Identity, Belonging, and Agency are Essential—and Arts Education Holds the Key

On December 13, 2024, I had the great privilege of attending the annual release of New York City Public Schools’ Arts Count report. This report, filled with graphics, tables, and words, and printed in an admittedly colorful but, nevertheless, predictably two-dimensional format, serves to document the arts education that occurred in city schools the year prior. The annual release event, however, brought those two-dimensional charts into exquisite three-dimensional focus for the audience.

Starting with a performance by the LaGuardia High School Gospel Choir, the energy in the Rotunda at Tweed Courthouse was profound and palpable. Between moving numbers by the Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music String Orchestra and dancers from DeWitt Clinton High School, NYC public school administrators and dignitaries spoke about the fundamental necessity of arts education in schools. Paul Thompson, the Executive Director of NYCPS’s Arts Office, initiated a mantra that he had the audience repeat multiple times throughout the event: “The arts are not a ‘nice to have,’ they are a ‘must have.'”

Sitting in the Rotunda and experiencing what could only be considered a soul-moving experience, this mantra was obvious. And yet, the arts are persistently at the top of the chopping block when it comes to education budget-saving measures. Why? Because too often they are considered by decision makers to be a “nice” fringe benefit, and not essential to a student’s core education. I would argue that we need to flip this script entirely. Not only are the arts critical for student learning, but they actually may be the most critical content areas in a school because we know that the skills they teach through intentional social-emotional learning (SEL) and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies are what students need to navigate society, their mental wellbeing, and their futures.

The Need for SEL and DEI in Our Schools

While we acknowledge the key importance of teaching SEL and DEI, education continues to focus primarily on the tested content areas, such as reading, math, science, and social studies. Amidst this constricted view, we are puzzled by the troubling societal challenges that we are facing—from school shootings to social media bullying to youth suicides. While growing up has never been easy, students are facing more pressure, trauma, and stress than ever, and this bears out in increasingly higher rates of youth depression, suicide, and violence. Moreover, the pandemic has only served to exacerbate the problem. 

All students (in fact, all humans) have a fundamental need to understand and embrace who they are and to participate in and belong to a community. These principles are essential to our well-being as humans. Specifically, we must first ensure that we know who we are and be aware of our emotions. Additionally, we must develop skills that allow us to work together with others effectively and to appreciate and value our differences. The consequences of not having the opportunity to grow and reflect on oneself and one’s place in the world cannot be underestimated. Indeed, at the Arts Count release event, Laurie Cumba, NYC’s Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs, recited an African proverb that says, “The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.” This powerful proverb emphasizes the critical importance of belonging and inclusion. Those who do not have their need to belong met by their communities, will do what they can to meet those needs in whatever way they can.

Many school districts around the country have implemented SEL and DEI initiatives to address these deep-seated challenges. SEL initiatives focus on areas such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. Likewise, DEI initiatives in K-12 settings focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. For example, students are tasked with engaging with diverse perspectives, helping them to see issues from multiple perspectives.

While these initiatives are undoubtedly bringing positive change to our schools and the children they serve, they can feel artificial and inauthentic when implemented as distinct programs, separated from the rest of the curriculum. However, it is in arts classrooms that we see SEL and DEI most authentically baked into the fabric of the content and the pedagogy.

The Role of the Arts in SEL and DEI

In recent years,

In recent years, organizations have worked to draw explicit connections between the work done in arts classrooms and the development of students’ social-emotional competencies, including, for example, ArtsEdSEL, a program of Arts Ed NJ.  See this organization’s Heart of the Arts Collection for tangible resources on how educators might embed the Arts Ed and SEL Framework into their planning process.

Simultaneously, programs such as the Connected Arts Network, which is led by the National Art Education Association (NAEA), have developed podcasts and tip sheets pertaining to the connections between art education and DEI, and many other organizations and individuals have written on the topic (see for example this post that proposes that art could be the pathway to a cultural utopia).

So, what is it about the arts that makes it uniquely positioned to address and strengthen SEL and DEI?

The answer is both complex and nuanced, yet right in front of our faces. Consider some of the basic premises of arts classrooms:

• Children are encouraged to express themselves in unique ways. They are given opportunities to convey and celebrate their thoughts, ideas, feelings, and emotions through a multitude of venues.
• Creative risks are encouraged, and “mistakes” are embraced and built upon.
• Differences of perspectives are welcomed and encouraged.
• Activities are student-centered and inclusive.
• Creativity, joy, and play take center stage.
• Students who may not find success in other academic areas can access the arts as a venue for expression and a place to experience accomplishment.
• In performing arts, students must work together in authentic contexts to find success.

This requires them to respect and treasure their differences, breaking down barriers that can lead to intolerance and discrimination, and come together in a unified way.

• Students have to empathize with their audience, understanding and adjusting their performances for their needs and expectations.
• Viewing others’ artwork can provide entry points for understanding and appreciating experiences and cultures that are different from our own.

Three Principles to Change the World: Identity, Belonging, and Agency

While arts education is well situated to authentically support SEL and DEI in broad terms, some researchers and practitioners have focused on three principles that cut across both SEL and DEI: identity, belonging, and agency. These principles, one might argue, are the keys to ensuring a healthy, productive, and inclusive society.

Identity

Through the arts, students may explore and affirm their own identities. Because differences are embraced and creative risks are encouraged, students can feel valued for who they are as individuals. Moreover, one’s own voice and expression are integral to developing and embracing our identities. By viewing artwork from individuals who share similar identities to themselves, students can feel accepted and empowered.

Belonging

By creating inclusive environments, students can feel seen and heard. This creates a sense of belonging and acceptance that is essential to their own growth. As Ashley Bell from the Kennedy Center notes, “Students are most available for learning when they are affirmed, valued, and feel a sense of belonging—it is key to cultivating deep connections.” Moreover, by being part of diverse learning environments, students gain greater empathy, cultural awareness, and the ability to tell stories that resonate with others.

Agency

By nature, the arts require hands-on learning. In most cases, students have far greater agency to make their own decisions than they do in other academic content areas. This requires them to engage and take ownership of their learning. Doing so encourages a key SEL skill—self-regulation—as well as increased self-confidence.

Intentionality is the Key

While it is difficult to argue that the arts are a natural fit for embedding SEL and DEI in general and for identity, belonging, and engaging specifically, intentionality is essential. Unlike other academic content areas, too often, we think of the work that happens in the arts classroom as a “black box.” We know it is important to students’ development, but we haven’t fully articulated how or why it is.

Moreover, arts classrooms could be even more impactful if arts teachers are intentional in their practices. They must intentionally design activities and assessment with SEL and DEI principles in mind. This includes articulating what they are doing, what types of impacts they expect will result, and why. Then it includes measuring and assessing the intended outcomes. While this may not feel natural to the arts process, it can be done in a completely authentic way, by looking at both the arts process and the products that students create.

Arts Teachers Can (and Should) Lead the Way

Because of the nature of the arts, arts teachers know how to engage children in activities that help them to understand and celebrate their identities. They know how to create inclusive environments where children feel like they belong and are empowered to take creative risks. Arts teachers know how to involve children in authentic “group projects” that require them to work together toward a meaningful product.

However, in practice, many schools make a significant mistake by not tapping the great leadership potential of arts teachers. Many arts teachers are relegated to classrooms at the outskirts of the school buildings or even to mobile cart teaching. Often, as the only teacher of their content area in a school, arts teachers can feel isolated, may not have access to professional learning in their disciplines, and are usually the first in their schools to be excessed. Notably, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports that the number of arts teachers decreased by 8% between 2008 and 2017.

In some cases, however, we have seen programs that support and promote arts teachers’ leadership, which can strengthen the overall school community. In NYC, with ongoing grant funding from the US Department of Education, NYCPS has created a cohort of hundreds of arts teacher leaders who participate together in professional learning communities and engage in action research in their classrooms. Not only do these arts teacher leaders serve as mentors to their colleagues teaching within the same arts disciplines and grade levels, but they also have provided school-wide professional learning for non-arts teachers. Impressively, these programs are currently being replicated nationally through the work of arts teacher membership organizations, including the National Association of Art Educators (NAEA), the National Association for Music Educators (NAfME), the National Dance Educator Association (NDEO), and the Educational Theater Association (EdTA).

With continued federal funding for arts grants up in the air, it is essential that we look for ways for programs like these to be sustained and grown. School districts and state departments of education need to understand that the arts are not a nice to have, they are a must have!

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