Transforming education through the arts BOOK REVIEW

This text by Brian Caldwell and Tania Vaughan (2011) targets the challenge of maintaining programs in The Arts in education. We are faced with the dual challenges of an increased focus on literacy and numeracy, ‘back to basics’ and cutbacks in public funding, which has severely and negatively impacted time and resource allocations to The Arts in schools.

The dual challenge has arisen at a time when low student engagement is an issue in many schools. Research from around the world provided in this text shows that participation in The Arts can transform disengaged learners, strengthen student wellbeing and lessen the achievement gap between high and low performing students.

The audience for this text are policymakers, education systems and practitioners in school education, who should be concerned about the decline of The Arts in schools.

The purpose of this text is a call to action to turn around this unacceptable situation, the winnowing of Arts education in schools. This has resulted in many students not accessing the knowledge, richness and beauty with which The Arts embellish education and improve educational outcomes. Sadly, this impacts more on our low socioeconomic students - who need them the most.

Reference:

Caldwell, B. & Vaughan, T. (2011). Transforming education through the arts. Routledge.