SIX EDUCATIONAL ISSUES THAT EFFECT MUSIC EDUCATION

As music educators we too often fail to look to the future or to think about the "big picture." That is, how does our music program fit into the grand scheme of education in our district? We don’t develop long-term goals for our programs. For us, long-term too often means "OK, that concert is over, now what will we play for next month’s festival."

On the other hand, our administrators, school boards and others involved in the educational decision-making process are looking to the future. They have 5 and 10-year plans. While we are thinking about the next performance, they are projecting enrollment and budgets, implementing school reform and class size reduction, assessing student achievement, and dealing with teacher shortages. Educational decision-makers are consumed by number crunching and music educators have to start thinking that way too.

Enrollment

Children of the baby boomers have reversed a long period of declining enrollments nationally and in California. Over the last 20 years, school enrollment nationwide has increased 23% while school enrollment in CA has increased 52%. Demographers predict that increases will continue in most states. For California, growth has been steep especially in southern California and the Sacramento area. Elementary enrollments are projected to grow through 2006, which means that high schools will be expanding well into the 21^st century.

Budget

Enrollment effects budget as does the economy and legislation resulting in a district shortfall or a windfall.

When the economy is booming so is education. One need only remember the tax initiatives of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s coupled with a recession in many parts of the nation to recognize the devastating effects of legislation on school music programs.

Class Size Reduction

In California, K-3 class size reduction was implemented in 1997 with millions of dollars in state funds attached for schools who lowered K-3 class size to 20 students. In 1999, monetary incentives were given to high schools who reduced 9^th grade English class enrollment. K-3 class size reduction resulted in two major problems for school districts who rushed toward immediate implementation in all four grade levels: (1) lack of teachers; and (2) lack of classroom space. Class size reduction forced administrators in one school district to propose moving the elementary general and instrumental music program outside the school day from 1-5pm in the afternoon simply because the number of portable classrooms they could place on the school grounds was severely restricted by the size of the elementary school sites. When class size reduction was implemented in this district, elementary general music teachers lost classrooms immediately followed by elementary instrumental teachers who found themselves teaching band in the foyer of the auditorium while the string teacher used the stage.

School Reform

School reform in California and around the country has resulted in Block Scheduling, school-to-work programs, and Charter schools all of which have had detrimental effects on school music programs.

Student Achievement

Student achievement is rapidly becoming the biggest issue nationwide. In California 62% of our public school students are minorities and 40% of all kindergarten students begin school as Limited-English-Proficient. When Governor Davis took office in January 1999, he spent the first 3 months preparing a new era of educational accountability through legislation aimed at improving education, especially student achievement. In February 2000, California released the results of the first Academic Performance Index Report (API scores) to assess student achievement, to establish growth targets for individual schools and to rank every school in the state. Schools with a statewide rank in deciles 1-5 are considered "underachieving." Schools that fail to meet their 1999-2000 growth target may be identified for the Immediate Intervention/Underperforming Schools Program in the fall of 2000. Schools that meet or exceed their target will be rewarded by sharing an additional $96M of state funds.

As music educators we should be asking ourselves how our school’s ranking will effect the delivery of education in general and music education in particular. We must assume that schools in an urban/inner city area, with large numbers of students from low socio-economic and/or minority groups and traditionally low test scores will have our administrators taking drastic measures to improve test scores.

In California, districts with these demographics (San Diego, LA, San Francisco) have already implemented "Literacy Blocks." That is, students are engaged in reading activities during a 1-2 hour block each day. Nothing else can be scheduled during that time. At the secondary level, that means electives are being curtailed or eliminated. This is sounding the death knell for music programs in San Diego, a district that four years ago began hiring 10-15 teachers a year to re-instate programs devastated after the passage of Prop 13 in 1979. Now music teachers at the elementary level are being told they cannot teach before 10 or 11 am nor can they teach instrumental music through traditional pull-out programs. Other school districts are adopting policies that deny electives to students with C’s in language arts/English in favor of remedial reading courses.

Teacher Shortage

California estimates a need for 300,000 new teachers over the next decade. That is 30,000 teachers a year. California’s institutions of higher education can not produce enough teachers. This has significant consequences for music education. Teacher retirements and the lack of students interested in pursuing a music teaching career have resulted in a teacher shortage in many parts of the country. The shortage has been especially severe in CA. No qualified (credentialed or licensed) teachers means the principal has an excuse to eliminate the music program or the principal may hire an unqualified person (no credential/license) to teach on an Emergency permit. According to CBEDS for 1999, 223 credentials were issued for music teachers while 350 music teachers were hired on emergency permits. The latter may result in the eventual elimination of the music program because of poor instruction. Additionally, with more music positions available many teachers leave urban-inner city music programs for the suburbs where there is more financial-parental support for music. This migration to the suburbs leaves the inner city at-risk music students with either no instruction or poor instruction provided by a noncredentialed teacher.

Each one of these issues (and this list by no means represents all) may ultimately affect music instruction. Too often we just don’t see it coming. Bottom line? Schools are going to move toward curtailing or eliminating any portion of the curriculum that is not mandated in an effort to raise test scores and demonstrate student success. Music educators must begin to think like administrators. We must develop measurable, long term goals and objectives for the music program that includes authentic assessment of student achievement. We must stay informed of research that supports the values and benefits of music education for children. We must begin tracking academic achievement of our students as they progress through the district music program. Most importantly, we must promote our goals/objectives, current research, and music student achievement to education decision-makers at all levels and advocate for music education!