district tried to dismiss the lawsuit, but a judge denied the motion.

If the problem isn’t a lack of scientific facts about the benefits of music education, and it’s not a lack of money to hire qualified and certified music teachers, and it’s not a lack of interest and demand from students and parents, then what is? Why are our children denied access to music education?

At some point it starts to feel intentional, racist, discriminatory and political – like there are people out there who want to keep our kids dumb and deaf. It starts to feel systemic.

In California, it is a legal right for your child to have access to an art education. California Education Code 51210 and 51220 state that students in grades 1-6 and grades 7-12, respectively, must have instruction in music, art, dance, and theater. These codes are not suggestions; they are the law. Yet so many school districts ignore them without accountability or consequence.

Some school districts, like LAUSD, are tough and try to get around the laws by outsourcing programs and classes to organizations like the Boys and Girls Club. But these organizations provide no evidence of compliance with state standards and do not require their instructors to have the same training and certification as traditional teachers.

It is time for school districts to be held accountable for denying students their legal right to a quality and equitable music education. It’s time for a change.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and is republished under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.