| A 2005 report by the Rand Corporation concluded that "Involvement in the arts is associated with gains in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skill" (Smith). A 2012 report from the National Endowment for the Arts mirrored these findings, stating that "Students who have arts-rich experiences in school do better across-the-board academically, they also become more active and engaged citizens, voting, volunteering, and generally participating at higher rates than their peers" (Garelick 1). The above statements speak to the mounting evidence that arts in education provide extensive benefits for students fortunate enough to have them as part of their curriculum. Yet over the years, arts education continues to be cut from public school curriculums at an alarming rate. The objective of this thesis is to demonstrate how best to eradicate this issue, through the utilization of Hybrid classes. The solution outlined in this thesis requires the merging of state-mandated courses, such as English, math or science, with a specific aspect of arts education, such as art, music or theater arts; these "Hybrid" classes represent the future of education. Utilizing existing staff and faculty, this proposed plan is cost-effective, and could serve to cut the student-teacher ratio in half. This aforementioned concept will allow teachers of varying disciplines to unite, and offers students a well-rounded education that will fully prepare them for post-secondary education. The goal of this thesis is lofty and the concept extensive, therefore I have opted to limit the scope to that of a theater arts and English model, within the middle and junior high schools grades (6-8) within the Clark County public school system in Las Vegas, Nevada. |
