t threat of the 1960s. Now we are "once again being offered a future shaped by a narrow technico-scientific view of the world and . . . we are being required to fit the natural inclinations of our human minds into its limited logic" (8). Neither author denies the importance of these areas of learning but both believe that there is a great deal more for children to learn and that it is learning of a vital kind.
Yet, somehow, the broader group's perception of the role of arts education is that it does not make a vital contribution to children's learning or preparedness. Burton lists the number of American leaders in government and education who have admitted the importance of arts education. But there is a sharp contrast between their stated beliefs and what actually happens. A large number of schools do mandate arts education -- 29 states mandate it at the high school level and 42 at the primary and secondary levels (Burton 9). But art is always the first item to be cut and in hard times this has meant the states' requirements are often satisfied by nothing more than an occasional visit by a roving art teacher.
In concentrating on the need for improvements in basic skills training most educational reformers miss the basic skills inherent in art education. Southworth states the case clearly in pointing out that art education "attends to the visual and requires teachers and children to contemplate, experience and explore the power and dynamics of visual perception" (142). Seeing precedes words and in Western industrialized society with the prevalence of film, television and advertising the need to observe critically extends to more than sculpture and painting. Education in visual art aids the development of observational skills and raises the quality of perception. Mere seeing is not enough and good art education "requires effort, concentration, awareness and thought on the part of the student" (Bresler 97).
Art edu...