Stanley Romanstein: Humanities matter, just like arts and sciences

Without attention to them, the 'haves' will get a better education than the 'have-nots.'

By Stanley Romanstein

Last update: August 10, 2007 - 6:55 PM

Cheers to the Star Tribune for its editorial "Don't leave arts, science behind" on Aug. 1 -- but don't forget about the humanities. All humanities disciplines (literature, history, music, and art and social sciences, as mentioned in the editorial) have a tremendous impact on students' overall academic success.

Students who are offered strong humanities programs score higher than their peers in both math and reading assessments. Nine high-poverty elementary and preschools in Minneapolis have demonstrated proof: A Wilder Research Center study of Minnesota Humanities Center programs in these schools found that students who receive enhanced study of the humanities achieve statistically significant gains in math at every grade. Reading scores steadily increased for the students in the study as well.

As schools struggle to meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind in reading, writing and math, the amount of time spent on content learning is significantly decreasing. This decrease in attention to the liberal arts, humanities and social studies is occurring in all academic settings, but recent research has shown that the decrease in content learning for students in poverty is most striking. Unless corrected, No Child Left Behind will create two educational systems: one for the middle class and affluent that includes study of the humanities and liberal arts, and one for the poor that emphasizes the technical skills of reading, writing and math, with minimal exposure to the wider world of literature, cultures, history, the arts and music. Clearly, this is an unacceptable situation in which whole sectors of the American public are denied a rich academic experience because of economic hardship.

Further, educational research has established that long-term academic success is tied to content learning: Once students master the basics of reading, phonics and decoding, it is necessary to provide rich content learning, especially in the elementary grades. If this does not happen, decreases in reading skills and reading comprehension occur by fourth or fifth grade. Research suggests that schools and districts that focus solely on skill acquisition in reading and writing and fail to create a rich academic environment for their students will be unable to maintain any academic gains over the long term.

The humanities are a crucial part of every child's education. Let's not leave them behind.

Stanley Romanstein is president and CEO of the Minnesota Humanities Center.

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