Arts teachers react to NCDPI resource collection to increase access to new standards

In November, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction released an interactive, centralized collection of arts education resources to increase access to new standards approved in July. 

Through the hub, users can browse, download, share and adapt resources related to the new standards to fit their needs. Even with this new access, though, some arts teachers don't feel impacted by the standards. 

Brandon Roeder, the K-12 music and theatre consultant for NCDPI, said the idea behind the hub was to make the new standards more transparent for all individuals who might want to view them.

“Our end goal is always to support the students, and so the person closest to that is the teacher, and then the instructional coach or district leader, the building administrator, the parent, anyone who might be involved," Roeder said. "We do our best to support arts education for all of them."

Roeder said the standards are unspecific, which allows schools to interpret and utilize them in different ways. 

“We are only concerned about the what, not the how, and so our mantra in writing these standards was specifically vague,” Roeder said. 

Chris Langdon, director of bands at Terry Sanford High School in Fayetteville, N.C., said because arts education is so complex and programs can vary, standards can be difficult to enforce. 

Joshua Tew, director of choral music and band for Midway High School in Sampson County, said he appreciated that the standards are broad because every classroom is going to be a little different. 

He also said he did not experience any noticeable differences after the new standards were adopted.

"Some of the wording was a little different. Some of the structure of the standards was a little different, but for the most part, it took most of our disciplines and reworded some things and reworked some things," Tew said.

While standards are the state-level tool to increase education equity and outcomes, Langdon said shifting responsibilities and expectations can hurt teachers, especially those new to the profession. He also said he had to adjust to entirely new standards when he graduated college that ultimately got in the way of his goal of teaching band.

Geoffrey Tart, director of bands for Clinton High School in Clinton, N.C., said a lack of funding is the main disconnect between state-level initiatives and local-level outcomes, as opposed to changing standards. 

Tart said he felt the N.C. General Assembly was diverting funding that could go toward programs in public schools toward private schools and spending.

“[I] strongly feel that [redirection of funding] is being a dis-justice to our students in the public school education of North Carolina,” Tart said. 

Tew also said the music classes and arts classes at a school are so important to the school makeup. He said he’s happy that he gets to participate in the arts every day through arts education. 

“I wish more administrators would just recognize the benefits of music for what they are, without needing to assign a number to it,” Langdon said. “We've seen the research; music makes kids smarter. It connects to brain synapses and makes them more efficient in almost everything they do.” 

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